FRUiTS AND FOOD LAND

2008-12-10T02:00:00.001-08:00

From China to Thailand with Love LYCHEES

We've all seen them, perhaps even tasted them, usually from a tin bought from our local supermarket or in a popular Chinese restaurant the Lychee (or Litchi to give them their Thai name). These succulent, white fleshed fruit are not native to Thailand but have their ancestry in Southern China. However, the lychee has become an Asian favorite (and world favorites in their canned form) and can be found in most Thai fruit markets during this season.

Although not native to Thailand, the lychee is successfully cultivated in the cooler, high, northern regions of the Kingdom (the plant enjoys neither extreme heat nor humidity) and this harvest is reflected in the Lychee Festivals held during the month of May. Weekend festivals are organized at: Fang district of Chiangmai Province, the main district of Chiangrai Province and the main district of Payao Province. Those thinking of driving can refer to our map on page 10 for locations of these provinces.

To look at a lychee tree that is laden with ripe fruit is very impressive. It's the vivid contrasting colors of the hanging clusters of red fruit that suspends from thin stems on the spreading, bottle green foliaged trees. The fruit look like largish grapes or undernourished golf-balls with a knobby skin and bright red color (which will change to dark brown as they overripen avoid these). This casing is easily peeled away and inside is what the fuss is all about the white-fleshed, fabulously tasting morsel. It is delicately flavored with a very slight acidity to contrast with the overall, light sweetness. It is also aromatic (almost a rose fragrance) and is high in vitamin C half a dozen lychees will provide more than your daily need of this vitamin. The canned variety come in their own light syrup and are perfect as a dessert (perhaps with ice-cream) or put in the blender for lychee juice. Don't hesitate to try the fresh lychees now that they are in season.

As a further recommendation (if one is needed), lychees have been traditionally associated with romantic notions perhaps because of their rose-like bouquet. So if you have a loved one in your life, a gift and tasting of lovely lychees may bring unexpected rewards. Don't forget to buy some at any Chiangmai fruit market or, better still, go along for fun at a Lychee Festival!

Lynchee - The Symbol of Love and Romance

2008-12-10T01:55:00.000-08:00

THAILAND IS BLESSED with a large variety of wonderful and delicious fruits which abound in different seasons of the year. And May is the month of the delectable litchee, or lynchee – as the Thai call it. This juicy, refreshing fruit combines the subtle aroma of good quality grapes with its own uniquely delicious flavor. The lynchee is known to have been cultivated in China for the past 4,000 years. The name is derived from the Chinese word lee chee which means “one who gives the pleasures of life”.

Another theory has the fruit originating in the ancient kingdom of Annam, which is now central Vietnam. It did not penetrate the Southeast Asian mainland until the 17th century but made it first reported appearance in northern Thailand in the early 18th century.

Though it is now grown in tropical uplands all over the world and the canned variety is marketed almost everywhere. Lynchee is very exacting in its climatic and soil requirements. It prefers a rich, wet and acid soil for ideal growth, and requires cool winter air for bountiful flowering and fruiting, followed by a hot and humid season for good growth and fruit bearing.

A brief strong cold period is essential prior to the flowering of the lynchee tree, and without the blossoms there is no fruit. It also requires a hot and humid periodfor healthy growth. It has a tolerance for wet soils and is more comfortable in soil with a low pH level, and preferably a soil containing a fungus which aids the roots of the lynchee tree in growth and propogation fruit.

For these reasons, lynchee is grown almost exclusively in the northern provinces of Chiangmai, Chiangrai and Phayao, where these conditions are to be found. Some lynchee is grown in the Northeast when the conditions are right, and there is a heat-tolerant variety grown in Amphawa district of Samoot Songkram, west of Bangkok, but lynchee aficionados will tell you the northern type is the best by far. The three main varieties grown all originated in China, and have names reflective of their homeland: Hong Huay, Ow Hia and Gim Jeng.

Lynchee farms can be readily recoqnized by their lustrous, dark green, spreading bushy trees. The flowers are unremarkable, but once the fruits have set, the trees become transformed. At first the fruit bunches resemble handfuls of cotton buds of a very pale pink. But as the fruits swell and weigh down the branches, these buds darken to the rich maroon-to-brown skin of the mature crop. During this growth phase, the trees require a plentiful supply of water to reach juicy perfection.

The thin, rumpled outer skin conceals a white, juicy, succulent pulp which surrounds a single shiny brown seed. Once the fruit has been picked, it must be marketed and eaten within four days if its full flavor is to be enjoyed. Surplus fruit may be canned or dried for future use, but nothing quite compares with the delicacy of taste and texture of the fresh fruit. The Chinese have long considered the lynchee to be a symbol of love and romance; a gift of ripe lynchee fruit was considered tantamount to a proposal of marriage. On a less romantic level, the delicious lynchee make very good eating for the health concious, since the fruit is high in natural sugars, and one fruit alone contains over 20% of the daily human Vitamin C requirement.

Lynchee has rich nutrition values, 100 gm. lynchee would give 14.3 carbohydrate, 50 mg. Vitamin C, 0.4 gm. Fat, 29 mg. Phosphorus, 0.2 gm. fiber, 10 mg. Calcium, 0.8 gm. Protein, 0.6 mg. Niacin, 0.3 mg. Iron, 0.05 mg. Vitamin B1, 0.06 mg. Vitamin B2.

The northern lynchee crop is picked in the month of May, and, as is typical here in the North, there are many festivals to celebrate this glorious harvest. Each province has its own celebration: a festival in Phayao, festivities in the Fang District of Chiangmai, and a fair in Chiangrai. Each festival will feature traditional music and dance, competitions among growers and displays of lynchee products.

Luscious Lynchee

2008-12-10T01:52:00.000-08:00

Luscious Lynchee

THAILAND IS BLESSED with a large variety of wonderful and delicious fruits which abound in different seasons of the year. And May is the season of the delectable lichee, or lynchee - as the Thai's call it. This juicy, refreshing fruit combines the subtle aroma of good quality grapes with it's own uniquely delicious flavor. The lynchee is known to have been cultivated in China for the past 4,000 years, but made its first reported appearance in northern Thailand in the early 18th century.

Lynchee is very exacting in its climactic and soil requirements. It prefers a rich, wet and acid soil for ideal growth, and requires cool winter air for bountiful flowering and fruiting, followed by a hot and humid season for good growth and fruit bearing. For these reasons, lynchee is grown almost exclusively in the northern provinces of Chiangmai, Chiangrai and Phayao, where these conditions are to be found. Some lynchee is grown in the Northeast when the conditions are right, and there is a heat-tolerant variety grown in Amphawa district of Samut Songkhram, west of Bangkok, but lynchee aficionados will tell you the northern type is the best by far. The three main varieties grown all originated in China, and have names reflective of their homeland: Hong Huay, Ow Hia and Gim Jeng.

Lynchee farms can be readily recognized by their lustrous, dark-green, spreading bushy trees. The flowers are unremarkable, but once the fruits have set, the trees become transformed. At first the fruit bunches resemble handfuls of cotton buds of a very pale pink. But as the fruits swell and weigh down the branches, these buds darken to the rich maroon-to-brown skin of the mature crop. During this growth phase, the trees require a plentiful supply of water to reach juicy perfection.

The thin, rumpled outer skin conceals a white, juicy, succulent pulp which surrounds a single shiny brown seed. Once the fruit has been picked, it must be marketed and eaten within four days if its full flavor is to be enjoyed. Surplus fruit may be canned or dried for future use, but nothing quite compares with the delicacy of taste and texture of the fresh fruit. The Chinese have long considered the lynchee to be a symbol of love and romance; a gift of ripe lynchee fruit was considered tantamount to a proposal of marriage. On a less romantic level, the delicious lynchee makes very good eating for the health conscious, since the fruit is high in natural sugars, and one fruit alone contains over 20% of the daily human Vitamin C requirement.

Lychees Lovely

2008-12-10T01:46:00.000-08:00

Lychees Lovely

Whether your home is in Des Moines, Doncaster or Dusseldorf, we know you've probably already savored canned lychees but now is the season to try the fresh fruit straight from the tree. They are succulent, they are refreshing and they are ready May is the time for Lychee Festivals in various parts of Northern Thailand notably Phayao, Chiangrai and Fang. Enjoying a Thai festival is always great fun but when a festival is focused on a delicious, seasonal fruit then the experience is doubly enhanced.

Sorry, we cannot claim lychees to be native to Thailand. They are originally from the "Middle Kingdom" and have been grown in the southern regions of China for over 4,000 years. Cultivation, in Thailand, began over 100 years ago so orchards have been established and matured over several generations. As you drive around the countryside, you will probably see the surging ranks of dark green bushes spread across the fields these are lychees and come in three varieties Gim Jeng, Hong Huay and Ow Hia which reflect their Chinese ancestry.

The lychee bush is very demanding of its environment. Prior to flowering, a short cold spell is most important followed by a hot growing season. Rich, damp, slightly acid soil is essential and, as the bush blossoms and fruits set, the farmers will labor mightily to irrigate the crop to juicy perfection. The requisite growing conditions are found here in Northern Thailand especially around the Lychee Festival cities.

