For us who love fruit, the local fruit is cheap and best. So now in Bangalore you can indulge during your weekend break with mangoes and pineapples, water melons and musk melons. These are locally grown in the south of India and so are reasonably priced and one can indulge in eating fruit as a snack through the day.

Pineapples are loaded onto carts by vendors in the early hours of the morning from city market. This is where all the fruit come from all parts of the state into Bangalore. At the break of dawn these vendors buy bags of the fruit and lay them out artistically on the cart for shoppers like us to buy. The pineapples especially are very creatively laid out to show off their golden goodness, against the dark green crown of spiky leaves. Look for the pineapples minus any damage on the bottom part or the side otherwise it will quickly rot from the centre and you will be left with nothing.

The water melons are small and dark green and very sweet. These are a special hybrid which are on sale rather than the regular large striped ones which come out only in the height of summer. We are very fond of them and bring them home, dice the red flesh out and chill in the fridge before eating. Dont try eating them without chilling the cubes as they taste hopeless warm. This is a seedless variety which makes them even more enjoyable. At Rs 11 a kg at the present moment they fly off the shelves in the local Food World round the corner.

Musk melons are out and those too are very enjoyable if sweet. Some of them have been taken off the vine before maturity and so are not completely sweet to taste. We scrape out the seeds into a strainer and press out the juice with a little addition of water. Then spoon in some sugar into the juice and keep aside with a squeeze of lemon. Peel and dice the fruit and slip it into the prepared juice and chill before serving in bowls. The flavour is delicate and very enjoyable in the warm season.

Sweet limes too are found in abundance, grown across the southern states. All across the city carts stand selling the freshly squeezed juice into a dekchi (stainless steel dish) and the juice is flavoured with salt or sugar to your taste. Just drink it minus any additions, it is such a thirst quencher. The man buys the sweet limes by the hundred in a bag so you can get a fair sized glass of pure juice for Rs 20/- Besides the Vitamin C in the juice, it's great to serve and give babies rather than the chemical juices like Tang which young mothers use as its a quick alternative.

Jack-fruit are in season. Their ripe smell hits your olfactory centre before your eyes see them. Carts selling opened fruit are found all over the city. However you can buy yourself a whole one and share it with your neighbours if it becomes too much. The seeds of the Jack fruit too are edible and delicious. Eaten either roasted or boiled dont throw them away after you have eaten the fruit.