Mulberry

Mulberry trees are as ornamental as they are fruitful. The mulberry was once considered the "King of the Tree Crops"

Mulberry has various species are: White Mulberry, Black Mulberry, American Mulberry, Red Mulberry. Also there are few Hybrid forms exist between white and red mulberry.

The white mulberry is native to eastern and central China. The black mulberry is native to western Asia. The red mulberry is native to eastern United States.

The white mulberry fruits are generally very sweet but often lacking in needed tartness. Red mulberry fruits are usually deep red, almost black, and in the best clones have a flavor that almost equals that of the black mulberry. Black mulberry fruits are large and juicy, with a good balance of sweetness and tartness that makes them the best flavored species of mulberry. The refreshing tart taste of it, is in some ways reminiscent of grapefruit.

Persimmons

Persimmons are grown for it's edible fruits. The persimmon fruit is known to be "the fruit of the gods" in the ancient Greeks. The tree can grow high up to 25 feet (7.6 m).

The fruit is size 3.5 inch(8.9 cm) in diameter, and the shape of the fruit varies between spherical, acorn-like, and pumpkin-shaped; with color pale yellow, orange, or red exterior with an orange flesh inside.

There are two types of persimmon fruits, one is with the astringent flavor while the other is non-astringent.

The fresh persimmon fruits can be eaten raw out-of-hand, or dried, or after cooked. When the fresh fruit is eaten raw, the outer skin is cut and removed, and the flesh is often cut into quarters or eaten whole like apples.

[image: sliced persimmon fruits]

Santol - wild mangosteen

The santol fruits are shape globose to oblate, with size about 1 1/2 to 3 inch (4 to 7.5 cm) wide. There are two different varieties within this fruits; and they are, the 'pink to red' variety and the 'yellow to golden'. The tree can be grows upto 150 feet in height.

The inner part of the fruits are the edible white, translucent, milky, juicy pulp; which is sorrounded by a thin and thick downy rind. The taste of the pulp is sweet, subacid or sour. The pulp also contains 3 to 5 small brown seeds, which are inedible.

The fresh fruit can be eaten raw and plain or salted or with other spices added. These fruits can be eaten without peeling, as the rind is also edible; only the seeds are inedible. These fruits are sometimes candied and also prepared into some alcoholic beverages.

Santol is native to Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia; and are now being cultivated throughout India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and many Pacific Islands.

[image: the Santol fruit after cut open]

Abiu

Abiu fruits are shaped from round to oval with a point, and sometimes with a short nipple at the apex. The skin of the fruit is smooth, tough, pale-yellow in color when mature. This fruit is also relative to sapodilla.

The pulp of the fruit is translucent and white, with a creamy and jelly-like texture along with 1 to 4 shiny brownish ovate seeds. The immature and young fruits are permeated with latex and are very gummy and astringent. The taste of the flesh is sweet like caramel.

The fresh fruit can be eaten raw out-of-hand as table fruits. These fruits are also used in making ice creams.

Abiu fruits are native to the Amazonian region of South America, and are now being cultivated throughout the tropics of Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Canistel (egg fruit or yellow sapota)

This plant is grown for it's edible fruits which is relative to sapodilla.

The canistel fruits are shape nearly round, with a pointed apex, with 3 to 5 inch (7.5-12.5 cm) length, 2 to 3 inch (5-7.5 cm) width. The immature fruits are green skinned, hard and gummy internally and turn to lemon-yellow, golden-yellow or pale orange-yellow (color variation depends on cultivars) with smooth outside when fully mature.

The yellow flesh is immediately beneath the skin, which is mealy with a few fine fibers, in a mature fruit. The flesh is softer and more pasty toward the center of the fruit, with the texture similar to the yolk of a hard-boiled egg. The flavor of the flesh tastes sweet, more or less musky, and somewhat like a boiled sweet potato. Thu fruit contains about 1 to 4 hard, freestone seeds.

The fresh mature fruit can be eaten raw out of hand. The fruits are sometime eaten after added with salt, pepper and mayonnaise or lemon juice. Also these fruits are used as preparations like custards, pies and milk shakes.

Canistel fruits are rich in Vitamins A, B3, C; and contains 2.5% protein, 40% carbohydrates, with 2000 IU/100g of carotene contents.

Canistel fruits are cultivated mainly in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Central America, Taiwan, Vietnam and West Indies.

[image: sliced canistel fruit]

Pomegranate

This plant is grown mainly for it's edible fruits.

