Cooling fruits and vegetables attract customers on hot days

(Baonghean.vn) - The intense heat with outdoor temperatures always exceeding 40 degrees Celsius has caused vegetables and fruits with cooling effects to attract customers at markets in Vinh city.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha - a vegetable and root vegetable seller at Quan Bau market said: "The weather is hot so vegetables and roots are easy to sell. To serve customers' needs, I have to order in advance, sometimes I have to go to neighboring districts to buy at the fields to have enough goods. Every day I sell more than 200 bunches of vegetables of all kinds...".

Malabar spinach, jute, jute, bitter melon, winter melon, cucumber... are popular items during the hot season. Photo: Phuong Thuy

According to a survey, green vegetables are currently in abundant supply, with prices increasing slightly by 1,000 - 2,000 VND/bunch. Water spinach, amaranth, Malabar spinach, jute, bitter melon, winter melon, cucumber, sweet potato leaves... are the best-selling items. Currently, water spinach and winter melon cost 5,000 - 6,000 VND/bunch; winter melon, squash, and watermelon cost 10,000 - 12,000 VND/kg...

Besides green vegetables, pennywort is also popular and sought after by many people in the summer. Ms. Hoang Thi Hanh (Hung Phuc ward) said: "Compared to other common vegetables, pennywort is quite expensive, currently 25,000 VND/kg, sometimes when you go to the market late it is out of stock; eating pennywort is cool, good for health, and you don't have to worry about spraying harmful chemicals."

Besides green vegetables, pennywort is sought after by many people on hot days because of its cooling effect. Photo: Phuong Thuy

Similarly, summer fruits such as pineapple, avocado, lychee, watermelon... sold much better than the previous days, so the price also increased from 5,000 - 10,000 VND/kg; currently pineapple is 8,000 VND/kg, lychee is 40,000 VND/kg (increased by 2,000 - 5,000 VND/kg).

Along with vegetables and tubers, the main foods chosen on hot days are freshwater shrimp, crab, fish, mussels... currently freshwater shrimp costs 120,000 VND/kg (up 20,000 VND/kg), freshwater crab costs 100,000 VND/kg (up 30,000 VND/kg compared to before), mussels cost 18,000 - 20,000 VND/kg...

Along with vegetables and fruits, foods that many people choose are freshwater shrimp, freshwater crab, clams, mussels...Photo: Phuong Thuy

At nearly 8am, nearly a dozen stalls selling freshwater shrimp and freshwater crabs at Hung Dung market were already bustling with buyers; the price of freshwater crabs was much higher than before the hot weather, but few people bargained.

Ms. Thuy in Hamlet 16, Hung Loc Commune (Vinh City) said: "Although my house is not far from the market, I always go to the market early in the morning to choose fresh food when it is sunny. As for freshwater shrimp and freshwater crab, if you don't buy them quickly, they will run out."

Field crabs are currently sold at 100,000 VND/kg, an increase of 30,000 VND/kg compared to before. Photo: Phuong Thuy

At supermarkets, vegetables, tubers, and fruits that cool down also attract a lot of customers. Currently, foods that meet VietGAP standards (Vietnam's good agricultural standards), GlobalGAP standards (global agricultural standards), and Organic foods are sought after by many people.

This year, the supply of fruits and food is quite abundant, so prices have not increased dramatically. However, if the hot weather continues, the prices of food, vegetables and fruits will certainly increase due to the scarcity of goods.

Phuong Thuy