From binge-watching shows, weekly laundry sessions to finishing house chores – for most of us, Sundays are spent preparing for the week ahead. Especially in a city like Mumbai, where everyday dissolves into a luminous haze and you’re left with only the weekend to squeeze in a week’s worth of errands. To be able to shop for your groceries without missing out on the pleasures of a leisurely Sunday brunch followed by some personal hobby time – that is the dream. And while the idea of it might seem a little unreal, Cafe Zoe in Lower Parel has somehow managed to achieve it all with their upcoming Farmer’s Market.
Working with Taru Naturals, a grassroots movement of 3000 indigenous people and small-scale farmers across India, Cafe Zoe will be organising its first, and one-of-a-kind Farmer’s Market on Sunday, 16th September where visitors will not only get the chance to purchase organic farm-fresh produce but also interact with the farmer behind the produce. “We have realised that people want to get fruits and vegetables that are organic but what you get at the gourmet stores is really expensive and if you’ve got a large household, it can get difficult to sustain”, says Tarini Mohindar, a partner at Cafe Zoe.
From millet flour that can even be grown in drought-prone areas to French beans and other desi greens, this Farmer’s Market will exhibit veggies that are indigenous and grow abundantly on Indian soil. Armed with an Environmental Science Degree from Oxford, Ruchi Jain, the founder of Taru Naturals, is keen on reviving India’s ancient agriculture history, saying, “The farmer is taught how to make their own fertilisers and pesticides from natural ingredients so that their crop yield, in the long run, will increase and ensure good production.” Moreover, the products being sold will be priced at a hike of only 10% as compared to what your local hawker would charge. But it’ll be worth it as the proceeds will go directly to the farmer present there.
But purchasing fresh produce is not enough for the kind of healthy lifestyle we’re all striving to achieve. Keeping that in mind, Ruchi Jain will also be conducting a Kitchen Garden workshop, revealing little secrets of how one can grow their own vegetables very easily. The Farmer’s Market will also be exhibiting a variety of millets, grains, cold-pressed oils and other exclusive Taru products. In fact, Tarini herself will be shopping at the Market and interacting with Ajji, an 80-year-old small-scale farmer from Niphad in Maharashtra. “We are also trying to go local by using less imported produce in our offerings and more indigenous vegetables”, she tells Homegrown.
So while your friendly neighbourhood restaurant has done its bit by literally bringing the farmer and her garden fresh produce to your doorstep, it’s now your turn to drop by on one of those Lazy Sundays and spend the afternoon embracing it all.
Date: Sunday, 16th September
Time: 10-2pm
Kitchen Garden workshop: 11am-12pm
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