Lychees are best eaten within four days of picking; the fruit has an outer, thin-shelled skin (red changing to brown as the fruit ripens) which, when peeled away, reveals white, succulent flesh of a grape-like texture. A hard seed is at the core of the fruit. Like citrus fruits and black currants, lychees are high in vitamin "C" (five grape-sized fruit are enough for your daily needs) and also natural sugars. It is this natural and refreshing sweetness, combined with the firm texture "bite" that makes lychees so "more-ish".

As an added bonus (if you care to accept it), lychees are associated with romance along with the rose, they are looked upon as a special gift between lovers and a suggestion that marriage may be in the air. Indeed, some Thai companies are producing a tea infusion which has the fragrance of lychees and rose petals. It certainly makes an alternative to Russian Caravan or English Breakfast.

Fresh lychees are exceedingly good with vanilla ice cream or, as a variation, try them with a glass of red wine or port. Likewise, a combination of blue cheese with lychees will give you a new taste sensation which is very suited to the European palate.

This month is high season for the lychee fruit so do try them fresh and then experiment with some combinations to decide which you like best. The canned lychees you may be accustomed to at home just don't compare This year Lychee Festivals are held in Mae Jai District, Payao Province 10-12 May; Muang District, Chiang Rai Province 17-23 May; Fang District, Chiangmai Province 20 May. For more information contact Mae Jai 054-499025, Chiang Rai 053-718790, Fang 053-451146. Lovely Lychees some of the best Thailand has to offer.

General information:

Fruit in the same family as longan. Originally from China, has many types. Cultivated mostly in the North. Test cultivation is being carried out in Samutsakorn. Seasons April - June. Nutritional value (100 g.) Contains vitamin C and potassium.Selection and preservation Select red fruit, not dusky black, tight skin and not cracked, not rotten, fresh calyx and not dry skin. Can be kept for 2 days, at a temperature 5-8 degrees Celsius, in the refrigerator, by wrapping with plastic.Cooking Lychee floats in syrup and juice.

THAI FRUITS SESONS

2008-12-10T01:43:00.000-08:00

Fruit		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
	BANANA (Gluay) Three varieties are available; Horm, Nam Wah and Khai.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	CANTALOUPE Very similar to that in Europe and America, though not as sweet.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	COCONUT (Maprao) Mature coconuts are used to make coconut cream. Young coconuts are used to make coconut juice.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	CUSTARD APPLE (Noi Naa) Sweet fruit with many seeds and pale green bumpy outer skin.	Y	Y					Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	DURIAN (Turian) The strong aroma usually prevents visitors from trying this soft, yellow fruit that is eaten by pinching it open.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	GANDARIA or PLUM MANGO (Ma-prang) A mixture of sweet and sour tastes. The peel can also be eaten.			Y	Y	Y
	GOOSEBERRY (Ma-yom) Small yellow berries used in desserts and jams. Taste is a bit sour.	Y		Y	Y	Y				Y	Y		Y
	GRAPES (A-ngoon) Purple and white varieties. Both contain seeds.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	GUAVA (Farang) Thais prefer to eat this while still hard, dipped in sugar and dried pepper.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	JACKFRUIT (Ka-noon) A sweet yellow fruit covered with a thick skin. Enormous in size. Buy by the 'keed' (100 gm).			Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y
	JUJUBE (Poodza) Similar in taste to the apple, this is an oval green fruit known to Thais as the 'Thai Apple'.	Y		Y	Y					Y	Y	Y	Y
	LANGSART A sweet fruit with a pale brown skin that must be carefully peeled with the fingers. An inner stone is quite bitter, so try not to bite it.		Y									Y
	LITCHEE (Lynchee) Sweet, juicy fruit inside a hard, red peel. An Asian favorite.					Y	Y
	LONGAN (Lumyai) Luscious white fruit with a dark brown skin or shell. Easily peeled and sold in bunches on unpicked branch shoots.		Y					Y	Y	Y	Y		Y
	MANGO (Ma-muang) A heavenly treat when eaten ripe with sticky rice and coconut cream. For a tart, salty flavor, eat unripened with Thai sauce.			Y	Y	Y	Y
	MANGOSTEEN (Mahng-koot) Dark purple peel with sweet, white fruit inside. Fragrant and aromatic	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	ORANGE (Som Cheng) This variety has a thick, green dessert in a restaurant.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	PAPAYA Main ingredients of "Sohm-Tumm" a spicy green papaya salad. Ripened fruit should be eaten with fresh lime squeezed on top.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	PINEAPPLE (Sapa-rot) Mostly from South Thailand. Oddly enough, Chiangrai and Lampang have unique varieties.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	POMELO (Som-oh) Similar to grapefruit in size and taste, this fruit has a thick peel and is not sour.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	RAMBUTAN (Ngaw) Juicy with fruit inside a spiky red skin. Easy to pinch open, it's a sweet dessert dish in many of Thailand's restaurants.	Y				Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
	ROSE APPLE (Cham-poo) Bell-shaped fruit similar to the apple, though not as tart. You'll see it in green or pink.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y		Y
	SANTOL (Gra-torn) The yellow flesh of this fruit is usually pickled. The taste is 'salty-sour'.	Y					Y			Y	Y		Y
	SAPODILLA (La-moot) An oval shaped fruit with brown peel, it is usually carved before serving.			Y	Y	Y	Y					Y
	STAR APPLE (Ma-feung) A tart yellow fruit when ripe. Star-shaped when cross cut.
	STRAWBERRY This well-known fruit is now found almost everywhere. December and January are the best months in Chiangmai.	Y	Y										Y
	WATERMELON (Tang-mo) Same great flavor as at home, red or yellow.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

Thai Vegetable

2008-12-10T01:25:00.000-08:00

Thai Vegetable

Thai Vegetable

Vegetable serve as the main food in most of the Thai people. Thai love to eat vegetable because it provides many nutrients to the body . It give nourishment which makes every person to be healthy .Eating vegetable is a good habit because it makes strong and healthy keeping an body alive , free from sickness or any disease.

Angled Loofah: Thai name is Buap Liam
Also known as silk gourd, silk squash or Chinese okra, this dark green vegetable looks like a long, thin courgette (zucchini) or a very large okra pod, and has angular ridges down its length. A close relative, the smooth loofah is paler in colour, larger and more cylindrical, with a slightly thicker base. Both have a very mild taste, similar to cucumber, which can be used in its place in most cooked dishes. The gourds are eaten young, while they are still sweet. They become unpleasantly bitter as they mature. Loofah is used in stir-fries and soups, and is often boiled and eaten with nam phrik.

Apple Aubergines: Thai name is Makheua
These small round aubergines are pale green, yellow or white. They are eaten raw with the ubiquitous chilli sauce, nam phrik, or cooked in curries. They have little flavour, but when raw have an interesting texture. They discolour rapidly once cut, so drop‘ them into salted water if you are preparing them in advance.

Asparagus: Thai name is Nor Mai Faruang
Asparagus are long, slender vegetables that grow as shoots in spring and early summer. The straight, firm stalks, which range from pencil thin to as thick as your thumb, are prized for their delicate flavor; the tender tips have a particularly delicate flavor and texture. The most common variety is green and sometimes tinged with purple at the bud. White and all-purple stalks are also available in farmers‘ markets and well-stocked grocery stores. Look for asparagus with crisp, straight stalks and tight buds. Wrap in damp paper towels and refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 4 days. Trim the stalks before using. Cut or snap off the tough ends and discard. If desired, peel the bottom third or half of each stalk with a vegetable peeler for a more tender texture

Baby Corn: Thai name is Khao Phod On
Baby corn refers to whole, entirely edible cobs of immature corn, no more than 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) long. Corn is a popular vegetable in Thailand. For stir-fries and soups, Thais prefer baby corn cobs, which have a musty sweet flavour, as well as a crunchy texture. They are available fresh and canned. Fresh baby corn cobs are best eaten soon after purchase but can be stored for up to 1 week in the salad drawer of the refrigerator.

Bamboo Shoot: Thai name is Nor Mai
Bamboo shoots are the crisp, mild-flavored, white to ivory shoots of the bamboo plant. The shoots of the bamboo are cut when they have grown about 15 cm. above the ground. Before using, peel the skin and boiled the inner white part for 30 minutes. The canned variety needs to be boiled for only 10 minutes. This is a popular ingredient in Thai cooking and can be purchased from general stores and markets

Banana Blossom: Thai name is Hua Plee
Also called banana flowers and banana blossoms, these are in fact the tender hearts of unopened banana flowers, which have been stripped of their purple petals. They are available fresh in some Asian markets and also canned or dried. Fresh banana buds discolour rapidly once they are sliced or shredded, so should be brushed with lemon juice to prevent this. Banana buds are used in northern Thailand to make a tasty, squash soup. They are also a popular salad ingredient, tasting rather like artichokes.

Bean Sprout: Thai name is Thua Ngok
Most often used of bean sprouts in Thai cooking are the small "green" sprouts from mung beans and the larger "yellow" sprouts from soya beans. Soya beansprouts have a stronger flavour than mung beansprouts, but both are relatively delicate, with a pleasant and unique crunchy texture. Fresh beansprouts are widely available in supermarkets, health-food stores and Asian food stores, or you can easily sprout your own beans at home. Avoid canned beansprouts as they are flaccid and tasteless.

