Hey, gimme red

Chesta Wadhwani visits a local vendor and comes away with some strawberry tips.

Santosh Shelar is easily the most famous vegetable seller at Gopi Tank Road in Mahim. Juice bars and ice cream parlours come to him for his fresh stock of strawberries. Mountains of ripe strawberries on display are an instant hit with passerby too.

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What’s good: The price is affordable. Rs 60 for half a kilo of jumbo strawberries and Rs 20 for a basket of small ones. The stock from Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani stays fresh as Shelar places them on moss-filled baskets.

The jumbo-sized strawberries are sweet and often sold without bargaining. What’s even better is that Shelar doesn’t sell them in boxes but keeps the fruit in the open so you can inspect before you buy.

Use them: Crush the strawberries, add sugar and refrigerate for a year-long supply of jams and crushes. For the present, strawberry cheesecake, yogurt and milkshakes are a good idea.

It’s an unusual combination but a rage the world over, marinating strawberries in balsamic vinegar.