Pune Mandai and sketchers

It is so good to see all the greens against the morning sunlight. Had been to the main market (Mandai) in Pune at the crack of dawn.

The indoor stalls were also well lit, but trying to keep the source of light out of the frame was tricky.

What a treat for the eyes with aubergines (brinjal) of different shapes and colours.

It was also a day for the members of The Urban Sketchers (Pune) to capture the place with their painting and sketching, to show the colonial impact on Pune.

Some of them did a wonderful job of capturing the place on canvas.

One of them was using an ipad to do his paintings. He said he has downloaded a software to do it. Mayshir (in the comment below) says it is an iPad Air and the software is SketchPro by Tayasui.

When I looked through the view finder my first reaction was “the space ship is landing to beam up the vegetable vendors”

My favorite vegetables, Cauliflower and Cabbage. When ever I see them in the market, I am reminded of wifey’s instructions “Don’t buy cauliflower, there are already two in the fridge”

Catching up with the latest news while waiting for customers.

This lady’s saree goes well with the carrots and the jalopies

Here is a lady dip dying the earthen pots to convert them to black colour. I wonder what it is used for. - - (PS 12th Jan) Reproducing the comment given by Satish Deshpande given below : Hi Joe, nice trip to Mandai. This is harvesting season for many things. Sugarcane, green peas, plum (Bher) Gram (chana), rice...... There is a custom of offering these pots filled with all such things among married ladies, especially newly married, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. That is where the pots are used. - Satish Deshpande

It is the orange season and most of the fruit stalls have a heap of oranges.

Talking of season, it is also the season of the green peas. The best time to buy fresh ones, peel them and stock in the freezer.

I didn’t see anyone sketching this boy with the bell. I had written about him in an earlier blog about the story of the bell.

The boy’s statue was installed after the tragedy in 1993 when 38 school kids lost their lives when their bus was hit by a train at an unmanned level crossing at Phursungi. Initially the boy used to ring the bell every hour, but now it is non functional but the bell and the statue still stands. Have made a short video combining both the vegetable vendors and the Urban Sketchers in action. While clicking the pictures outside Mandai, saw a bunch of cyclists zipping past. Couldn’t resist a quick pan shot of one of them.

Back home by 10.30 (without the cauliflower) - -

Farmers Market in San Jose

Had been to this Farmer’s market in San Jose on 24^th June. Most of the Farmers’ markets are held on weekends but this one is held every Wednesday evening. 

  One good thing about these markets is that you are assured of getting some good fresh food, and you also get to taste the product before buying them. 

Blenheim Apricots are grown mostly by small, local farmers, have a more complex flavour than other apricots. They have a tangy, thick flesh, yet their acid content is balanced beautifully by a high sugar content that rounds out the tartness. They have a pretty apricot colour with a rosy blush outside, but their flesh is richer and darker orange. It is perfect for preserves as well as for drying, in addition to being a treat to eat out of hand. 

I noticed that the vegetables too looked fresh and a little bigger than what you get in India. 

As the board says, no water, no sugar, straight from the farm. 

We picked up some Strawberries and Blackberries

There was a pretty long line for the “shave ice” Reminded me of the baraf ki gola that we used to have during our school days. 

A group of children from a learning centre. Good idea with the T-shirt. If a child is lost you know whom to call. 

There was an ice cream counter too. Got some cones from them and found that their scoops were generous. 

At the end of the line there was this grilled chicken truck which was served with chunks of roast potatoes. Good to have them hot.  

Compare this with a 1934 picture of a market in LA where some musicians kept everyone entertained.

  picture source

Talking of music, there was this lady who kept everyone happy with her guitar. I liked the way she plucked the guitar (you can see it in the video) While filming her I realised that she was actually blind. 

The main market

Had been to the fish market this morning. Got some prawns, Squid and Halwa (black pomfret) For a change the new market place was looking cleaner and a bit organised.

On the way back we decided to visit the main vegetable market (at Gultekdi)

Even though it was just seven in the morning, the hustle and bustle of the  of the main market was not lost on us.

The small retailers were checking out the freshness of product so that they could buy it in bulk.

Crates were being unloaded and reloaded. Green peas was in plenty. The common sparrow (which is a rare sight now a days) was perched on the heap surveying the surroundings.

Liked the colour contrast that was made by these carrots, radish, cabbage, cauliflower and lime.

By the time I clicked these, the radish was already sold out.

Talking of lime, I liked how the sunlight reflected on a heap of them.

And same was the case with the tomatoes (my favourite)

The retailers were waiting for the morning customers

While some of them were already doing brisk business

The lady with the green leaf. My favourite over here was the Lemon Grass which can be seen in the foreground. Its known as Gavati chai (in Marathi)  Just add some fresh leaves to your boiling tea and experience the  special aroma. Some use it in soups and curries too.

Got to see goose berries (Awla) after a long time. Wifey made it a point to buy half a kilo to make chutney. "The best way to make every one eat goose berries" she said.

The best deal that we got was this lot of Custard Apple. All of this for Rs 150/- After coming home I just counted them and a rough calculation told me that each custard apple works out to be less than Rs 4/-  !

Some call this the Aristocrat of fruits.

All in all it was a colourful (and fruitful) experience.

Writing this after having Squid and Goose berry chutney for lunch.

I think I should make more forays into the main market.