Bell Chilli: Thai name is Phrik Youkg
Bell Chilli, phrik youkg, is light green in color and mild in taste. They are used in spicy salads and chilli Pilstes for their fragrance, and in stir-fried meat dishes for both flavor and aroma.

Bitter Melon: Thai name is Ma Ra
Tropical, annual vine has bitter taste Culinary use: Soup, curry, and salad. (If you don‘t like the bitter taste, parboil with salt and rinse 2-3 times before cooking.) The Thais belive that it is very good for the kidneys and blood. Look for small and firm specimens that are still green when buying. Medicinal use: Mild laxative, antipyretic gargle the fruit juice to relieve an aphthous ulcer.

Broccoli: Thai name is also Broccoli
Broccoli, a member of the cabbage family, is green to purple-green in color and has tightly clustered flowers, or florets, borne on sturdy stalks. The florets are the most tender part. The stems, if peeled, can also be used. Choose firm stalks and closed heads with deep color and no yellow areas. Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 4 days.

Carrot: Thai name is also Carrot
Carrots are root vegetables that are bright orange in color, with a sweet flavor and a crisp texture. They range in size from small, baby carrots to short, almost round varieties to long, slender roots. Fresh carrots are sold year-round. Avoid droopy carrots with cracks or dry spots. Remove the feathery green tops and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Peel or scrub carrots before using

Cauliflower: Thai name is Dok Kha Lam
Cauliflower, a member of the cabbage family, is a solid head, white in color, with tightly clustered flowers, or florets. The florets are the most tender part, but the entire head is edible. Cauliflower is available year-round. Avoid heads with brown patches or speckles or yellowed leaves. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. In Thai cooking, Cauliflower florets often wind up in soups and stir fried, or as a side dish dipping with spicy shrimp paste sauce

Chinese Broccoli /Kale : Thai name is Phak Ka Na
A dark green vegetable with strong, thin, long round trunks, soft, deep green delicate leaves, and sometimes tiny white flowers. It does not look like or taste like the common broccoli. It has a slightly sweet and bitter taste. Delicious stir-fried, steamed, or boiled but never eaten raw. Most popular dish is Ka na nam mun hoy which is stir fired with oyster sauce.Unlike regular broccoli, the stems are usually tender and do not need to be peeled. However, more mature or larger stalks should be peeled before cooking. It is always smart to separate the leaves and trunks. The trunks require more cooking time, then add the leaves near the end, so that they cook evenly. When buying Chinese broccoli, choose brightly colored ones with slender thin trunks.

Chinese Cabbage: Thai name is Phak Kaet Khaao
Also known as celery cabbage, this vegetable has soft green and white leaves with a mild, sweet flavour and crisp texture. It is widely available in supermarkets and is easily recognized by its fat, cylindrical shape and tightly packed leaves. When buying, choose specimens that are heavy and firm. Before use, discard any damaged outer leaves and trim the root. Do not worry if the leaves have small black spots on them; they are harmless. This type of cabbage keeps well and can be stored in the salad compartment of the refrigerator for several weeks. It is used in stir-fries, salads and soups.

Chinese Chives: Thai name is Kui chai
These pungent herbs look more like long, flat spring onions than their Western equivalent. The leaves are peppery, crunchy and chewy. They are eaten raw and cooked and are prized for both their texture and flavour. Spring onions can be used as a substitute but they will not have the distinctive garlic taste of Chinese chives

Chinese Radish: Thai name is Hua Chai Tau or Hua Phak Kat
Thais value this vegetable, believing that it aids digestion, cools the body and improves blood circulation. Also called giant white radish or winter radish, it is a long white root that resembles a slender, smooth-skinned parsnip in appearance. It can be up to 40cm/l6in long, although the Thai variety is often considerably smaller. Large specimens tend to be fibrous and should be avoided. When raw, the flavour of mooli is cool, sharp and peppery, and the texture is crisp. Thais don‘t often eat it this way, but the grated flesh is sometimes used to tenderize seafood. When the vegetable is cooked, the characteristic texture is retained, but the flavour becomes quite sweet.

Coconut: Thai name is Ma Phrao
Coconut, ma phrao, is found nearly everywhere people have settled in all parts of the country and its production is important to the economy. The use to coconut milk in curries is a hallmark of Thai cooking. The meat of ripe nuts is scraped either by hand or by machine. The grated coconut is placed in a basin and mixed with a certain amount of warm water. The coconut is then picked up in the hand, held over a second container, and squeezed to press out the coconut milk, ka-thi. A fine meshed strainer should be positioned below the hand during squeezing to catch any meat that falls. Many cooks add a little salt to the water or the milk.

Cucumber: Thai name is Taeng Kwa
Cucumber, taeng kwa, Cucumis sativus, has short fruits about 8 em long which are crispiest while still green and white, before yellowing. A larger type, taeng ran, are also eaten.

Eggplants: Thai name is Makheua Moung
Eggplants are tender, mildly earthy, sweet vegetable-fruits covered with tough, shiny skin, which may be peeled or left unpeeled in grilled or long-cooked dishes. They vary in color from the familiar purple to red and from yellow to white. The most common variety is the large, purple globe eggplant, but many markets also carry the slender, purple Asian eggplant, which is more tender and has fewer, smaller seeds. When cooked, all eggplants have a mild flavor and tender, creamy flesh. Look for plump, glossy, heavy eggplants with taut skin and no bruises or scratches. Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 2 days. Eggplants are also known as aubergine and in Italy as melanzana.

Long Eggplant: Thai name is Makhua Yaew
This elongated variety is similar in appearance and flavour to Japanese long baby aubergines. However, the Thai ones are usually pale green, but can also be purple or white. These aubergines are usually served grilled (broiled) or in green curries.

Lotus root: Thai name is Raug Bua
Lotus root is an underwater root that grows to be as long as four feet. The root is dark reddish brown and needs to be peeled prior to using. The flesh is a creamy white and tastes similar to coconut. Lotus root is available canned, dried or candied and can be used as a vegetable or in dessert dishes.

Pak Choi: Thai name is Phak Kwang Tung Taiwan
This is the most popular variety of cabbage eaten in Thailand. Despite its other name - Chinese white cabbage pak choi is not uniformly white. The ribbed stems are a beautiful greenish white, which stands out starkly against the lush dark green leaves. In Thailand, cabbage is often eaten raw with a chilli dipping sauce and is also cooked in stir-fries and soups. Pak choi is usually either thinly sliced or cut into squares and is best cooked briefly.

Papaya: Thai name is Ma La Kor
Papaya is a tropical fruit with a smooth, yellow skin and soft, sweet orange flesh that is milder tasting than a mango. Other shapes and colors of papaya are also grown. Halve a papaya lengthwise and scoop out shiny black seeds before peeling.

In Thai cooking, young green papaya is used to make salad or Som Tam, a popular salad dish among foreigners in Thailand. You may be in difficulty in finding fresh green papaya outside Thailand. The fresh carrots or cabbages or green apples can be used as a substitute.

Pea Aubergines: Thai name is Makreu Puang
These pea-size berries, which grow in small clusters, have a bitter flavour that is a good foil to the rich ness of the spicy curries in which they are most often found. They are also used as a flavouring for nam phrik


Pumpkins: Thai name is Fug Tong Pumpkins are large, round winter squashes with orange skins and flesh. The variety known as the sugar pumpkin has sweet flesh. In Thai cooking, it is commonly used in dessert but is also used in savory dishes. Canned pumkin pur?e is widely available and can easily be made from fresh pumpkin.	Shiitake Dried Mushroom: Thai name is Het Hom Hang It is also known as Shiitake mushroom. It has no flavor but is used for its texture. It is available in dried form, and looks like dried, black, wrinkled paper. When soaked in water for about 10-20 minutes, it swells and resembles wavy seaweed or jelly. Stored in its dried form, it will keep indefinitely.

Shiitake Mushroom: Thai name is Het Hom
Fresh shiitake mushrooms are available, but Thai cooks prefer to use them dried as they have a stronger flavour and more texture. Both types are available in supermarkets and Asian stores. Dried shiitake mushrooms must be reconstituted in water before beingused. The stems are usually discarded and the caps sliced or chopped for adding to soups or stews. The soaking water can be strained and used in a soup or stock as it takes on the flavour of the shiitake. The dried mushrooms will keep well if stored in a sealed plastic tub or bag in a cool, dry place

Spring Onions: Thai name is Ton-Hom
Soring onions are a variety of onion harvested immature before the bulb has formed. Both the green leaves and white bulbs are used raw or cooked for their mild but still pronounced onion flavor. Spring onions are also known as scallions or spring onions. Spring onions are used in Thai cooking for stir-fries and in soups. They are also popular for garnishes, either sliced or cut into tassels, then curled in iced water

Straw Mushroom: Thai name is Hed Fang
These delicate, sweet flavoured mushrooms have acquired their English name because of the method of cultivation on beds of straw. They look like miniature helmets and are the most popular variety of mushroom in Thai cooking. Straw mushrooms are used extensively in soups, salads and curries, and taste particularly good with prawns (shrimp) and crab meat. Canned straw mushrooms are widely available from Asian stores and many supermarkets. They have neither the exquisite flavour nor the texture of the fresh mushrooms, but can be an acceptable substitute. Fresh straw mushrooms are highly perishable and so are not often available in the West. If you do locate them, use them as soon as possible after purchase.

