Summer fruits come at a price

ADDING WOES

Because of the heat and the sweat factors, people lose their appetite and the body gets dehydrated quickly in this season.

So, nature makes up for that by producing fruits and vegetables which are high in vitamins and minerals and also help in retaining body fluids.

So, be prepared to savour watermelon, kharbooja (musk melon), tender coconut, apricots, grapes, strawberries, jambul, chikoo, cucumber as they have started coming into the market.

Although most of these fruits are available throughout the year, it is essential to include them in your summer diet because of health reasons.

Already the market is flooded with a range of melons. These juicy fruits not only quench the thirst but also provide many nutritional needs like beta carotene, Vitamin C, potassium and iron. Apricots are good source of iron and fibre. They help in curing anaemia, skin diseases, fever and indigestion. These fruits can be mixed together to make a tasty fruit salad or can be consumed in the form of delicious juices. But, for best results one should consume them fresh.

When it comes to vegetables, the choices are aplenty – from drumsticks to avocados. “It is very difficult to cater to the different nutritional requirements of the family members during summer. Thankfully, now I have learnt the trick. We get fresh vegetables and fruits during this season. I make a point to use all of them in our daily diet. Like, I use drumsticks in sambhar, chutney, soup, juice and even sometimes use the leaves for garnishing purpose. No one gets bored of any vegetable, thanks to this multi-utility.

Also it is important to use them in a balanced way. Some people stick to a particular fruit or vegetable and neglect others. This is not a good practice. Another important thing is that one should not forget to taste forest fruits like jambul which has a great medicinal value,” says Bharathi Vijay, a housewife.

Though summer fruits are good for the body, they are not cool for the pockets this time due to inflation. They are pretty costlier compared to last year. “We get watermelon for around Rs 12 per kg in the market and we sell it to customers at Rs 16 per kg. Kharbooja is also costly. So, people are not generous about purchasing fruits and vegetables, this summer,” says Vishwanath, a vegetable vendor.

But he is happy that there won’t be any competition from the street and cart hawkers this year. “If the prices are low, then the cart hawkers start selling from door to door.

Now, because of the high price, they won’t be able   to do any business out of it,” he says happily.