Farmers Market Fun!

I’m still kind of in disbelief. I learnt today that there is this gorgeous park in the middle of Bombay that I had no idea about. And this park… Maharashtra Nature Park, is not what usually (unfortunately) comes to mind when you think of parks in India (ie. no place to avert your eyes from the couples smooching, litter everywhere…) it’s like a small clearing in a jungle, immune from the sounds and pollution of the streets of Dharavi, grass that you can actually sit on, and butterflies everywhere. It’s surreal. Unbelievable for Bombay. Where has this park been all my life?!?

Today was the first of this season’s Organic Farmer’s Market which will run every Sunday (except for a few long weekends) until March. I can’t remember how exactly I found out about this apparently well-kept secret market but gosh, am I glad I did!

I used to be of the opinion that “organic” is a snobby, snooty-falooty, concept for people who don’t live on a strict budget but as I have been learning about food and also thanks to Robert’s cousin and her family who run a farm in Wisconsin, I’ve learnt that “organic” should be the way everyone eats. Good, healthy, uncontaminated food should be a right for all people. And also, farmers deserve immense respect and support. Somehow, we have come to expect fresh produce to be cheap and plenty but that usually comes at a high cost to the land, fauna, farmers, and ultimately our health.

The pesticides and herbicides used in conventional farming is highly toxic and pollutes the land and water. Non-organic produce may also be using genetically modified seeds which is a whole other can-o’-worms, but in a nutshell, it’s best avoided!

Even with all the arguments for organic produce, I’m not gonna lie, it is expensive and probably not yet possible to switch to all organic but remember that every time you do choose to buy from an organic farmer, you are encouraging more farmers to grow organic and then I think the simple rules of economics of supply and demand will eventually tilt in our favour when it comes to price! Also, the bees will thank you for trying.

To start off, educate yourself about the “dirtiest” fruits and vegetables. These are produce that you should try to buy organically because they are known to be the worst offenders when it comes to chemical pesticide and herbicide residue.

Secondly, if you live in Bombay and you’re not convinced about organic produce, just come to the Farmer’s Market, there are beautiful trees to sit under, food to be eaten, music to be enjoyed and friends to be made.

Gratitude List #11

// This week has been all about food. I love food. I’m so glad that eating can be exciting and tasty and not just something that we have to do keep ourselves alive.

I think one of the biggest surprises I’ve had after getting married is how much I enjoy cooking. I particularly love trying new things. Robert would be happy with eating my super easy, super fool-proof, throw-everything-in-the-pressure-cooker dal makhani but I get bored eating the same thing two meals in a row, even if it’s really tasty!

Anyway, so apart from learning how to cook, I’ve been learning a whole lot about what to cook and what to eat. When we were in school, they didn’t teach us much beyond the very basics of the “food-pyramid” and we all know we should stay away from junk food but I don’t remember learning about food ever being exciting or awe-inspiring and oh my gosh, it so is!

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been researching and reading a LOT of food blogs and it is just so fascinating. Every fruit, vegetable, grain, seed, meat, fish, liquid has something different to offer. Every colour signifies something. And to me, a person who is invigorated and inspired by nature and open spaces, it’s like a little treat from God. As I cut open a fruit or vegetable, elaborately designed and made to provide us with much needed nutrients, I find the beauty of creation in our very own tiny kitchen. I can watch a chia seed turn from this tiny solid black speck, which apparently contains unbelievable amounts of good stuff, to this crazy gooey gelatinous substance and my mind is quite literally blown.

I know it’s hard to care so much when you have a busy schedule you literally sometimes just eat because you have to, and I am so grateful that I’ve had time off in the past couple of weeks to spend time reading and experimenting. And honestly, in the area of food, knowledge really is power. Once you know what is in the food you’re buying in packages, or at restaurants, and you know there’s an easier and waaaaaay healthier alternative, you literally develop a ‘good addiction’ to the good stuff.

Here are some of the resources that have helped me:

1. The Clean Newsletter: You can sign up for it on their website. It’s actually a detox program and there’s also a really great recipe book but just start with the newsletter. It comes once a week to your inbox with easy recipes and amazingly informative articles.

2. Simple Green Smoothies: This website has, as the name suggest, simple green smoothie recipes. Smoothies are super easy, super healthy additions to your diet!

3. The Food Babe: This crazy amazing woman is out to fight for honesty in the food and advertising industry. Packaged food is notoriously labeled with misleading tags like “All Natural”, “Zero Trans Fat” and Vani (aka the Food Babe) helps us to dig a little deeper and find out what’s really in the food we’re buying. I have mad respect for this woman and she’s really done some amazing stuff. Check it out here.

4. Eat Life Whole: Some really good easy recipes on this website. They also have ‘Eat Real Essentials” book which has some great tips on what oils to use in your cooking, and meal planning, and a 21-day clean eating challenge with recipes! Definitely worth a gander!

5. Conscious Food Blog: By the folks of Conscious Foods. I just discovered this website today and it has some really good articles and even some recipes. These guys are fast becoming by favourite organic product suppliers.

Riteja + Satya (Mehendi and Haldi) : Kolkata Candid Wedding Photography

I shot this amazing wedding of Riteja and Satya in Kolkata in July and honestly I don’t know what words to use to explain how much fun I had. I think what made it so awesome was the combination of being in Kolkata and shooting a part-Bengali wedding that was very reminiscent of my own but mostly, as with all great weddings, it was the people. Both families were lovely and made Gen and I feel completely at home and of course there were the crazy awesome friends, who by the end of the three days, felt like our own friends!

Riteja and Satya, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for letting us be a part of this grand celebration! It was an absolute honour.

Here’s part one: Mehendi and Haldi

Thanks to Genevieve Vanspall for second-shooting with me.