Swamp Cabbage: Thai name is Phak Boong
This popular leafy plant, also known as water convolvulus or water spinach, is actually a herb. It grows in marshy areas, near rivers and canals, and is related to the morning glory that riots over walls and fences in many European gardens. It has slender, hollow green stems and thin ovate green leaves which are pointed at the ends. In some parts of Asia, the stems are pickled, but in Thailand, only the leaves and tender shoots are eaten. The flavour is similar to that of spinach. In Thailand, the tender tips are often eaten raw, on their own or with other raw vegetables, and served with a selection of hot sauces. When cooked, the stem tips stay firm, but the leaves rapidly become limp.Swamp Cabbage is highly perishable and must be used promptly.

Sweet Chilli: Thai name is Pkrik Waan
Sweet chillis are sweet-fleshed, bell-shaped members of the chilli family, enjoyed raw or cooked. Unripe green and ripened red or yellow varieties are the most common. Pale yellow, orange, and purple-black types are also available. Italian chillis are slightly sweeter and more slender than regular chillis. Before use, bell peppers must have their indigestible seeds removed. Often the chillis are roasted, which loosens their skins for peeling and enhances their natural sweetness.

Taro: Thai name is Puak
This root grows wild on the banks of streams in Thailand and is particularly popular in the north of the country.The swollen tuber is full of starch and is eaten in the same manner as potatoes. The young leaves can also be eaten. Wear gloves when peeling taros.

Tomato: Thai name is Ma kheua Thet
Tomatoes, Ma-Kheua thet of three types are used in Thai cooking. The first is small, round fruits, not much bigger than a pea, which grow in clusters and have a sweet and sour taste. These are used in Northern and Northeastern dishes. Large-sized tomatoes are sweet and are used in sour and spicy soups and in spicy salads. The third type is cherry tomatoes. These have a sweet and sour taste and are used in Northeasternstyle papaya salad as well as in curries and sour and spicy soups.

Twisted Cluster Bean: Thai name is Sa Taw
The seeds of a huge tree that grows in southern Thailand, these beans are about the size of broad (fava) beans. The bright green pods that house them are flat and wavy. The beans themselves have a peculiar smell and nutty taste that give a distinctive flavour to regional dishes. The beans are usually eaten as a vegetable, and they taste good in a sweet-and-sour stir-fry. They are also sometimes roasted and eaten with nam phrik, and are made into pickles.


Wax gourd: Thai name is Fak Khiao Wax gourd, fak khiao, Benincasa hispida, also called white gourd or Chinese preserving melon, is oblong and light green to white. The ends are rounded and the flesh is solid and white.	Winged Bean: Thai name is Thua Phu It bears a pod which in cross section looks like a rectangle that has a fringe-like extension at each corner, the "wings" of the bean.


Suger Pea: Thai name is Tua Lan Tao You eat these whole, pod and all. They‘re often stir-fried very briefly (no more than a minute), but they‘re also good raw. They‘re easy to prepare, just wash and trim the ends. Some people string them as well, but that‘s not necessary. Select crisp, flat snow peas that snap when you break them.	Yard Long Beans: Thai name is Tua Fugk Yaew These are long, deep green ,stringless beans which grow up to 30-60 cm. Cut in short lenghts, they are used in stir-fries, curries and sometimes soups, They have less flavour than other types of green beans but are easier to prepare.

Chinese Mustard Green: Thai name is Phak Kwang Tung Jeen
The Chinese name for this type of cabbage is choi sum. It is widely grown in the West and is often available from farmers‘ markets, as well as Asian food stores. The stalks, leaves and yellow flowers of this plant are all edible and have a delicate flavour. The cabbage is usually cut into short lengths and used in soups and noodle dishes, but it may also be stir-fried.

Cassava Root: Thai name is Man Sam Pa Lang
Usually used to make desserts

Potato and biodiversity

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By conserving - and utilizing - the potato genetic diversity developed by their ancestors, small farmers in the Andes are helping ensure world food security

The history of the potato provides a grim warning of the need to maintain genetic diversity in our staple food crops. In the 19th century, Ireland was heavily reliant on only a few varieties of potato, and those types contained no resistance to the devastating disease known as late blight. When late blight destroyed the 1845-1846 potato crop, widespread famine followed. An estimated one million people starved to death and more than a million were forced to migrate abroad.

To combat pests and diseases, increase yields, and sustain production on marginal lands, today's potato-based agricultural systems need a continuous supply of new varieties. That requires access to the entire potato gene pool. But potato biodiversity is under threat: ancient varieties cultivated by Andean peoples for millennia have been lost to diseases, climate change and social upheaval.

Species and crop-associated diversity

While most varieties of potatoes belong to a single species, Solanum tuberosum, about 10 other Solanum species have been cultivated, and 200 wild species have been recorded. Climate change may threaten the survival of those wild relatives: it is forecast that as many as 12 percent will become extinct as their growing conditions deteriorate. If climate changes drastically, the area where wild potatoes grow naturally could be reduced by as much as 70 percent.

Since potatoes mostly propagate vegetatively, most commercial varieties of potato have a reduced ability to flower and breeders do not select for traits that make the flower attractive to pollinators. However, natural potato pollination remains important to sustaining the diversity of land races (farmer-developed varieties that are adapted to local environmental conditions). Fortunately, the diverse smallholder farming systems in the Andes harbour a variety of flowering plants that do attract pollinators, such as honeybees and bumblebees, which promote cross-pollination of potato flowers, thus increasing seed production and sustaining diversity.

Key points

Potato farming systems need a continuous supply of new

varieties drawn from the entire potato gene pool.

Potato biodiversity is under threat - ancient varieties cultivated for millennia have been lost and wild species are threatened by climate changes.

Smallholder farming systems in the Andes encourage cross-pollination of potato flowers, vital to sustaining the diversity of local, farmer-developed varieties.

With CIP support, Andean communities have created a "potato park" holding some 1 200 traditional varieties of potato.

Conserving potato biodiversity in the Andes

Having lost many of their traditional potato varieties, Peruvian farmers in the Andes are now taking measures to conserve and sustainably use those that remain. A pact has been signed by six Quechua communities with the International Potato Center that recognizes the rights of the communities over potato strains they have developed.

Under the agreement, the Center's genebank returns potato genetic resources - and knowledge associated with them - to the communities, which have established a "potato park" (Parque de la papa) in a conservation area where they grow and manage the plants. This repatriation of biological diversity effectively keeps control of genetic resources local. The 15 000 ha park is a "living library" of potato genetic diversity, holding some 1 200 varieties of potato cultivated in the highlands. A long-term goal is to reestablish all the world's 4 000 known potato varieties in the valley, allowing the park to function as a second centre of origin for this vital staple crop.

Centre of origin

In the Andean region, generations of farmers have domesticated thousands of potato varieties. Even today, farmers cultivate up to 50 varieties on their farms. In the biodiversity reserve of the Chiloé archipelago in Chile, local people cultivate about 200 varieties of native potato. They use farming practices transmitted orally by generations of mainly women farmers.

Diversity conserved in trust

The International Potato Centre in Peru maintains the world's largest

bank of potato germplasm, including some 1 500 samples of about 100 wild species collected in eight Latin American countries, and 3 800 traditional Andean cultivated potatoes. The collection is maintained and managed under the terms of an agreement with the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and, like all collections eligible for funding from the Global Crop Diversity Trust, is available to plant breeders worldwide.

Potatoes, nutrition and diet

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The potato is a good source of dietary energy and some micronutrients. But balanced diets need to include other vegetables and whole grain foods

Potato is a versatile, carbohydrate-rich food highly popular worldwide and prepared and served in a variety of ways. Freshly harvested, it contains about 80 percent water and 20 percent dry matter. About 60 to 80 percent of the dry matter is starch. On a dry weight basis, the protein content of potato is similar to that of cereals and is very high in comparison with other roots and tubers.

In addition, the potato is low in fat. Potatoes are rich in several micronutrients, especially vitamin C - eaten with its skin, a single mediumsized potato of 150 g provides nearly half the daily adult requirement (100 mg). The potato is a moderate source of iron, and its high vitamin C content promotes iron absorption. It is a good source of vitamins B1, B3 and B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and contains folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. Potatoes also contain dietary antioxidants, which may play a part in preventing diseases related to ageing, and dietary fibre, which benefits health.

Key points

The potato is a good source of dietary energy and some micronutrients, and its protein content is very high in comparison with other roots and tubers.

Potato is low in fat - but preparing and serving potatoes with high fat ingredients raises the caloric value of the dish.

Boiling potatoes in their skins prevents loss of nutrients.

Potatoes are important in many diets, but need to be balanced with other vegetables and whole grain foods.

Further research is needed to determine the link between potato consumption and Type 2 diabetes.

Effects of potato preparation methods

The nutritive value of a meal containing potato depends on other components served with them and on the method of preparation. By itself, potato is not fattening (and the feeling of satiety that comes from eating potato can actually help people to control their weight). However, preparing and serving potatoes with high-fat ingredients raises the caloric value of the dish.

