Om Sai Vegetable

We are out in Ambegaon Odhabv, near the Post in Manchar. This isn't a city shop with fancy misting machines; it is just a place where we bring what comes from the fields. We are up way before the sun, often around four in the morning, to get the crates unloaded. There is usually a bit of mud on the floor and the smell of fresh earth and green leaves is everywhere. We use simple hanging scales to weigh the produce, and we have to be quick because the morning crowd doesn't like to wait. The weather really dictates our day; if it rains, we have to scramble to pull the plastic sheets over the crates. Manchar is a place where everyone knows what a good vegetable looks like, so we can't hide anything at the bottom of the pile. We spend a lot of time sorting through the greens and picking out the ones that have wilted. It’s a lot of bending over and lifting heavy bags, which makes for a long day. We don't have a website or any of that, we just stand here and talk to the people who walk by. By the afternoon, when the sun is hot, we try to find a bit of shade behind the stall. We close up when the crates are mostly empty, usually tired but ready to do it all again the next morning. It is a simple life centered around the harvest and the seasons.