The pomegranate fruits are shape nearly round, crowned at the base by prominent calyx, which is surrounded by a tough, leathery rind - (skin of the fruit). The color of the rind vaies between cultivars as yellow, light or deep pink, or rich red. The segmented interior is separated by thin membranous walls and white spongy tissue. Each segments are packed with transparent sacs wich are filled with tart, flavorful, fleshy and juicy pulp(aril). The color of these sacs varies between cultivars as red, pink or white, and a white or red seed will be at the center of each sacs. These seeds itself represents almost 52 percentage of the total weight of the fruit.

Pomegranate fruits become mature(ripe) between 5 to 7 months after bloom, and the mature fruits has long shelf storage life as the apples.

These are table fruits and can be eaten raw. Generally the fruit is deeply scored three or four times vertically and then can be easily broken apart; now the clusters of juice sacs can be lifted out from the rind and eaten at hand.

The juice made from the fruit is a very popular beverage. Adding 7 1/2 cups of sugar and one bottle of liquid pectin for every four cups of pomegranate juice results pomegranate jelly. The juice is sometime used as sauce by making it as thick sirup. The juice is also made into grenadine for the use in mixed drinks. A spice also made by putting the juice-sacs into dry in the sun for about 10 to 15 days.

The pomegranate is native to Iran and the sorroundings of Himalayas in northern India; and are now being cultivated through out the world.


Medicinal uses:

A decoction is taken from the pomegranate flowers, are gargled to relieve oral and throat inflammation.

Rambutan

The rambutan fruit is shape ovoid or ellipsoid and size 1 1/3 to 3 1/8 inch (3.4 to 8 cm) long. Color varies between different cultivars as pinkish-red, bright-or deep-red, orange-red, maroon or dark-purple, yellowish-red, or all yellow or orange-yellow. A thin, hairy and leathery rind is covered the edible flesh. The flesh is colored white to rose-tinted, translucent, juicy, subacid or sweet, adhering to fairly the ovoid or oblong, with a small flattened seed at center.

The name of the fruit 'rambutan' comes from the Malay word, 'rambut' meaning hair; as the fruit sorrounded by hairy rind.

The fresh rambutan fruits can be eaten raw out-of-hand after tearing the rind open, or cutting it around the middle and pulling it out. The seeds are tastes bitter and reported poisonous if eaten raw, but are sometimes eaten after roasted, in the Philippines.

A decoction from the astringent bark is taken as a remedy for thrush. A decoction of the roots is taken as a medication that reduces fever.

[image: rambutan fruits at closer view]

Pomelo or Pummelo (Bamplimas)

The Pomelo or Pummelo (Bamplimas) fruits are the largest size of all the citrus fruits, and are native to South East Asia and Malaysia. The shape of the fruit is nearly round to oblate or pear shaped, and the size vary between 4 to 12 inch (10-30 cm) in wide.

The peel colored greenish-yellow or pale-yellow, and thick about 1/2 to 3/4 inch (1.25-2 cm) with a soft albedo. The outer surface of the fruit is minutely hairy with green color dotted around.

The color of the edible pulp ranges from white or greenish-yellow or pale-yellow to pink or red varies between cultivars; is divided inside into 11 to 18 segments, are very juicy to fairly dry. Few yellowish-white seeds may presents inside of each segments.

The flavor varies from mildly sweet and bland to subacid. To eat edible juicy pulp, which presents inside the segments, peel the fresh pomelos and skin the segments carefully.

[image: sliced pomelo red fruit]

Medicinal uses

A hot decoction taken from the leaf are applied on swellings and ulcers.

The fruit juice is taken as a febrifuge.

In Brazil, a cough remedy is taken from a gum that exudes from declining trees.

Chrysophyllum cainito (Star Apple)

The fruit is round shape, purple-skinned and is often green around the calyx, with a star pattern in the pulp. The flesh pulp are sweet, soft, white, milky and surrounding the 6 to 11 gelatinous, somewhat rubbery, seed cells in the center.

The leaves of the tree are greeny upside and a shimmering gold velvety underside. When seen from a distance, the underside of the leaves shines with a golden color, and hence this tree has also got a name 'golden leaf tree'.

The matured fruit can be eaten fresh; they are sweet and best served chilled. The flesh pulp is usually spooned out as to avoid the bitter tasting of the rind and skin (the skin and rind itself constituting approximately 33% of the total fruit).

Matured fruits can be kept in good condition for 3 weeks at 37.4' F to 42.8' F (3' C to 6' C)

Chrysophyllum cainito are native to Central America and the West Indies.

[image: sliced greeny variety]

Medicinal uses

Infusions of the leaf is used against diabetes and articular rheumatism. A decoction of the rind, or of the leaves, is taken as a pectoral.

