One of the joys of a Monday morning is going to the vegetable market in my neighbourhood. It seems a strange fascination but I actually love going to this narrow and extremely crowded street towards Grant Road station called Bhaji Gulley. Regular shops selling laces and sewing material, grocery stores, a small bakery, a liquor shop, shops selling garments and of course the street vendors selling vegetables, potted plants, house cleaning equipment, items for worship, spice merchants and even the odd rat catcher, office goers, vagrants, school children, houseboys and regular housewives vie for space in this higgeldy-piggeldy lane.

Colourful umbrellas and crooked makeshift awnings protect the vendors and their wares from the sun (and the rain during the monsoon). But nothing can contain the unabashed enthusiasm of the hawkers as they call you to buy their wares.

On days like today, when the mild morning sun actually makes you feel it’s winter, it’s a treat to stroll love through the bazaar, smelling the freshness of the winter fruit and soaking in the vibrant green of mustard leaves, sour spinach, feathery dill, fat beans bursting at the seams. heaps of pea pods that are filled with tender green peas.

The fruit seller had two kinds of apple : the robust, juicy red Washington variety that tempted poor Snow White and its Indian cousin, the Kinnaur variety that is less tart. But its soft, almost powdery soft pulp is easier for my fragile and brittle teeth so I went for them instead.

Apart being local and therefore healthier( according to all the dieticians ) the Kinnaur is grown in Himachal Pradesh. Like all apples, it is rich in Vit C, has a low glycemic index and consequently good for diabetics and weight watchers. It also prevents Alzheimers ( so they say).

On my way out, I found a small heap of Ice Apples and bought a few for my mum in law who loves this fruit.

Did you know that ice apples or tadgola grow on coastal palms ?

Actually this is a summer fruit and is a great thirst quencher with its soft wobbly inside pocket filled with sweet juice. But ma in law loves this fruit and it is soft enough for her to eat it. Besides, it has other benefits too.

Naturally, it is good for health and will slow down her ageing process. It will also boost her immunity and help her digestive system to work more efficiently.

This is actually quite an acquired taste so if you do want to try it, I suggest you go for it one piece at a time.

At any rate, don’t forget to have an apple a day to keep the doctor away!

Ciao,