During the peak season, you may see a local farmer balancing a bamboo pole across his shoulders, holding two wicker woven baskets full of freshly picked vegetables, heading to the market. In Nepali vegetable markets, one can experience the proud skills of vendors arranging every tiny space with a dramatic display of vegetables and fruits. Greens, such as spinach, mustard, fresh coriander, and garden cress are neatly tied in small bundles and piled up in a beautiful way. A variety of dry vegetables such as potatoes, onions, and shallots are skillfully arranged in a wicker trays, or baskets or in jute-burlap sacks. On many street corners, vendors set up small stands with the fresh fruits and vegetables such as green gooseberry, labsi (Hog plum), guava, or tangerines. The vegetables are sold in the markets weighted in a hand-held local scale, known as taraaju, which comes in a variety of sizes and forms. Nepal has a complex topography with hills and flat lands, and the Kathmandu valley is renowned for the seasonal vegetables grown in its fertile soil. Vegetables (tarkaari) are one of the most important foods in the daily Nepali diet, and a typical Nepali meal consists of rice, lentils, and some kind of side vegetable dish. The most common vegetables include green beans, cauliflowers, cabbage, eggplants, greens (mustard, spinach), okra, potatoes, Nepali radish, squash, tomatoes and many other seasonal local vegetables. Due to the scarcity of cultivated land in many rural and hilly areas of Nepal, fresh vegetables are limited, so locals tend to consume root vegetables as well as dried and fermented vegetables. Generally, green leafy vegetables such as spinach and mustard greens are eaten daily in large quantities wherever available. Vegetables are also made into pickles, salads, snacks, and desserts.
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