An elegant solution to combine flowers and something useful is to buy some three, bushes and herbs for your garden.

In one of my fall posts I reported about some examples of fruit belonging to ”the rose family“.

Now I’m back again here with the flowers. I hope you will enjoy the pictures posted for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: The Season of Spring

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I took a look at the temple’s ’ton kwain’ tree, neatly labeled in Thai. Based on its flowers being males only, and based on the absence of petals and alternating leaves with serrated margins, I concluded this is a tree related to the governor’s plum (Flacourtia indica, Salicaceae (Flacourtiaceae)). That tree is native here in northern Thailand and according to the locals the temple was originally situated in a grove of governor’s plum trees.

Another observation was that this tree, like the related Thai willow, was full of wild bees (Apis florea/A. cerana) loaded with pollen, but I saw no butterflies, making me conclude this is not a nectar (honey) source, but an important feed for the bee larvae. The tree at the temple grounds was infested with the Dendrophthtoe parasite and in demand of urgent pruning.

However, the particular tree on display within the temple grounds had much longer leaf tips than the wild male governor’s plum we keep at Dokmai Garden, and so I believe they have the exotic Flacourtia jangomas. ’Same same but different’!

This is a leaf of a real governor’s plum Flacourtia indica from Dokmai garden. Note how blunt the leaf tip is. Its natural range is not clear because it has been appreciated since Stone Age and so been moved around in tropical Africa, Asia and Polynesia. The international scientific name ‘Flacourtia‘ refers to Étienne de Flacourt, a director of the French East India Company and governor of Madagascar in 1648-1655.

The vernacular northern Thai name ’ma kwen’ (also transliterated ’kwain’ or ’makwen’) is applied on both species, although Smitinand uses ’ma kwen pa’ (=forest makwen) for F. indica and ’ma kwen khwai’ (=buffalo makwen) for F. jangomas. The Central Thai name is ‘ta khop pa’ (=forest ta khop) for F. indica and ‘ta khop khwai’ (=buffalo ta khop) for F. jangomas.

Flacourtia jangomas fruits have a nipple at the bottom and the leaves have long tapering tips (photo from June). To get the lovely dark red fruits you need a female tree as well! The fruits can be processed into jams and marmalades and are believed to be potent vermicides. The wood is strong but you never see any trees of impressive dimensions so the wood is mostly good for tool handles.

There is a ‘ta khop farang’ too (=foreign ta khop), much more common along the canal road, but that is the strawberry tree from South America (Muntingia calabura, Muntingiaceae). Superficially the strawberry tree’s small red fruits and white flowers resemble those of the governor’s plum, but the strawberry tree has androgynous flowers with petals. If you come to Dokmai Garden early in the morning, you may taste these delicious fruits before the bulbuls.

A funny remark is that in Lonely Planet’s 2009 edition of the ’Thailand’ travellers guide, the number one traveller’s delight was the traffic jam outside the Doi Suthep Temple in Chiang Mai. Considering Thailand’s amazing national park monuments, interesting architecture, delicious restaurants, picturesque villages and emerald rice fields it seems that the author had not seen much of Thailand but the tourist traps. Due to pilgrims and tourist vans the Doi Suthep Road is the busiest and most jammed road in town, and all locals try to avoid it. Unless you are a pilgrim I suggest you save stress, time and money by avoiding the tourist crowds, and pick a serene temple such as wat ton kwain:

Text & Photo: Eric Danell

(Precipitation report: on the 2:nd of February we received 5 mm of rain. The storm the other day ripped down Dokmai Garden road signs and shut down our internet, but we are now back in business again. To everyone who had to wait for our blogs and e-mail replies we apologize).

Without more to say, I refer to Mr Jeff Bergemann’s blog ‘World Flavor’.

Rose cactus, Pereskia bleo (Cactaceae), is fruiting right now.

Text: Eric Danell

Photo: Jeff Bergemann

Ironically enough, we have actually taken the word ‘Medlar’ from the French Medler, meaning ‘(the fruit of a) small fruit-bearing tree’, though quite why we were so prude as to adopt this radio-friendly version is not clear (for in Old English the name was equally risqué - Openærs (Open-arse)). Regardez… 

As you can see, it’s not hard to imagine how such mischievous names for these little fruits came into being – the five-tailed open end (known as a ‘calyx’) has that unmistakeable tea towel holder/balloon knot/dog’s arse appearance. Thankfully, though, I can absolutely assure you that it is only down to this appearance that the Medlar has acquired its more funky nomenclature, for its flavour is (contrarily I’m sure) quite divine.   

Identification

I hope everything I’ve told you thus far should leave you in absolute confidence as what to look out for when hunting for Medlars – if not then just follow your nose! (I’m joking, of course, but further pictures and description can be found on my Edible Fruits A-Z page).