Annona muricata (Soursop or Annasi)

Annona muricata (Soursop) fruits are shape oval or irregular, about 10 to 30 cm long and up to 15 cm in width, colored dark-green, and the color turns to yellowish-green when mature. Fully matured fruit will be soft to the touch.

The inner surface of the fully matured fruit is cream-colored and granular, can be separated easily from the mass of snow-white, fibrous, juicy segments—much like flakes of raw fish—surrounding the central, soft-pithy core. The edible pulp has the aroma somewhat pineapple-like, but its musky, subacid to acid flavor is unique. In each fertile segment there is a single oval, shiny, hard, black seed; but some segment may seedless. Generally a large fruit may contain a few dozen to 200 or more seeds.

Annona muricata trees are native to the Caribbean and Central America, and now are widely cultivated throughout the world.


Medicinal uses

The juice of the matured fruit is used as diuretic and a remedy for haematuria and urethritis.

The chewed leaves, mixed with saliva, are then applied to incisions after surgery, causing proud flesh to disappear without leaving a scar. The leaf decoction is lethal to bedbugs.

A decoction is taken from the pulverized immature fruits, are used as a dysentery remedy.

The roots of the tree are employed as a vermifuge and the root bark are used as an antidote for poisoning. The flowers are believed to alleviate catarrh.

Otaheite gooseberry

The otaheite gooseberry fruits are shape oblate with 6 to 8 ribs; size about 1 to 2.5 cm wide; colored green to pale-yellow and turns to dark yellow when mature. The fruit is waxy, fleshy, crisp, juicy and highly acid. About four to six seeds are embedded in the center of the hard stone which is in middle of the fruit.

The fresh fruit can be eaten raw after removing the hard stone in it. When cooked with sugar, the fruit changes color to ruby red and from which a jelly is made, which can be then salted.

When the sliced raw flesh covered with sugar and let stand in the refrigerator for a day. The sugar content draws out the juice and modifies the acidity, which make the flesh and juice become a sauce.

Otaheite gooseberry are native to Madagascar, and then it was spread long ago by humans throughout much of India, southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands.


Medicinal uses

In India, the fruits are taken as liver tonic, to enrich the blood. The sirup is prescribed as a stomachic; and the seeds are cathartic. The leaves, with added pepper, are poulticed on sciatica, lumbago or rheumatism.

A decoction of the leaves is given as a sudorific. Because of the mucilaginous nature of the leaves, they are taken as a demulcent in cases of gonorrhea.

The root is drastically purgative and regarded as toxic in Malaya but is boiled and the steam inhaled to relieve coughs and headache. The root infusion is taken in very small doses to alleviate asthma. Externally, the root is used to treat psoriasis of the soles of feet.

The juice of the root bark, which contains saponin, gallic acid, tannin and a crystalline substance which may be lupeol, has been employed in criminal poisoning.

The acrid latex of various parts of the tree is emetic and purgative.

Passionfruit

The Passionfruits are generally with the shape round or ovoid, about 4 to 7.5 cm wide, with a tough rind, smooth, waxy, color ranging in hue from dark-purple with faint - fine white specks - light-yellow or pumpkin-color. Inside of the fruit is cavity which is filled with an aromatic mass of double-walled, membranous sacs filled with orange-colored, pulpy juice and as many as 250 small - hard - black - pitted seeds. The flavor is appealing, musky and similar to guava-like.

The pulp of the mature fruit can be eaten fresh, directly from the shell with a spoon or after a little sugar has been added. The most popular use of this fruit is preparing a refreshing drink, by blending the fruit pulp with ice, water, sugar, and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. Passionfruits are high in vitamin A, potassium, and dietary fiber. The juice is an excellent source of vitamin C.

A sirup is prepared by boiling down the fruit, which is used in making sauce, gelatin desserts, candy, ice cream, sherbet, cake icing, cake filling, meringue or chiffon pie, cold fruit soup, or in cocktails. The seeded pulp can be made into jelly or they can be combined with pineapple/ tomato in making jam. The frozen juice can be kept about 1 year without deterioration if maintained at 0'F (-17.78'C), and is a very appealing product.

The oil prepared from the seeds of the Passionfruits, which is also similar to sunflower and soybean oil and accordingly has edible as well as industrial uses.

The rinds are chopped, dried, and combined with molasses as cattle or pig feed. They can also be converted into silage.

Passionfruits are considered in the pharmaceutical industries, in the use of the glycoside, passiflorine, and as a sedative or tranquilizer.
In Madeira, the passionfruits juice is given as a digestive stimulant and the treatment for gastric cancer.