Since the starch in raw potato cannot be digested by humans, they are prepared for consumption by boiling (with or without the skin), baking or frying. Each preparation method affects potato composition in a different way, but all reduce fibre and protein content, due to leaching into cooking water and oil, destruction by heat treatment or chemical changes such as oxidation.

Boiling - the most common method of potato preparation worldwide - causes a significant loss of vitamin C, especially in peeled potatoes. For french fries and chips, frying for a short time in hot oil (140ºC to 180ºC) results in high absorption of fat and significantly reduces mineral and ascorbic acid content. In general, baking causes slightly higher losses of vitamin C than boiling, due to the higher oven temperatures, but losses of other vitamins and minerals during baking are lower.

Nutrient content of potatoes

(Per 100 g, after boiling in skin and peeling before consumption) Source: United States Department of Agriculture, National Nutrient Database

Toxic components of potato

As part of the potato plant's natural defences against fungi and insects, its leaves, stems and sprouts contain high levels of toxic compounds called glycoalkaloids (usually solanine and chaconine). Glycoalkaloids are normally found at low levels in the tuber, and occur in the greatest concentrations just beneath the skin. Potatoes should be stored in a dark, cool place in order to keep glycoalkaloid content low. Under exposure to light, potatoes turn green in colour due to increased levels of chlorophyll, which can also indicate higher levels of solanine and chaconine. Since glycoalkaloids are not destroyed by cooking, cutting away green areas and peeling potatoes before cooking ensures healthy eating.

The potato

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The plant

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is an herbaceous annual that grows up to 100 cm (40inches) tall and produces a tuber - also called potato - so rich in starch that it ranks as the world's fourth most important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice. The potato belongs to the Solanaceae - or "nightshade"- family of flowering plants, and shares the genus Solanum with at least 1,000 other species, including tomato and eggplant. S. tuberosum is divided into two, only slightly different, subspecies: andigena, which is adapted to short day conditions and is mainly grown in the Andes, and tuberosum, the potato now cultivated around the world, which is believed to be descended from a small introduction to Europe of andigena potatoes that later adapted to longer day lengths. [Drawing: © CIP]

The tuber

As the potato plant grows, its compound leaves manufacture starch that is transferred to the ends of its underground stems (or stolons). The stems thicken to form a few or as many as 20 tubers close to the soil surface. The number of tubers that actually reach maturity depends on available moisture and soil nutrients. Tubers may vary in shape and size, and normally weigh up to 300 g (10.5 oz) each.

At the end of the growing season, the plant's leaves and stems die down to the soil level and its new tubers detach from their stolons. The tubers then serve as a nutrient store that allows the plant to survive the cold and later regrow and reproduce. Each tuber has from two to as many as 10 buds (or "eyes"), arranged in a spiral pattern around its surface. The buds generate shoots that grow into new plants when conditions are again favourable.

Andean heritage

The potato's story begins about 8,000 years ago near Lake Titicaca, which sits at 3,800 m (12,500 ft) above sea level in the Andes mountain range of South America, on the border between Bolivia and Peru. There, research indicates, communities of hunters and gatherers who had first entered the South American continent at least 7,000 years before began domesticating wild potato plants that grew around the lake in abundance.

Some 200 species of wild potatoes are found in the Americas. But it was in the Central Andes that farmers succeeded in selecting and improving the first of what was to become, over the following millennia, a staggering range of tuber crops. In fact, what we know as "the potato" (Solanum species tuberosum) contains just a fragment of the genetic diversity found in the seven recognized potato species and 5,000 potato varieties still grown in the Andes.

Although Andean farmers cultivated many food crops - including tomatoes, beans and maize - their potato varieties proved particularly suited to the quechua or "valley" zone, which extends at altitudes of from 3,100 to 3,500 m (10,200 - 11,500 ft) along the slopes of the Central Andes (among Andean peoples, the quechua was known as the zone of "civilization"). But farmers also developed a frost-resistant potato species that survives on the alpine tundra of the puna zone at 4,300 m (14,100 ft).

The food security provided by maize and potato - consolidated by the development of irrigation and terracing - allowed the emergence around 500 AD of the Huari civilization in the highland Ayacucho basin. Around the same time, the city state of Tiahuanacu rose near Lake Titicaca, thanks largely to its sophisticated "raised field" technology - elevated soil beds lined with water canals - which produced potato yields estimated at 10 tonnes per hectare (4.4 tons per acre). At its height, around 800 AD, Tiahuanacu and neighbouring valleys are believed to have sustained a population of 500,000 or more.

Meteoric rise. The collapse of Huari and Tiahuanacu between 1000 and 1200 led to a period of turmoil that ended with the meteoric rise of the Incas in the Cusco valley around 1400. In less than 100 years, they created the largest state in pre-Columbian America, extending from present-day Argentina to Colombia.

The Incas adopted and improved the agricultural advances of previous highland cultures, and gave special importance to maize production. But the potato was fundamental to their empire's food security: in the Incas' vast network of state storehouses, potato - especially a freeze-dried potato product called chuño - was one of the main food items, used to feed officials, soldiers and corvée labourers and as an emergency stock after crop failures.

The Spanish invasion, in 1532, spelt the end of the Incas - but not of the potato. For, throughout Andean history, the potato - in all its forms - was profoundly a "people's food", playing a central role the Andean vision of the world (time, for example, was measured by how long it took to cook a pot of potatoes).

Farmers in some parts of the high Andes still measure land in topo, the area a family needs to grow their potato supply - a topo is larger at higher altitudes, where plots need to lie fallow for longer. They classify potatoes not only by species and variety, but by the ecological niche where the tubers grow best, and it is not unusual to find four or five species cultivated on a single, small plot of land.

Planting tubers remains the most important activity of the farming year near Lake Titicaca, where the potato is known as Mama Jatha, or mother of growth. The potato remains the seed of Andean society.

Dawn of agriculture

Incan myths relate that the Creator, Viracocha, caused the sun, moon and stars to emerge from Lake Titicaca. He also created agriculture when he sent his two sons to the human realm to study and classify the plants that grew there. They taught the people how to sow crops and how to use them so that they would never lack food.

Diffusion

The diffusion of the potato from the Andes to the rest of the globe reads like an adventure story, but it began with a tragedy. The Spanish conquest of Peru between 1532 and 1572 destroyed the Inca civilization and caused the deaths - from war, disease and despair - of at least half the population.

The conquistadores came in search of gold, but the real treasure they took back to Europe was Solanum tuberosum. The first evidence of potato growing in Europe dates from 1565, on Spain's Canary Islands. By 1573, potato was cultivated on the Spanish mainland. Soon, tubers were being sent around Europe as exotic gifts - from the Spanish court to the Pope in Rome, from Rome to the papal ambassador in Mons, and from there to a botanist in Vienna. Potatoes were grown in London in 1597 and reached France and the Netherlands soon after.

But once the plant had been added to botanical gardens and herbalists' encyclopaedias, interest waned. European aristocracy admired its flowers, but the tubers were considered fit only for pigs and the destitute. Superstitious peasants believed the potato was poisonous. At the same time, however, Europe's "Age of Discovery" had begun, and among the first to appreciate potatoes as food were sailors who took tubers to consume on ocean voyages. That is how the potato reached India, China and Japan early in the 17th century.

The potato also received an unusually warm welcome in Ireland, where it proved suited to the cool air and moist soils. Irish immigrants took the tuber - and the name, "Irish potato" - to North America in the early 1700s.

Long summer days. The widespread adoption of the potato as a food crop in the northern hemisphere was delayed not only by entrenched eating habits, but by the challenge of adapting a plant grown for millennia in the Andes to the north's temperate climate. Only a drop of the rich potato gene pool had left South America, and it took 150 years before varieties suited to long summer days began to appear.

Those varieties arrived at a crucial time. In the 1770s, much of continental Europe was devastated by famines, and the potato's value as a food security crop was suddenly recognized. Prussia's Frederick the Great ordered his subjects to grow potatoes as insurance against cereal crop failure, while the French scientist Parmentier succeeded in having the potato declared "edible" (around the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, US President Thomas Jefferson served french fries to White House guests).

After initial hesitation, European farmers - even those in Russia, where the potato was called the "devil's apple" - began growing potatoes on a large scale. Potato became Europe's food reserve during the Napoleonic wars, and by 1815 it had become a staple crop across northern Europe. By then, the Industrial Revolution was transforming agrarian society in the United Kingdom, displacing millions of rural people into crowded cities. In the new urban environment, the potato became the first modern "convenience food" - energy-rich, nutritious, easy to grow on small plots, cheap to purchase, and ready to cook without expensive processing.

Increased potato consumption during the 19th century is credited with helping to reduce the scourge of diseases such as scurvy and measles, contributing to higher birth rates and the population explosion in Europe, the US and the British Empire.

"Potato famine". But the potato's success proved a double-edged sword. For the tubers that were being cloned and cultivated across North America and Europe belonged to a few, genetically similar varieties. That meant they were highly vulnerable: a pest or disease that struck one plant could spread quickly to the rest.

The first sign of impending disaster came in 1844-45, when a mould disease, late blight, ravaged potato fields across continental Europe, from Belgium to Russia. But the worst came in Ireland, where potato supplied 80 percent of calorie intake. Between 1845 and 1848, late blight destroyed three potato crops, leading to famine that caused the deaths of one million people.

