Shweta Hule wraps her sari around her ankles and bends to pick wild "weeds" from the river and drop them into a bowl, which will be made into fritters, a sort of snack to be served at the little restaurant attached to the B&B Hule manages in Vengurla.
Wild eatable plants are common in kitchens here. Hule's weed, found in mangrove forests, is juicy. Harvesting some of the plant is helping preserve the mangroves, a globally endangered salt-tolerant trees that stop coastal erosion（侵蚀）and absorb storm damage.
Hule is head of Swamini, a self-help group founded by nine women who started Mandavi Eco Tourism in 2017. Vengurla is known for its beautiful beaches and seafood, but the climate crisis has made fishing for a living here unsustainable, so people are trying to find other sources of income. They came up with the idea of providing mangrove sightseeing for tourists in Vengurla's Mandavi River.
The safaris offer visitorsa unique hour-long tour of the mangroves. Food has also become a key attraction: local spicy coconut curries, with homegrown or wild vegetables. Tourists are encouraged to go crabbing, and their catch is cooked and served.
Hule only discovered recently that the weed was eatable when she met tourists from another coastal city. She learned that the salty plant is rich in vitamins. She made her own version of the fritters, with chickpea flour,and presented it at the wild vegetable festival. "It was an instant hit. This boosted the confidence to include these fritters in our restaurant menu," says Hule.
Swamini's Guest House also serves vegetarian meals and plates of fish and crab sourced from the river. "The satisfaction after the visitors enjoy our meal is the real currency. We had guests from London who were so happy
with our food that they took down the recipe. Such people help our business grow. What more can we want?" says Hule.
