Living in Goa during the monsoon is the most calm and serene experience. The weather is windy and rain is just around the corner, raining without a warning. Rains put a halt to the fishing boats and festivals are also about to come. It is also the breeding season of fish and many people prefer to turn to a vegetarian diet. Whether you're tending to your own vegetable garden at your villa in Goa or you visit local markets like Panjim Market for grocery shopping, you will see a wild range of seasonal produce in the rainy season.

Markets in Goa transform into a wild vegetable garden, with exotic wild monsoon veggies that most city dwellers are not even aware of. Panjim market in the monsoons is taken over by Goan women selling local vegetables. These veggies are naturally grown in nature’s organic garden. They grow commonly in the state’s green patches and are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Panjim Market

These are some commonly known monsoon veggies in Goa: Naval Kol (German Tulip), Kurdu (Celosia), Haldi (turmeric) leaves, Chauli (black-eyed peas) leaves, Aalu (Colocasia), Telpat Ranbhaji (Wild Veggies), Neerfanas (Breadfruit), Kantoli (Spine gourd), Shirali (ridge gourd), and Vaghate or Ranmeva (Ceylon Caper).

The veggies are also a part of the local festivals and rituals like the Rishi Panchami and Ganesh Chaturthi. Where a special meal is prepared for pooja with these wild local monsoon veggies. Apart from vegetables, there are local mushrooms which have very good taste, some late mangoes, Ole Khajur (raw dates), and local fruits like Papaya, Pumpkin, and Kohla (Ash Gourd).

Monsoons in Goa bring a quiet beauty to everyday life. The rains refresh the land, and the markets fill with fresh, wild vegetables. It’s a season where everything slows down, and people come together to enjoy simple meals made from local produce. There’s a calm in the air, and a sense of connection to nature and tradition. It’s a reminder of the peaceful, meaningful moments that make life in Goa so special.

Grounded in Goa is a series that documents the everyday beauties and joys of living in Goa. For anyone looking to move to Goa, it offers a glimpse into Goa's undeniable connection with nature, a life lived in harmony with the fertile land, changing skies, and the giving waters.

Also read - What To Look For While Buying A House in Goa and Designing a House in Goa

Grounded in Goa is a series that documents the everyday beauties and joys of living in Goa. For anyone looking to move to Goa, it offers a glimpse into Goa's undeniable connection with nature, a life lived in harmony with the fertile land, changing skies, and the giving waters.

Also read - What To Look For While Buying A House in Goa and Designing a House in Goa

Image sourced from the internet.

Sweet summer memories for most of us involve climbing mango trees to pluck all the fresh fruit our hands could possibly reach. The mangoes of Goa are second to none, and the state is among the producers of the highest number of varieties of this delicious summer fruit. However, one particular local Goan mango trumps all others - Mankhurad!

Also known as Goa Mankur, Kurad, Malcorado, Corado etc, Mankhurad first entered the Goan belt in the early 1600s with the Portuguese travelers. With a cultivation history that spans centuries, this Goan variety has grown to become only sweeter with time. Today, the Portuguese Malcorado, is shipped all across India for its distinct taste and finds its way to the Goan summer table as fresh fruit, as well as jams, compotes and ice creams.

Life around the Mankhurad at Navovado

We were lucky to find five full grown, fruiting, and gloriously canopied Mankhurad trees on site when we began our design-development project Navovado. We have consciously preserved the vegetation and designed a modern Goan house around these magnificent mango trees that give us fresh, bountiful harvests in the summer and are a glorious green sight for sore eyes throughout the year.

As people move from cities in search of a better quality of life, Goa is often the first choice as it offers the perfect balance of the urban and the countryside. It makes room for a simple but luxurious lifestyle that celebrates the changes in nature, vegetation, and climate throughout the year. From Kokum in the late winter to cashews and mangoes in the summer to the famous kom and pipri in the monsoon, life in Goa is very much about savouring the bounties of seasonal living.

Come summer, it is cashew season in Goa and the trees are laden with fruits in sunset colours - the cashew tree swells with ripe produce in shades of red, yellow and orange. Between late February and early April, a majority of cashew harvest is carried out. Picking days are planned and cashew trails are organised as fruit is separated from nut. The freshly collected cashew nut is then prepared for the market - split, roasted, and seasoned before it makes it way to different parts of Goa, India, and beyond. The fresh cashew fruit however is carefully preserved and fashioned into a Goan summer delicacy. As the days grow warm outside, the Goan cashew fruit makes different appearances on the table throughout the season: first Niro, then Urrak, and finally Feni.