The Irish catastrophe led to concerted efforts to develop more productive and disease-resistant varieties. Breeders in Europe and North America, drawing on new potato germplasm from Chile, produced many of the modern varieties that laid the foundation for massive potato production in both regions for most of the 20th century.

Meanwhile, European colonialism and emigration were taking the potato to all corners of the globe. Colonial governors, missionaries and settlers introduced potato growing to the floodplains of Bengal and Egypt's Nile delta, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and the Jos plateau in Nigeria. Emigrant farmers took the potato to Australia and even to South America, establishing the potato in Argentina and Brazil.

In the Asian heartland, the tuber moved along more ancient routes, finding its way from the Caucasus to Turkey's Anatolian plateau, from Russia to western China, and from China to the Korean Peninsula. In the mountain valleys of Tajikistan, some potato types have been grown long enough to be considered "old local varieties".

The 20th century saw the potato finally emerge as a truly global food. The Soviet Union's annual potato harvest reached 100 million tonnes. In the years following the Second World War, huge areas of arable land in Germany and Britain were dedicated to potato, and countries like Belarus and Poland produced - and still do - more potatoes than cereals.

The potato came into its own as a snack food. The invention in the 1920s of the mechanical potato peeler helped make potato crisps America's top-selling snack. A restaurant chain founded by the McDonald brothers in the US in 1957 spent millions of dollars to "perfect the french fry". A Canadian firm, McCain, that began making frozen french fries in 1957, expanded to open 55 production facilities on six continents and now supplies one third of all french fried potatoes produced internationally.

Exploding demand. From the 1960s, cultivation potato of began expanding in the developing world. In India and China alone, total production rose from 16 million tonnes in 1960 to almost 100 million in 2006. In Bangladesh, potato has become a valuable winter cash crop, while potato farmers in southeast Asia have tapped into exploding demand from food industries. In sub-Saharan Africa, potato is a preferred food in many urban areas, and an important crop in the highlands of Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda.

The potato has an extraordinarily rich past, and a bright future. While production in Europe - the potato's "second home" for four centuries - is declining, the potato has ample room for expansion in the developing world, where its consumption is less than quarter that of developed countries.
Today in mountainous Lesotho, many farmers are shifting from maize to potato, assisted by an FAO project for production of virus-free seed tubers. In China, agriculture experts have proposed that potato become the major food crop on 60 percent of the country's arable land, and say a staggering 30 percent increase in potato yields is within reach.

And in Andes, where it all began, the Government of Peru created in July 2008 a national register of Peruvian native potato varieties, to help conserve the country's rich potato heritage. That genetic diversity, the building blocks of new varieties adapted to the world's evolving needs, will help write future chapters in the story of Solanum tuberosum.

Papa, patata, potato...

While the Incas called it papa (as do modern-day Latin Americans), Spaniards called the potato patata, apparently confusing it with another New World crop, the sweet potato (known as batata). In 1797, the English herbalist Gerard referred to the sweet potato as "common potatoes", and for many years S. tuberosum was known as the "Virginia potato" or "Irish potato" before finally displacing batata as the potato.

Cultivation

Potato is grown in more than 100 countries, under temperate, subtropical and tropical conditions. It is essentially a "cool weather crop", with temperature being the main limiting factor on production: tuber growth is sharply inhibited in temperatures below 10°C (50°F) and above 30°C (86°F), while optimum yields are obtained where mean daily temperatures are in the 18 to 20°C (64 to 68°F) range.

For that reason, potato is planted in early spring in temperate zones and late winter in warmer regions, and grown during the coolest months of the year in hot tropical climates. In some sub-tropical highlands, mild temperatures and high solar radiation allow farmers to grow potatoes throughout the year, and harvest tubers within 90 days of planting (in temperate climates, such in northern Europe, it can take up to 150 days).

The potato is a very accommodating and adaptable plant, and will produce well without ideal soil and growing conditions. However, it is also subject to number of pests and diseases. To prevent the build-up of pathogens in the soil, farmers avoid growing potato on the same land from year to year. Instead, they grow potato in rotations of three or more years, alternating with other, dissimilar crops, such as maize, beans and alfalfa. Crops susceptible to the same pathogens as potato (e.g. tomato) are avoided in order to break potato pests' development cycle.

With good agricultural practices, including irrigation when necessary, a hectare of potato in the temperate climates of northern Europe and North America can yield more than 40 tonnes of fresh tubers within four months of planting. In most developing countries, however, average yields are much lower - ranging from as little as five tonnes to 25 tonnes - owing to lack of high quality seed and improved cultivars, lower rates of fertilizer use and irrigation, and pest and disease problems.

Soil and land preparation

The potato can be grown almost on any type of soil, except saline and alkaline soils. Naturally loose soils, which offer the least resistance to enlargement of the tubers, are preferred, and loamy and sandy loam soils that are rich in organic matter, with good drainage and aeration, are the most suitable. Soil with a pH range of 5.2-6.4 is considered ideal.

Growing potatoes involves extensive ground preparation. The soil needs to be harrowed until completely free of weed roots. In most cases, three ploughings, along with frequent harrowing and rolling, are needed before the soil reaches a suitable condition: soft, well-drained and well-aerated.

Planting

The potato crop is usually grown not from seed but from "seed potatoes" - small tubers or pieces of tuber sown to a depth of 5 to 10 cm. Purity of the cultivars and healthy seed tubers are essential for a successful crop. Tuber seed should be disease-free, well-sprouted and from 30 to 40 g each in weight. Use of good quality commercial seed can increase yields by 30 to 50 percent, compared to farmers' own seed, but expected profits must offset the higher cost.

The planting density of a row of potatoes depends on the size of the tubers chosen, while the inter-row spacing must allow for ridging of the crop (see below). Usually, about two tonnes of seed potatoes are sown per hectare. For rainfed production in dry areas, planting on flat soil gives higher yields (thanks to better soil water conservation), while irrigated crops are mainly grown on ridges.

Stages in crop development

1. Planted seed tuber

2. Vegetative growth

3. Tuber initiation

4. Tuber bulking

Crop care

During the development of the potato canopy, which takes about four weeks, weeds must be controlled in order to give the crop a "competitive advantage". If the weeds are large, they must be removed before ridging operations begin. Ridging (or "earthing up") consists of mounding the soil from between the rows around the main stem of the potato plant. Ridging keeps the plants upright and the soil loose, prevents insect pests such a tuber moth from reaching the tubers; and helps prevent the growth of weeds.

After earthing up, weeds between the growing plants and at the top of the ridge are removed mechanically or using herbicides. Ridging should be done two or three times at an interval of 15 to 20 days. The first should be done when the plants are about 15-25 cm high; the second is often done to cover the growing tubers.

Manuring and fertilization

The use of chemical fertilizer depends on the level of available soil nutrients - volcanic soils, for example, are typically deficient in phosphorus - and in irrigated commercial production, fertilizer requirements are relatively high. However, potato can benefit from application of organic manure at the start of a new rotation - it provides a good nutrient balance and maintains the structure to the soil. Crop fertilization requirements need to be correctly estimated according to the expected yield, the potential of the variety and the intended use of the harvested crop.

Water supply

The soil moisture content must be maintained at a relatively high level. For best yields, a 120 to 150 day crop requires from 500 to 700 mm (20 to 27.5 inches) of water. In general, water deficits in the middle to late part of the growing period tend to reduce yield more than those in the early part. Where supply is limited, water is directed towards maximizing yield per hectare rather than being applied over a larger area.

Because the potato has a shallow root system, yield response to frequent irrigation is considerable, and very high yields are obtained with mechanized sprinkler systems that replenish evapotranspiration losses every one or two days. Under irrigation in temperate and subtropical climates, a crop of about 120 days can produce yields of 25 to 35 tonnes/ha (11 to 15.6 tons per acre), falling to 15 to 25 tonnes/ha (6.6 to 15.6 tons per acre) in tropical areas.

Pests and diseases

Against diseases, a few basic precautions – crop rotation, using tolerant varieties and healthy, certified seed tubers - can help avoid great losses. There is no chemical control for bacterial and viral diseases but they can be controlled by regular monitoring (and when necessary, spraying) of their aphid vectors. The severity of fungal diseases such as late blight depends, after the first infection, mainly on the weather - persistence of favourable conditions, without chemical spraying, can quickly spread the disease.

Insect pests can wreak havoc in a potato patch. Recommended control measures include regular monitoring and steps to protect the pests' natural enemies. Even damage caused by the Colorado Potato Beetle, a major pest, can be reduced by destroying beetles, eggs and larvae that appear early in the season, while sanitation, crop rotations and use of resistant potato varieties help prevent the spread of nematodes.

Harvesting

Yellowing of the potato plant's leaves and easy separation of the tubers from their stolons indicate that the crop has reached maturity. If the potatoes are to be stored rather than consumed immediately, they are left in the soil to allow their skins to thicken - thick skins prevent storage diseases and shrinkage due to water loss. However, leaving tubers for too long in the ground increases their exposure to a fungal incrustation called black scurf.

To facilitate harvesting, the potato vines should be removed two weeks before the potatoes are dug up. Depending on the scale of production, potatoes are harvested using a spading fork, a plough or commercial potato harvesters that unearth the plant and shake or blow the soil from the tubers. During harvesting, it is important to avoid bruising or other injury, which provide entry points for storage diseases.

