Farmers as food educators

Make your grocery shopping a bit more enjoyable in Madurai this Sunday by visiting a marketplace of organic produce. When you purchase the GI tagged hill garlic (malai poondu) of Kodaikanal, spices and artisanal tea from Idukki, a special samrani made from the medicinal Kungiliam tree by the tribal community in Valparai, the organically grown keerais and other vegetables, it will be an opportunity to support the local economy and introduce your family, especially children, to new products as well. The marketplace curated by Krishnan Subramanian, the co-founder of Yellow Bag Foundation, will help visitors understand the farm-to-table journey of the foods we eat. Besides farmers, many like-minded individuals from the region who are doing their bit for the environment will also be there to talk about their experiments and experiences in sustainable living, promoting nature, becoming a conscious consumer, creatively reusing things and exploring their cities to know and understand the importance and relevance of local history, culture, people and the produce.