NIRO

After the fallen cashew apples are de-seeded, the fruits are thrown into a stomp pit and finely crushed to extract the juice. Sweet, sour and slightly pungent, the juice is collected into an earthen pot. In this fresh form, the juice called Niro has a shelf life of only a few hours and therefore, it is not commonly sold as a market product even within Goa. It is only within Panaji's oldest bakery, Mr. Baker 1922, that one would find bottled Niro, packaged under strict hygienic conditions and sold seasonally between March and May.

URRAK

All images have been sourced from the internet.

Once the fresh cashew juice is collected, it is stored in large terracotta pots and buried underground to ferment for three days. This first fermentation results in a high-quality, fruity alcohol called Urrak made precious by its short shelf life that lasts only a few weeks. Found in local bars but primarily in old Goan houses, Urrak is a seasonal drink that is a matter of great Goan pride, much like Sake from Japan or Chaang from the Himachali hills. The Goans typically enjoy their Urrak as a summer afternoon cocktail - topped with fresh cold limca, a dash of fresh lemon juice, a sprinkle of salt and paprika, and a chilli dunked.

FENI

Finally, there’s the popular Feni, which finds a place among the world’s strongest liquors. Feni is the second distillation of cashew pulp after Urrak and is found year-round in the coastal state. This summer elixir is either barrel-aged or copper pot distilled and then filtered for smoothness. Today, homegrown Goan distilleries like Aani Ek give the robust Feni a flavourful twist. The distinct local branding is also found in brands like Lembarca (in the image above), which to date carries a hand sketched label crafted by iconic Goan artist Mario Miranda.

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Goa is a land of incredible natural and cultural diversity.

Learn more about Goa’s famous native landscape here.

To know more about where to live in Goa, visit this blogpost.

Finally, if you’re interested in buying a house in Goa, use this checklist.

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Goa is a goldmine of biodiversity and native forests are the crucial negotiators that tie these ecosystems together. As awareness increases about habitat loss and deforestation, people have taken the responsibility of hosting planting and re-wilding drives. The first step in this process is to identify and select native plant species which are most effective and resource efficient for natural landscaping. Native trees offer huge short term and long term benefits:

• Native trees are well-adapted to the local climate, which means they will have the best chance at survival.

• Native trees prevent population decline of the local wildlife as the animals are not forced to shift into unfamiliar habitats.

• While non-native trees might not do well up against local pests, native trees often don’t have as many pest problems because they develop symbiotic relationships with other local species.

Here are 4 popular, easy to source, and easy to plant native species of Goa:

Terminalia Elliptica or The ‘Indian Laurel’ is the State tree of Goa. A few other names of this tree are Mati, Asna, Saj, or Crocodile Bark Tree.

Terminalia bellirica is a deciduous tree that grows upto 35 m in height. It is a sun loving tree that thrives in slightly moist soils. The fruit of the tree is often celebrated for its medicinal properties.

Pterocarpus marsupium, also known as Asann and Malabar kino is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 30 m (98 ft) tall. It is native to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The beautiful yellow flowered tree however is currently on the list of threatened species due to dwindling numbers and needs to be revived.

Holoptelea integrifolia, also called The Indian Elm is a deciduous tree that grows upto 25m in height. It is often sourced for timber which makes cheap furniture and also used as firewood in rural parts. Its flowers, leaves and bark have medicinal uses.

Apart from this Goa has several indigenous fruit trees including jack fruit, tamarind, guava, pineapple, and kokum. While these are not advisable for highways, they are wonderfully suited for smaller city avenues, parks, city campuses, and most importantly individual residential plots.

A detailed list of Goa’s native trees can be found in this directory. These trees support a lot of insects and creepy crawlies. This post tells you how you can design to coexist with and celebrate Goa’s biodiversity.

Goa is listed among the 36 most important biodiversity hotspots in the worls. To know more about the ecological significance of this belt, you can read our blogpost on Protecting the Western Ghats here.