Storage

Since the newly harvested tubers are living tissue – and therefore subject to deterioration - proper storage is essential, both to prevent post-harvest losses of potatoes destined for fresh consumption or processing, and to guarantee an adequate supply of seed tubers for the next cropping season.

For ware and processing potatoes, storage aims at preventing "greening" (the build up of chlorophyll beneath the peel, which is associated with solanine, a potentially toxic alkaloid) and losses in weight and quality. The tubers should be kept at a temperature of 6 to 8°C degrees, in a dark, well-ventilated environment with high relative humidity (85 to 90 percent). Seed tubers are stored, instead, under diffused light in order to maintain their germination capacity and encourage development of vigorous sprouts. In regions, such as northern Europe, with only one cropping season and where storage of tubers from one season to the next is difficult without the use of costly refrigeration, off-season planting may offer a solution.

Potato varieties

Although the potato cultivated worldwide belongs to just one botanical species, Solanum tuberosum, the tubers come in thousands of varieties with great differences in size, shape, colour, texture, cooking characteristics and taste. Here's a small sample of potato diversity.


1. Atahualpa Bred in Peru, a high yielding variety good for both baking and frying	2. Nicola Widely grown Dutch variety, one of the best for boiling, also good in salads	3. Russet Burbank The classic American potato, excellent for baking and french fries

4. Lapin puikula Grown in Finland for centuries, in fields bathed in the light of the midnight sun	5. Yukon Gold A Canadian potato with buttery yellow flesh suitable for frying, boiling, mashing	6. Tubira CIP-bred variety grown in West Africa. White flesh, pink skin, and good yielding

7. Vitelotte A gourmet French variety prized for its deep blue skin and violet flesh	8. Royal Jersey From the Isle of Jersey: the only UK vegetable with an EU designation-of-origin	9. Kipfler Hails from Germany. Elongated with cream flesh, popular in salads

10. Papa colorada Brought to the Canary Islands by passing Spanish ships in 1567	11. Maris Bard Bred in the UK, a white variety with a soft waxy texture good for boiling	12. Désirée Red-skinned, with yellow flesh and a distinctive flavour.

13. Spunta Another popular commercial tuber, good for boiling and roasting	14. Mondial A Dutch potato with smooth good looks. Boils and mashes well	15. Unknown From Chile, one of more than 5 000 native varieties still grown in the Andes

Uses of potato

Once harvested, potatoes are used for a variety of purposes, and not only as a vegetable for cooking at home. In fact, it is likely that less than 50 percent of potatoes grown worldwide are consumed fresh. The rest are processed into potato food products and food ingredients, fed to cattle, pigs and chickens, processed into starch for industry, and re-used as seed tubers for growing the next season's potato crop.

Food uses: fresh, "frozen", dehydrated

FAO estimates that just over two-thirds of the 320 million tonnes of potatoes produced in 2005 were consumed by people as food, in one form or another. Home-grown or purchased in markets, fresh potatoes are baked, boiled or fried and used in a staggering range of recipes: mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, potato dumplings, twice-baked potatoes, potato soup, potato salad and potatoes au gratin, to name a few.

But global consumption of potato as food is shifting from fresh potatoes to added-value, processed food products. One of the main items in that category goes by the unappetizing name of frozen potatoes, but includes most of the french fries ("chips" in the UK) served in restaurants and fast food chains worldwide. The production process is fairly simple: peeled potatoes are shot through cutting blades, parboiled, air dried, par fried, frozen and packaged. The world's appetite for factory-made french fries has been put at more than 11 million tonnes a year.

Another processed product, the potato crisp ("chips" in the US), is the long-standing king of snack foods in many developed countries. Made from thin slices of deep-fried or baked potato, they come in a variety of flavours - from simple salted to "gourmet" varieties tasting of roast beef and Thai chili. Some crisps are produced using a dough made from dehydrated potato flakes.

Dehydrated potato flakes and granules are made by drying a mash of cooked potatoes to a moisture level of 5 to 8 percent. Flakes are used in retail mashed potato products, as ingredients in snacks, and even as food aid: potato flakes have been distributed as part of US international food assistance to more than 600,000 people. Another dehydrated product, potato flour, is ground from cooked, whole potatoes and retains a distinct potato taste. Gluten-free and rich in starch, potato flour is used by the food industry to bind meat mixtures and thicken gravies and soups.

Modern starch processing can retrieve as much as 96 per cent of the starch found in raw potatoes. A fine, tasteless powder with "excellent mouth-feel", potato starch provides higher viscosity than wheat and maize starches, and delivers a more tasty product. It is used as a thickener for sauces and stews, and as a binding agent in cake mixes, dough, biscuits and ice-cream.

Finally, in eastern Europe and Scandinavia, crushed potatoes are heated to convert their starch to fermentable sugars that are used in the distillation of alcoholic beverages such as vodka and akvavit.

Non-food uses: Glue, animal feed and fuel-grade ethanol

Potato starch is also widely used by the pharmaceutical, textile, wood and paper industries as an adhesive, binder, texture agent and filler, and by oil drilling firms to wash boreholes. Potato starch is a 100% biodegradable substitute for polystyrene and other plastics and used, for example, in disposable plates, dishes and knives.

Potato peel and other "zero value" wastes from potato processing are rich in starch that can be liquefied and fermented to produce fuel-grade ethanol. A study in Canada's potato-growing province of New Brunswick estimated that 44,000 tonnes of processing waste could produce 4 to 5 million litres of ethanol.

One of the first widespread uses of the potato in Europe was as farm animal feed. In the Russian Federation and other east European countries, as much as half of the potato harvest is still used for that purpose. Cattle can be fed up to 20 kg of raw potatoes a day, while pigs fatten quickly on a daily diet of 6 kg of boiled potatoes. Chopped up and added to silage, the tubers cook in the heat of fermentation.

Seed potatoes: renewing the cycle...

Unlike other major field crops, potatoes are reproduced vegetatively, from other potatoes. Therefore, a part of each year's crop - ranging from 5 to 15 percent, depending on the quality of the harvested tubers - is set aside for re-use in the next planting season. Most farmers in developing countries select and store their own seed tubers. In developed countries, farmers are more likely to purchase disease-free "certified seed" from dedicated suppliers. More than 13 per cent of France's potato growing area is used to produce seed potatoes, and the Netherlands exports some 700 000 tonnes of certified seed a year.

Potato calculations

In 2005, FAO estimates, the world produced 314,375,535 tonnes of potatoes and consumed 218,129,000 tonnes as food. How did it arrive at that figure? FAO's statistics division has developed a simple formula for the calculation: consumption equals production, imports and beginning stocks, minus exports, potatoes used as feed and seed, waste, other non-food uses and ending stocks.

POTATOES ARE EASY TO GROW VEGETABLES

2008-12-09T23:22:00.001-08:00

POTATOES ARE EASY TO GROW VEGETABLES

One of the easiest root crops to grow is potatoes. Plus, they're fun to grow and a small area can provide a nice yield of this tasty vegetable. Early spring is the best time to plant them. So here are a few hints on how to grow potatoes in the garden:

One of the bonuses of growing potatoes is that you can eat them at various stages of growth. The young 'new potatoes' are often harvested and cooked with peas and gravy, while most are allowed to reach maturity and are eaten or stored for use throughout the winter.

VARIETIES - choose the varieties that fit your cooking needs and taste preferences. Keep in mind some varieties have special attributes such as being particularly suited for baking; French fries; boiling or for making hashbrowns. Here are just a few of the most popular ones:

WHITE ROSE - probably the best known variety. This early white potato is nice for boiling; potato salad but is only fair for baking. It is only considered fair for storing purposes.

NETTED GEM - another popular variety. Considered one of the best for baking. This late russet Burbank variety stores well.

KENNEBEC - another late maturing white potato variety. An excellent one for fries; chips; baking or hashbrowns.

NORGOLD RUSSET - excellent early variety for baking or boiling. Does not store too well.

YELLOW FINNISH - this is one of the favorites at our home. It is a smaller sized potato with a yellow interior of excellent flavor. My wife likes to bake it in the microwave oven. It is a versatile potato and stores moderately well.

RED PONTIAC - is a popular red skinned variety of average quality. It stores quite well.

RED NORLAND - this is a well-rounded red variety that has good qualities for baking or boiling.
Needless to say, there are many other varieties that merit use in the home garden.

SELECTING POTATOES - make certain that you choose only certified seed potatoes for planting in the garden. Certification means the potatoes are free of insect or disease problems and that they have not been treated with a growth retardant. Garden centers; nurseries; garden outlets and hardware stores generally feature certified seed potatoes during the spring planting season.

SOIL PREPARATION - potatoes grow in just average soil, so a great deal of soil preparation is not really needed. However the addition of some compost or a little peat moss is beneficial. Avoid using fresh manure or lime in the soil where potatoes are to be grown, as it tends to cause scab on the potatoes. The addition of either 5-10-10 or 10-20-20 fertilizer is beneficial. Mix the fertilizer into the planting soil, prior to planting. Till or spade the soil to a depth of ten or twelve inches.