Passionfruits are native to southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina and now being cultivated widely in New Zealand, the Caribbean, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Hawaii, California, southern Florida, Australia, Israel, South Africa and East Africa.

Indian gooseberry ( Amla/ Nellikkai)

The taste of Indian gooseberry is a bit sour, bitter and astringent; and quite fibrous. The ripe fruits can be eaten raw. Drinking water after eaten this fruit gives a pleasant sweetening effect to the mouth for few minutes, and so it makes to drink more water.

It is common sometime, to eat gooseberries steeped in salt water and turmeric because of the sourness of the fruit. These fruits are also used for making preserves and pickle. And also they are used in several ayurvedic medicinal preparations, hairwash powders, hair oils etc. These fruits is a very rich source of vitamin C.

Indian gooseberry fruit is called as amla, amlaki and Nellikkai in indian languages.

Sapodilla

The sapodilla fruit is round or oval with pointed ends, 2 - 4 inches in diameter. The skin is brown and scruffy when ripe. The flesh varies from yellow to shades of brown and sometimes reddish-brown, and smooth. The flesh tastes like a sweet mix of brown sugar and root beer. These fruits are usually having about 3 to 12 hard, black, shiny, flattened seeds which are size about 3/4 inch long.

The fresh ripe fruits can be eaten raw. The ripe fruits have been successfully dried by pretreatment with a 60% sugar solution and osmotic dehydration for 5 hours, and the product has retained acceptable quality for 2 months.

The bark of the tree is rich in a white, gummy latex called chicle(containing 15% rubber and 38% resin); which is used to be a primary ingredient in chewing gum.

Immature sapodillas are rich in tannin (proanthocyanadins) and because of the tannin content, they are boiled and the decoction taken to stop diarrhea. An infusion of the young fruits and the flowers is drunk to relieve pulmonary complaints. A "tea" of the bark is regarded as a febrifuge and is said to halt diarrhea and dysentery. A combined decoction of sapodilla and chayote leaves is sweetened and taken daily to lower blood pressure. The latex is also used as a crude filling for tooth cavities.

[image: sapodilla fruit is now ready to eat]

Miracle fruits (Synsepalum dulcificum)

The Miracle (Synsepalum dulcificum) fruits are a small bright red, ellipsoid berry approximately 2 to 3 cm long and containing a single seed.

Miracle fruits are relatively a tasteless berry, but they has an amazing side-effect; After eating a miracle fruit, all sour things will instantly taste sweet. Eating even the sourest of lemons, one will taste only sugary sweetness; and the sweetening effect lasts for about 30 minutes or an hour.

Miracle fruits are native to West Africa. This plant is commercially not important as a food crop. Some attempts to exploit the striking effect on perception of making as artificial sweeteners have not successful.

from a nytimes article: A Tiny Fruit That Tricks the Tongue.

Kumquat (Cumquats)

The Kumquat fruits are edible and closely resembles that of the orange fruit, but are smaller in size about 1.6 to 4 cm wide and oval-oblong or round in shape. These fruits are called as "the little gems of the citrus family".

The peel of the fruit is colored golden-yellow to reddish-orange, with large, conspicuous oil glands, fleshy, thick, tightly clinging, edible, the outer layer spicy, the inner layer is sweet. The pulp is scant, in 3 to 6 segments, tastes sour and salty. The fruits contains small, one or two seeds and sometimes none.

The fruit is considered ripe when it reaches a yellowish-orange stage. The fresh raw fruit is usually consumed either whole or only the rind is eaten.

The kumquat's unique flavor lends itself as a pleasant addition to many food dishes, desserts, and salads. Kumquat fruits are a popular addition to hot and iced tea. These fruits are mainly used for candying and kumquat preserves, marmalade, and jelly. An excellent marmalade is made by half-and-half with calamondins. Kumquat sauce is made by cooking chopped, seeded fruits with honey, orange juice, salt and butter. A liqueur also be made by macerating kumquats in vodka.

[image: the delicious kumquat fruits]

Jackfruit

Jack fruits are generally reaches 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. The exterior of the fruit is colored green and change to yellow-brown when ripe. The interior consists of large edible bulbs of yellow, banana-flavored flesh that encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. The seed is white and crisp within. There are about 100 or up to 500 seeds in a single fruit.

When the single small leaf above the stem withers and the first color change occurs, it shows the fruit is mature and ready to harvest. When fully ripe, the unopened jack fruit emits a strong odor, and the pulp of the opened fruit smells of pineapple and banana.

