Bangalore; August 28: The increasing awareness about organic food was evident at ‘Oota from Your Thota,’ a one-day event, held by Garden City Farmers (GCF) in the City recently. The eighth edition of the organic gardening fair was put together to observe World Kitchen Garden Day.
The purpose of the event was to encourage Bangaloreans to grow their own food, organically. The fair had a host of stalls displaying food items to bags, jewellery and gardening requirements.
At the food counter Swarg, which was offering delicacies made from desi cow milk, Pradeep Kumar, who was at the store said, “All the products are made from milk procured from Indian breed of cows. People are unaware of the many benefits of Indian bred cows. The sweets we are offering are rasamalai, kulfi and srikhand and going by the overwhelming response we are satisfied,” he explained.
Swetha Gopal from Mystic Hues, who was who selling decorative items, said, “Most of the items here are made from terracotta. Although, terracotta has a dull finish, the art work on them has lent a colorful look. The most popular item has been the planter which has been bought by many children. I am here to encourage children to plant trees and I think, I have achieved my objective,” she said.
Remanika Varkadari, who is participating for the first time, is looking forward to attending more of such fairs. “I get bags stitched from leftover material from stitching kurtas and kurtis. It’s good to see so many people eager to buy recycled products,” she said.
Recipe books, sugarless muffins and oil were selling like hot cakes. Pointing to the variety of cupcakes, which included lemon and ginger muffins, orange and almond and multigrain muffins, Chaitali Raizada from Taantraa Organic Hand Baking said, “The muffins are good for breakfast. These will leave you full for at least four hours. The products on sale are organic, which is good for health,” she explained.
Although prices of organic items are 20-25 per cent more than regular products, the demand for them is high. “People look at the benefits rather than the prices. It is true that it is more expensive than the regular items,” said Vishala Padmanabhan from Buffaloback who was selling traditional South Indian snacks like Mysore pak,
muruku, besan laddu, all made from organic ingredients.
The visitors at the fair were those who were interested in knowing more about organic products and the many benefits of organic food. “I have heard a lot about the benefits of organic food. My family loves binging on snacks, so I am picking up some healthy snacks. At least, I don’t have to worry that we are consuming unhealthy food,” said Priya Nair, who visited the fair along with her family.
DHN