Eating

The Medlar Tree is a Mediterranean plant and the fruits will not ripen on the branches in our more temperate climate. You will therefore have to pick (or scrump) them when still hard and store in a bag or box for a few months until they have bruised, softened and basically rotted a bit (a process known as ‘bletting’). The flesh when ready to use is a lovely brownish-caramel colour, and the taste almost datey but slightly sharper (it’s quite unique, in fact). I always make a Medlar Jelly with my bletted fruits, and it is certainly the richest of all the hedgerow jellies available to the forager. At the moment my fruits are still softening up, so I shan’t give you the recipe until they’re ready. In the meantime, though, I suggest you peruse fellow WordPress Blogger Ichykoo’s recipe for Lamb Chops with Spiced Medlars and Red Wine Sauce - now, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at that!

Jurusan Ilmu dan Teknologi Pangan UNS
Korespondensi : Jl. Ir.Sutami No 36A, Kentingan, Surakarta

ABSTRACT

Dark red colored salam (Syzygium polyanthum [Wight.] Walp) fruits was expected contain of anthocyanin compounds. Previous research results have shown that anthocyanins from edible fruits were effective antioxidants. Antioxidative properties of anthocyanins arise from their high reactivity as hydrogen or electron donors, and from the ability of the polyphenol-derived radicals to stabilize and delocalize the unpaired electron, and from their ability to chelate transition metal ion. This research aims to determine total anthocyanin content of salam fruits extracted with different solvent proportion and their correlation to the anti peroxidation capacity on linoleic system. Results of this research indicated total anthocyanin content of salam fruits exctract increased along to solvent proportion raised. The anti peroxidation capacity showed no correlation with the total anthocyanin content (R 0.283, P 0.644)

Keywords: salam fruits, extract, anthocyanin, anti radical capacity

Download: TOTAL ANTOSIANIN EKSTRAK BUAH SALAM DAN KORELASINYA DENGAN KAPASITAS ANTI PEROKSIDASI PADA SISTEM LINOELAT di sini

When you hear a message does it change you lifestyle, the way you think, the ambitions you have? Analyze and think: What type of ground am I? When I hear wisdom so I let others influence me back to my old ways? When I receive joy does it leave as soon as a test comes? Am I good ground that listens, leads and applies it to my life?

Taken From “My Joy In The Morning: Rising From The Ashes”

Click Here To Purchase Your Copy

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Cordia sebestena flowers, Machans Beach, Far North Queensland, Australia

Thick looking,  dark green leaves.

South American tree widely grown as an ornamental.

White edible fruits.

Guava (Psidium guajava)

A personal experience when I was in my late teens cemented my passion for the botany of food. At that time I was involved in field work on a tropical island where I was undertaking botanical surveys. I encountered a curious plant I did not recognize which had winged stems and rough leaves.

When I brought it back to my professor, I was not a little surprised when he identified the sterile branch with utmost ease as belonging to the guava tree (Psidium guajava).

The professor then proceeded, in a good-natured fashion, to tease me about my ignorance, attributing it to my upbringing as a city kid.

Cherry Guava (Psidium littorale)

This incident, along with a few others, fueled in me the desire to learn of and to try any fruit (which I know is edible of course) to which I am introduced.

The myrtle family (Myrtaceae) was to feature prominently in my fruit hunting adventures as I proceeded to learn of the less well known relatives of the guava, many of which produce palatable fruits.

The Myrtle family is traditionally divided into two subfamilies, one of which, the Leptospermoideae, produces largely dehiscent fruits (well known examples being eucalypts). The other subfamily, the Myrtoideae, produces fleshy indehiscient fruits and is the focus of this post.

Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora)

The American tropics are probably the best to start with, given the concentration of fleshy fruited members of the family there. The guava itself hails from that region.

Though half a world away from the Neotropics, I have had the privilege to sample the fruits of a close relative of the guava, the cherry guava (Psidium littorale). Although the fruits are much smaller than many commercial varieties of the guava, the cherry guava packs a punch with it’s sweet and intense flavor.

Pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana)

Surprisingly, there are about 100 other species of Psidium, a fair number of which must serve as useful bush foods where they occur, in the New World tropics. Many of these less well known species are becoming rare or even facing extinction due to habitat loss.

The numerous species of guavas are far from the Myrtle family’s repertoire of edible gifts to man. In South America, the fruits of the well known and large (c. 550 spp.) tree genus, Eugenia, have a large number of edible species.

Jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora)

To this genus belongs a number of famous and patriotically named species like the Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora) and the Cherry of the Rio Grande.

Then there is also the famed Feijoa (Acca) sellowiana (Feijoa, Pineapple guava). So relished are the fruits of this species that it has been cultivated widely temperate regions.

Another genus, Myrciaria (c. 40 spp.) , provide significant commercial fruits locally. The Brazilian Grape tree or Jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora and several other related species) are savoured by the locals.

