Showing posts with label Tropical Fruits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tropical Fruits. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Kerala fruits: More photos

Junglejack fruit (anjili chakka).
This palm sized fruit is a cousin of jackfruit.

Cashew fruit & nut.

Ambazhanga

Breadfruit.

Passion fruit.

Nutmeg.

Njaval (jamun). Tender fruits are green, and changes
color as they mature. The deep purple one on
the top is fully mature.

Green mangoes on tree.

Ripe mango.

Mangosteen.

Photos from Olavipe by Rejo, me.
Copyright reserved.
Click to enlarge.

Also see:
Photos: Kerala fruits


Thursday, August 21, 2008

A pineapple story, with photos

Plants with fruits.

A close up. The tender leaves at the base of the fruit are reddish. As the
fruit matures, they turn green and the florets will drop off.
The crown on the top of the fruit is used for propagation.

This, in the same field is a dwarf.

This is a garden variety.

A size comparison.

Photo credits: Top three – Rejo. Others by me.

Copyright reserved.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Also see:

Papaya, the health fruit

Water lilies: here is a picture of nature's perfection, imperfection


Sunday, June 22, 2008

Photos: Kerala fruits

Sapota (Chikku)

Cashew

Mangostein

Papaya

Mango

Guava

Pineapple

Photos by me from Olavipe. (Copyright reserved)
Click on images for enlarged view.

Also see:

Kerala photos: Village paths


Kerala Flowers?

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Giant fruits from small tree

This small tree is already yielding well.

A jackfruit

Cut piece.

Photo credits:
Top two are from Olavipe taken by me. Copyright reserved.
Cut piece is Public Domain from Wikimedia Commons.

Also see:

Jackfruit, the jumbo

Gold color chips and a golden hearted Lady


Thursday, February 7, 2008

Papaya, the health fruit

This tropical fruit combines great taste and several medicinal properties. Christopher Columbus is said to have called it ‘fruit of the angels’. Botanical name is Carica papaya. Local names include PEnPe, fruta bomba, lechoza, mamão, papaw, Papol, Guslabu, pawpaw, tree melon, and đu đủ.

The plant is single stem with spiral leaves at the top. It grows up to 10 meters height depending on the specie. The drawing below by Koeh depicts the details.


Strangely it shows a forked tree. That is rather rare at least in Kerala, India, where I come from. The ripe fruit is absolutely delicious. It is an anytime table fruit. The skin which is normally greenish to golden yellow and the seeds are removed and the flesh is cut into pieces. Another way to eat it is to cut the fruit into boats with the skin on, clear the seeds and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. This is a favorite breakfast food.

Green papaya is used for cooking in many countries particularly for salads, stews and curries. In Kerala there is papaya thoran (sautéed with grated coconut), curry with ground coconut or buttermilk, kofta curry in which grated papaya is shaped into small balls and cooked in spicy gravy. My mouth waters when I think of papaya halwa that my grandmother used to make. (See Gold color chips and a golden hearted Lady )

One could write pages about the medicinal properties of papaya. Here is a sample list: aphrodisiac, excellent source of vitamin A & C, improves digestion, useful in high blood pressure management, good for heart health, effective in treating skin disorders and fungal infections. The list goes on. For details you can visit http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=47

Papaya, especially the skin of the raw fruit has latex which contains an enzyme known as papain. It is available in the shops for use as meat tenderizer and for helping digestion. It is also said to have contraceptive properties and to induce abortion. Pregnant ladies are, it seems, advised to keep off papaya.

The photo below from Olavipe shows a male papaya tree with flowers. The male tree also has fruits but they don’t grow big enough to be served ripe on table. The larger ones among them can be used for cooking.


Papaya is certainly one of the healthiest and tastiest fruits in the world.

Click on photos for enlarged view.

Ends.

Photo credits:
Top – AK Kepler, believed to be public domain
Center – Wikimedia Commons Public Domain
Bottom – Abraham Tharakan. Can be used freely for non-commercial purposes giving due credit.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Photos: Bananas

Polynasian banana
Photo: AK Kepler. (Public domain)

Spider on a banana.
Photo: KO Isaac. Copyright reserved

This one grows upward. (I don't think it is edible.)
Photo: KO Isaac. Copyright reserved.

A bunch from Olavipe
Photo: Karthiki. Copyright reserved.

Ends.
Also see:

Friday, April 6, 2007

Jackfruit, the jumbo

Jackfruits. The yellow and green leaves are those of a climber. The jackfruit tree leaves
can be seen on a small branch on the right side.

Photo: ayanathouse.com

Which is the largest tree borne edible fruit in the world? The answer is jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) a native of India’s Western Ghats. The label ‘jack’ comes from jaca, a Portuguese adaptation of the Malayalam name chakka. To call the fruit ‘tree borne’ is an understatement. It grows on the trunk, main branches and sometimes even on exposed roots.

Jackfruit is really big. Records show that the fruit can reach a size of 90cm in length and 50cm in girth and weigh up to 36kg. Inside the fruits are large, fleshy bulbs that cover oval shaped seeds.

There are two main types of jackfruits – ‘koozha’ and ‘varikka’. In the former, the flesh is fibrous and mushy. ‘Varikka’, which is more popular, has firmer carpels that can be served as table fruit. Jackfruit has so many culinary uses that would fill a small recipe book. These include curries, breakfast food, pancakes and steamed rolls, halwa, and spreads. Delicious curries can be made even from the seeds.

Ends.

Also see:

Gold color chips and a golden hearted Lady

Giant fruits from small tree