Fresh Tomato (Tamatar)

Tomatoes picked ripe on our farmer members' plots, not picked green and reddened inside a truck. They turn up with some variation in size and the occasional mark on the skin, which is what a tomato looks like when it has not been graded for a supermarket shelf.

Soil fed with vermicompost, no chemical fertilizers, and no stretch of cold storage between the field and Pune.

Ripe fruit breaks down fast in a fodni, and that is what you want for amti, for sabzi gravy and for a quick tomato saar. Firmer ones hold their shape in koshimbir and in a sandwich. For puree, blanch, peel and blend with no water added at all.

Sold in 1kg, 2kg and 3kg. Keep them on the counter stem side down rather than in the fridge, where the flesh goes mealy and the taste flattens. Work through the softest ones first.

Add potatoes for batata bhaji, or browse all fresh vegetables.