the pleasures of farm fresh

I love Oranges.

I started eating oranges here only recently as a cure for my bad food habits. I marvelled at the beauty of an orange - the precision of the size, the perfection of the placement, the pattern, the seedless big juicy California orange.

My opinion changed when I got two oranges from the local farmers' market a few days back. It took me so long to peel it's skin off - it was thick and strong. The orange burst out in an unorganized beauty. The slices were stuck together in different sizes. Peeling one off pulled half of the other with it. It was juicier. The slice skin was thinner and easier to take off. And the seeds sat at the entrance of every slice welcoming me :) They were smaller than those in the Indian oranges, but they did exist! I felt that this was closer to what nature intended, unlike the mass-produced, fertilizer-poisoned ones with labels on them saying "California Oranges - made in America".

I am eating the second one now - taking two minutes to peel away one slice and ten seconds to savour the juicy piece of heaven. My Mom spoiled me in my childhood by painstakingly peeling each slice, and I think it's worth it so I do the same.

Another thing that amazed me at the farmers' market was green chilly. I love green chilly. I bought some but don't know what I could do with it, so I took a photograph. Any suggestions?



P.S. - the red marker is for size reference :)