Farmers Market Goa

The Goa Farmers Market is the pioneering initiative of Karen Anand and her team of loyal and devoted professionals.

Together, they bring to your lovely state, the first whole foods and lifestyle market – a source of exceptional Indian and International produce.

The event attracts everyone from chefs, restaurateurs, passionate amateur cooks and people who just happen to love eating and drinking.

An initiative by Karen Anand, Goa Farmers' Market will be the hub of high quality and exceptional Indian and international produce. Over 80 exhibitors will feature fresh produce, cheese and cold cuts, patisserie, gourmet products, lifestyle wares, wineries and much more at the market. This market will also have pop-up restaurants that will serve exotic regional cuisines for the visitors to experience.

Besides these, there will be a cookery workshop for kids and demo theatre. The farmers market will also have many exciting treasures for foodies, chefs, restaurateurs, and all visitors.

IT WAS a so-called farmer’s market out on the balmy sunshine-filled lawns of the Grand Hyatt at Bambolim on December 14, 2014. It proved to be quite picnic attracting a lot of folk who love the good life -- but without compromising on it! The big metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and even Chennai now see such direct seller-buyer markets of various denomination regularly, but this one is a first on such an up market scale but entry was based on the resort’s invitee list and free for anyone interested. 

 

Thank God for such small mercies. Of course, one pays for what one buys to eat or drink or shops for and there was a lot of desirable shopping to do. In fact, such a market is useful in the run up to the Christmas and New Year season…here was much to buy. For example, organic tidbits like organic sunflower/pumpkin/cucumber seeds to buy, honey, bee’s wax – even alternative medicine -- courtesy Natasha Mac’s Natti’s Naturals.  Then nothing can be purer than the wholesome cakes, cookies, and a range of patisserie by Café De Goa’s Emily…..; Jeetu Melwani’s Sattvic Foods range (he’s been around the world, he said, but nowhere’s like Goa so he’s home for good!); or Nazneen Rebelo’s Café Chocolati fare…not to mention Nilofer Kodachwad’s deliriously delicious range of chocolate (she came all the way from Belgaum, her mint chocolate is to live for as is her orange marmalade and strawberry preserve).

 

Oscar Sequeira Nazareth’s spice liquor Armada is so superb that one wished he had a smaller bottle to retail – the large 800 ml bottle being too much at Rs 800, this is the kind of liquor one wants to drop in one’s tea for tea-time or first thing in the morning, it’s very special. Along with his Armada he had some of the most melting profiteroles (Rs 50 each) and brownies (Rs 100 each) made by Jila Bakery of Loutalim. He says he’s an investment banker-turned-entrepreneur from Margao! Armada has made it to the USA and Middle East but not in India yet, a shame.     

Elsewhere Ninad’s Pottery exhibited an exciting range of creative ceramic cookware including a most unusual Tajine Natural Pressure Cooker to beat all pressure cookers. Abishek Agarwal of Pappco Greenware eco-friendly or bio-compostable tableware is exquisite and it’s hard to imagine it’s made of such things as sugarcane and corn silk fiber! If you are organic it goes without saying that you have to be eco-friendly too, otherwise what’s the point? Love Mother Earth enough to be as eco-friendly as you can be in your lifestyle!

Someone who was the cynosure of all eyes was Devangini A Suryavanshi of Palavi Agro Clinic – here were herbs and greens to buy to heart’s content – bunches of lemon basil, peppery arugula lettuce, curly parsley, stalky celery and much, much more. An engaging young woman she said they’re based in Dhargal (Goa), as also in Kolhapur where they’re promoting contract farming, `We’re not fully organic yet, but will soon be!’ Their Pallavi range of vegetables, herbs and fruits are there at many marts in Goa including Magson’s, Newton’s and AJ’s.

 

All this and much more including arguably the best water to drink in all India – Mulshi Natural Spring Water (Rs 50 per liter pet bottle but worth every drop of it!). This farmer’s market was the brainchild of cookbook author and one of our most successful foodie entrepreneurs, Karen Anand. The idea of a farmer’s market has caught on and they’re planning to make it a regular affair. Yes, more please! It is clear that the gourmet and health food movement is on the move with more and more players coming in. Karen herself is doing her Karen Anand Gourmet range of Szechwan, Arabbiata, Mexican Salsa sauces; try her Singapore Garlic Chili Sauce (can toss in noodles and eat in five minutes). She also has a Chunky Orange Marmalade (a favorite with many who had sugary jams!) and a scrumptious lemon custard which is hard to find in the market for it is perennially in short supply or doesn’t come to Goa.