Vegetables going 'evergreen', cauliflowers are here in May

AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: They are now "evergreen," literally.Walk into any ''subzi'' bazaar any time of the year and they are there — peas and cauliflower in the midst of a scorching summer, "parwal" in the chill of winter.
Off-season vegetables are here to stay and they are not making gourmets raise an eyebrow or twitch their noses. From the roadside vegetable vendor catering to the housewife to five star hotels, it''s vegetables all 365 days of the year.
What was probably a strict no-no on dining tables — unseasonal vegetables — has become acceptable in many households.For Poonam Patel, a housewife in Judges'' Bungalow Road area, cooking has never been simple since her inlaws began enjoying cauliflowers and tomatoes even in summer.
"There is definitely a paradigm shift in the mindset of the people. Whether it is winter or summer, people walking in now for food would demand their ''Gobi Musallam''. Our other vegetarian delicacy, ''Tanduri Phool'', marinated cauliflower put in a tandoor, is in demand all through the year. I think people have come out of the days when seasons ruled eating habits," says executive chef at Taj Residency Asish Chatterjee.
Ilesh Pathak of the Agro Producers'' Marketing Committee (APMC) believes that improvement in transportation facilities has led to off-season vegetables making their way into Gujarat market.
"Tomatoes are procured from Bangalore while cabbage, cauliflower and peas are got from New Delhi. Their sale here is as good during off-season as during the season," informs Pathak.
"Bangalore and the hilly tracts of Pune account for a lot of off-season vegetables here. Getting farm produce from other places, that have varying weather conditions, has also ensured exotic vegetables like broccoli, yellow capsicums, baby corn, parsley, zucchini and courgette being available throughout the year," says assistant executive chef at Fortune Landmark Rajesh Desai.
The Surti papdi beans, available mostly in winter, taste best when they are cooked as part of ''undhyu''.
"In the last couple of years, restaurant goers in Vadodara have started demanding ''papdi nu shak'' even during the summer months," says Pradeep Chauhan, deputy general manager of Surya Palace. And he has never had to disappoint them. "Off season they get a bit costly, but you get them," he says.
Professor M K Bhalala of the Vegetable Research Station of Gujarat Agriculture University, Anand, explains that research has led vegetables breaking the barrier of seasons.
"We now get thermo-insensitive (temperature resistant) and photo-insensitive (light resistant) vegetables. These hybrid vegetables can be grown even if it is not the season, as a result of which they are available all year round. Among the most commonly grown thermo-insensitive and photo-insensitive vegetables and fruit are cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes and water melons. These vegetables have been growing in popularity, mostly in the last five years," he says.
And, vegetable lovers need not fear picking up an off-season vegetable. Bhalala says that these vegetables do not lack in nutrition any time of the year. This is echoed by head of MS University''s food and nutrition department UV Mani.
"Good transportation facilities, coupled with good packaging and storage facilities has improved the shelf life of these perishable commodities," adds Mani.