The fresh ripe fruit can be eaten raw. The sweet yellow sheaths around the seeds have a taste similar to that of pineapple, but milder juicy.

The seeds can be eaten after boiled or roasted, or boiled and preserved in syrup like chestnuts. The seed are also included in curried dishes. The roasted, dried seeds are ground to make a flour which is blended with wheat flour for baking. The bulbs are boiled in milk, drained off and then cooled will congeal and form a pleasant, orange colored custard. The ripe bulbs can be dried, fried in oil and salted are called as jack fruit chips.

[image: the sweet edible flesh of the jackfruit]

Syzygium samarangense (java apple)

The Syzygium samarangense fruit is an edible berry, shiny, bell-shaped, narrowed at the base, very broad, flattened, indented and adorned with the 4 fleshy calyx lobes at the apex, with colors ranging from white, pale green, green, red, purple, crimson, to deep purple or even black in some wild vereities;

The fruit is called by many names as wax apple, love apple, java apple, Chomphu, Bellfruit, jambu air, water apple, mountain apple, jambu air, water guava, wax jambu, Rose apple, makopa, tambis, and chambekka.

The greenish fruits are eaten raw with salt or may be cooked as a sauce. The pink fruits are juicier and more flavorful and suitable for eating out-of-hand

The bark of the tree is known to contain oleanolic acid, an anti-HIV compound.

[image: close shot of a champekka fruit]

Tamarind

Tamarind tree can grow up to 20 metres in height. The leaves consist of 10 to 20 leaflets per leaf. A unique feature of the leaf is that the leaflets close up at night. The flowers are produced in racemes and are yellow with orange or red streaks. The fruits are 3 - 8 inch long, brown, irregularly curved pod-like legume, which contains a soft acidic pulp with 3 to 12 hard-coated seeds.

When fruits became fully ripe, the shells are brittle and can be easily broken. The pulp dehydrates to a sticky paste enclosed by a few coarse stands of fiber. The pulp are edible and has a pleasing sweet or sour flavor and are high in acid and sugar; And also are rich in vitamin B and calcium. To store it for long periods, the blocks of pulp will be first steamed or sun-dried for several days.

Mature tamarinds can be eaten fresh, but they are mostly used to flavor preserves and chutney, to make meat sauces and to pickle fish. In Egypt, there is a popular acidic chilled summer-time drink made from tamarind, and is called as "tamr hindi". In Philippines the leaves are used in a soup called sinampalukan soup.

A simple method to produce an 'Ade' from tamarind is to shell the fruits, place 3 or 4 in a bottle of water, let stand for a short time, add a tablespoonful of sugar and shake vigorously. For a richer beverage, a quantity of shelled tamarinds may be covered with a hot sugar sirup and allowed to stand several days (with or without the addition of seasonings such as cloves, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, pepper or lime slices) and finally diluted as desired with ice water and strained; And is called as 'tamarind ade'.

The seeds can be scarified to enhance germination. Roasted and powderd seeds and seed coat are used as a substitute for, or adulterant of, coffee. Also the seeds can be used as livestock feed after processing. The processed seeds and seed coat has greater pharmaceutical value as they are used as an ingredient or agent in a number of pharmaceutical products.

The leaves can be eaten by cattle and goats, and furnish fodder for silkworms; the fine silk is considered superior for embroidery.

The leaves have been used in herbal tea for reducing malaria fever. The leaves and flowers, dried or boiled, are used as poultices for swollen joints, sprains and boils. The lotions and extracts made from them are used in treating conjunctivitis, as antiseptics, as vermifuges and treatments for dysentery, jaundice, erysipelas, hemorrhoids and used in various other ailments. In Ayurvedic Medicine, tamarind is used for gastric/ digestion problems and for cardioprotective activity.

Jambul (Duhat or Jamun or naval fruit)

Jambul tree is native to india and indonesia. The tree produces which is called jambul fruit or duhat fruit, is shape oblong, ovoid, colored green at immature and turns pink to shining crimson black when mature.

The mature fruits can be eaten raw and also can be made into tarts, sauces and jam. The fruits are tastes a combination of sweet, mildly sour and it tends to color the tongue to purple. The fruit is a high source for vitamin A and vitamin C. Wine and vinegar are also made from the fruit.

Seed of the fruits are used in Ayurveda as a medicine to control diabetes. In Unani and Chinese medicine these are used for digestive ailments. Also the bark and the leaves are used for controlling blood pressure and gingivitis. The leaves, bark, flowerbuds, opened blossoms, and stems have some antibiotic activity. A decoction of the bark is taken internally for dyspepsia, dysentery, and diarrhea and also serves as an enema.