When you think of summer, what fruits come to your mind?
Watermelon? Mangoes? Jackfruit? Ice apples?
But have you heard of kumquat? What about water apples?
Rediff.com Reader and agri-entrepreneur Sumit Bhosle sent us these amazing photographs of popular fruits from his farm in Sawantwadi, Maharashtra.
Take a look!
IMAGE: This is carambola, popularly known as star fruit.
The unripe ones are green; they turn golden yellow as they ripen. The taste is often sweet to citric depending on their variety and ripening state.
IMAGE: They look pretty ornamental! During summer months, the star fruit is cleaned and eaten raw, sometimes with a dash or salt and chilli powder or pickled with homegrown spices and stored away.
IMAGE: That's breadfruit. The exterior looks much like jackfruit, but they are often smaller in size. When unripe, breadfruit is cooked and eaten, but can also be consumed raw once they ripen.
IMAGE: Kumquats look like mini oranges. They come in oval or round shapes; are mostly sweet to taste and have a thin edible skin around them.
IMAGE: Kokam is another tangy fruit popular during summer months, especially in coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka where it is extensively used in daily cooking. They are also sun dried to make sherbets and sol kadi, a Konkani cooling drink.
IMAGE: The mere sight of jamuns can make some of your mouths water and instantly remind you of your childhood. Biting the juicy black plum leaves a purple hue on your lips and tongue but that has never stopped anyone from bingeing on this summer fruit.
IMAGE: Water apples are another common sight during summers. They are available in green and pink and have a slightly crunchy to soft interior depending on their ripening state.
Dear Readers, do you have a photograph that best describes summer?
Your photographs can be funny, heart-warming, quirky or just plain summery!
It could be a recent photograph or a blast from the past.
They could be from anywhere across India or the world, but they have to be original.
Do mail your pictures to getahead@rediff.co.in (subject: Summer Pics) along with your NAME and the place where you LIVE. Do include a little information about where you clicked the photograph and what makes it special.