Rose Myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa)

Native Guava (Rhodomyrtus psidioides)

At least one species, the Camu Camu (M. dubia), has been gaining prominence on the international market for it’s health promoting properties (see Camu Camu info page).

Numerous other genera with exotic sounding names like Myrteola, Plinia, Ugni and are also sources of edible fruit to peoples of the region.

I await future forays into the American tropics to sample more of these gems of the bush, but I turn now to the Old World tropics, where I was born and where my culinary ‘resume’ is a little more substantial.

In the Indomalayan and Australian tropics, there are a number of guava relatives whose fruits are worthy of mention.

Mempoyan (Rhodamnia cinerea)

Rhodomyrtus, for example, is a small genus of around 11 species. The Rose Myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) and what Australians call the Native Guava (R. psidioides) are certainly worth exploring as a commercial fruit crops.

Rhodamnia (c. 28 spp.) is yet another genus with edible fruits. I have tried the fruits of one, R. cinerea (colloquially called Mempoyan), when I was back in Singapore. Edible but not particularly palatable.

Rose Apple (Syzygium samaragense)

The most significant guava relative in the old world tropics must be the prominent paleotropical tree genus Syzygium (see wiki page). In Malyasia these fruits are known colloquially as jambu or kelat.

Some of these species of jambu are well known fruits of the Indo-malaysian region. Examples are Syzygium aqueum, S. malaccense, S. jambos and S. samaragense (variously called water apples or rose apples) which are commercially significant fruits.

Lilly Pilly (Acmena smithii)

The succulence and large plum to fist-sized fruits of these species are undoubtedly responsible for their commercial importance.

The smaller berries of the numerous less known species of Syzygium however, provide a good ad hoc snack while wondering around in the jungle.

In Australia, members of Syzygium are refered to as Lilly Pillies and many species, like in the Asiatic tropics, are well known bush food. There is also another genus, Acmena, which are also referred to as Lilly Pillies in Australia, and I recently had the opportunity to devour quite a sizable quantity of purple berries from a fruiting tree of the Lilly Pilly, Acmena smithii.

Myrtle (Myrtus communis)

By far however, one of the most agreeable fruits of the Myrtle family in Australia belongs to that of Austromyrtus dulcis (see info page), called Midyim by Australian aborgines.

Finally, where better to conclude this account of fruits with the namesake of the Myrtle family – the myrtle (Myrtus) itself.

While more commonly known for it’s medicinal properties, the sweet fruits of this predominantly Mediterranean and North African tree genus is well suited as the icon of the succulent gifts that the Myrtle family has endowed on mankind since the dawn of time.

The Jujube tree. Image credit: Phillip Merritt

When I wrack my brain to pinpoint individual plant species which have a large large number of uses, I can only think of a few (possibly due to ignorance on my part).

The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)  is one such plant. It is used in virtually all aspects of human livelihood: food, beverage, clothing, construction material, tinder, oil etc.

Another plant would be the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), for the seemingly endless list of pharmacological products it bestows to mankind. Another two are hemp (Cannabis sativa) and soybean (Glycine max). But all these plants are well known and mainstream. Today the star is a humble fruit tree called Jujube (Ziziphus zizyphus).

A childhood association

Dried jujbe fruits, often refered to as red dates in Chinese. Image credit: Marco Schmidt

Ziziphus zizyphus (read about the curious name) hails from the dogwood or buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) and is cultivated all throughout India, Russia, the Middle East, southern Europe, and especially China.

The plant is not well known in the West. Being Asian however, I am not a stranger to this plant.

As a teen I was a great fan of dried jujube, processed into a sweet and salty snack with the appearance of dirt pellets!

Then also, there was the whole dried jujube fruits called red dates (Hong Zao, 紅棗) which is a familiar addition to chinese soups and medicinal recipes.

I didn’t think there was more to jujube but I was wrong.

The myriad uses of Jujube

The wood is strong, durable and smooth, and has been used to make a wide variety of things ranging from combs to musical instruments to ships.

Incredibly, jujube has been used medicinally for ~3000 years. All parts of the plant has found some form of medicinal use.

Culinary-wise, the fuits of jujube has been consumed in just about every conceivable mode: candied, dried, fresh, in teas etc. Jujube is also used to make wine and vinegar and is a major source of honey in China. What a variety of flavours!

Whats left of the jujube tree can also be used as fodder for cattle, camels and goats.

Would it be then that jujube is less cultivated and known because it is a fastidious tree?

Hardly.

Jujube is cold hardy, takes to a wide variety of soils and tolerates a wide pH range. It has few pest and fruits precociously. The only few problems might be potential weediness and susceptibility to certain fruit flies in some places – nothing, I’d say, that can’t be fixed with some effort in selection.

I am exhausted already but I haven’t exhausted Jujube’s list of uses (see more here)!

References

Outlaw, W.H., et al. (2002). The Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), a multipurpose Plant. Economic Botany 56, 198-200.

(see also Wiki article)