CUTTING POTATOES - if the seed potatoes are small to medium sized, plant the whole potato. If they are large sized, you can cut them in half, or quarter them. Each section should have two or three 'growth eyes'. After cutting, let the cut surface callus-over before planting them.

SPACING - potatoes can be grown in many different ways. If you have lots of room the cut pieces can be spaced about a foot apart in rows which are spaced two to three feet apart. Then cover with about an inch of soil. Pull in additional soil as the plants develop. Always be certain the surface tubers are covered with soil.

Hilling or mounding is another method of growing potatoes. Three or four pieces of potatoes are planted on a mound of soil, pulling in additional soil as the potatoes develop.

You can grow potatoes in the ground, in stacks of straw or mulch, in black plastic bags, in garbage cans or to stacks of tires. Potatoes can be a fun and easy crop to grow.

Field growing: This is the conventional way most potatoes are grown. Generally, the seed potatoes are planted about 12 inches apart in rows that are spaced 2 to 3 feet apart. The seed pieces' are planted about 1 inch deep, then covered with additional soil as the sprouts develop.

Straw: For centuries, Scandinavians have grown potatoes in stacks of straw or other mulching material. Potatoes are planted above ground in the straw, and as the vines begin to grow, additional straw` or mulch is mounded up around the base of the plants. This results in a yield of very clean potatoes. New potatoes can be harvested easily even before the potato vines mature completely.

Under plastic or in plastic garbage bags: Garden soil or a commercial potting soil can be used to grow the potatoes in the bags, Fold over the top half of the bag, fill with soil, and plant a certified seed potato that has been cut in half. The plastic bag can be set above ground wherever it's convenient. Punch holes in the bottom of the bag for drainage.

You also can plant potatoes under black plastic. Cut open a piece of the black plastic, and plant a potato piece. The potato tubers will develop as they would in the open ground. However, the tubers that develop close to the surface of the soil are shaded by the black plastic and should not develop the green inedible portions that often are found on other tubers. The black plastic also will aid in controlling weeds.

Garbage cans or containers: Old garbage cans, or wooden or fiberboard-type containers are suitable for growing potatoes, if they have adequate drainage. You can conserve space by growing them in this manner. A word of caution, though: The plants tend to dry out more rapidly when grown in containers, so additional watering will be needed. Otherwise, you're likely to end up with misshapen tubers.

Tires: There are two different methods of growing potatoes in tires. One way is to stack three or four tires, fill them with soil and plant two to three seed pieces about 1 or 2 inches deep in the top tire. The black of the tire absorbs and radiates heat, and there usually is a heavy yield.

Another method is to put a tire on the ground, fill it with soil and plant the potatoes within the tire. Plant two seed potatoes, whole or halved, about 2 inches deep. Once the potatoes have developed 3 or 4 inches of foliage growth, a second tire can be put on top of the first, Fill in with more soil, always leaving at least 2 inches of leaf growth above the soil level. Continue to fill as the plants grow. Once you've filled in the center of the second tire, continue the stack to a height of three or four tires. Keep in mind you must always leave about 2 inches of foliage showing.

Last year, we grew potatoes in eight stacks of tires, using eight: different potato varieties. Each tire stack averaged 11 pounds of potatoes: Some readers have reported yields of up to 38 pounds per stack. Others have reported poor results, averaging as few as one or two potatoes per stack. Over-watering or the use of too much high nitrogen fertilizer could be the reason for poor yields.
The reason you can grow potatoes successfully in this manner is that potatoes develop on stems above the roots. Of course, it's for this reason that mounding or mulching potatoes is recommended so highly.

Some of the potatoes that we grew in tire stacks were: not harvested until January of this year. So the tire stacks also provided an ideal place to store them throughout fall and winter.

WATERING - Black or hollow centers on potatoes is often caused by over-watering. Irregular watering causes irregular shaped or knobby potatoes. As a guideline, water potatoes (thoroughly) weekly during warmer summer weather.

HARVESTING - New young potatoes are harvested when peas are ripe or as the potato plants begin to flower. For storage of full sized potatoes harvest them when the vines turn yellow or have died-back.

STORAGE - Keep them in the dark, in a spot where temperatures are about 40 degrees.

Grow your own potatoes

2008-12-09T23:16:00.001-08:00

Growing your own potatoes at home is not difficult. This guide will help you produce as much as 2 to 4 kg of fresh potatoes...

A. Planting

You'll need:

a bucket about 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter three small potatoes about 7 cm (2.75 inches) high
compost or soil

1. Ten days before you plant, place the potatoes in a warm spot with lots of light so that their shoots start growing.

2. Once the potatoes have strong, hard shoots, make a drainage hole in the bottom of the bucket, then fill it two-thirds full with compost or soil.

3. Press the seed potatoes into the soil, with the shoots facing up. Then fill the bucket near to the top with compost or soil.

4. Place the bucket on bricks for drainage, in a spot that has reasonable light. The ideal temperature is 10-15° C (or 50-60° F).

When to plant. In temperate areas, plant in the mid-spring. In the tropics and subtropics, you can plant all year round, provided your seed comes from a reliable source.

Which type of potato to grow depends on when you want to harvest. "Early" varieties - such as Accord and Spunta - will produce potatoes in 90 days. Use certified seed potatoes, which are disease-free and available from most nurseries.

B. Growing

You can grow potatoes in your home, outside, in a greenhouse, or start off inside and move them outside as the weather gets warmer.

Inside: Place the bucket somewhere with as much light as possible. Turn the bucket regularly so the plant grows straight, and keep the soil moist.

Outside: Grow your plants in full or partial sunlight - if frost is forecast, bring the plants inside or protect them with plastic, a blanket or straw.

In a greenhouse: If it's frosty, close all windows. If it's very sunny, make sure the greenhouse is well ventilated and doesn't overheat.

1. After planting, your plants will go through a number of growth stages (see the illustration at the top of the page), producing first roots, then stems and leaves, and finally flowers and tubers.

2. Add more soil around the base of the plants two or three times during the growing season. Keep them well watered, especially when they start flowering. Soil should be moist, not dry. But don't over-water or the leaves will go mouldy. It's best to water every 2 or 3 days.

3. To grow bigger potatoes, remove any flowers the plants produce.

4. When the plant's leaves turn yellow and start to die, stop watering. After two or three weeks, the tubers in the ground will be small "baby" potatoes, which you can harvest. For bigger tubers, wait another four to six weeks.

Warnings signs

If the leaves of your plants look mouldy, they could have a bacterial or fungal infection. If you think a plant is infected, dispose of it either by putting it securely in a bin bag or by burying it.

C. Harvesting

1. See our video on Harvesting potatoes.

2. When harvesting and handling your potatoes, wear gloves or wash your hands afterwards.

3. Harvest when the weather is dry. Loosen the soil gently, then reach under the plant to remove the biggest tubers. You can leave the smaller ones to continue growing.

4. If you want to store your potatoes, let them dry on the soil surface in the sun for an hour.

5. Store your potatoes on a shelf in a cool, dark, well-ventilated, dry place. Properly dried and stored potatoes keep well for up to six months.

How to Grow Potatoes

2008-12-09T23:13:00.000-08:00

When one thinks of potatoes often what comes to mind is baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, along with a whole feast of foods. Growing potatoes is one crop that takes a good amount of time and effort so that you are able to grow them successfully. Even though most avoided potato crop will certain bear some type of vegetable, it's best to care for your potato crop carefully so that you'll be able to enjoy the full benefits of having nice, large and round potato plants. If you want to learn how to grow potatoes and haven't done so before, the first thing you should do is to think about the purpose for which you want the potatoes grown. For example, if you just want them for potato soups or certain types of stew meals then you may only need to grow the smaller potatoes. However, if you want rich potato plants then you may need to systematically plan your way to a successful potato garden. Deciding on your purpose, though, is very crucial to deciding on which potato garden to have and how to go about planting and growing them.

Some common types of potato plants are Yukon Gold, Kennebec, Russet, Superior, and Norland. All of these potato plants have identifying characteristics. For example Yukon Gold potato plants will mature between the early and mid season time periods. However, potato plants like the Kennebec won't start really maturing until late in the season. All of this is important so that you know when to expect your potato plants and when you should start watering on a daily basis. Another thing that you may want to keep in mind is how you will get your first seed potatoes. Most people choose to go to local greenhouses to pick out small seed potatoes. This is the best choice; however, some others decide that small potatoes from the local grocery store are good enough. Even though planting successful potato crops have been done from potatoes purchased from the grocery, it is often recommended to use the ones from greenhouses.

There are several ways that you can grow your potato crops. A couple examples of growing methods include the row potato plants and the mound potato plants. The row potato plants can be used if you want to continue growing potato plants successfully year after year; however, the mount potato plants can be used if you simply need a batch of potatoes immediately, but don't have very much space to grow them in.

If you choose to grow your potatoes in the row method, you'll want to dig a trench so that you're potatoes can grow and then space the seed potatoes approximately fifteen inches apart. When you actually start planting is very important, too. Even though potato crops are known for being able to be grown early in the season, most people don't plant until late April or early May. The ground will be warm enough by this time so you'll be able to grow them. Planting them in rows will assure that you have healthy, big potatoes to work with. However, if you are planting potatoes in mounds then you'll only need a small place to work with and each mound can comfortably grow five to eight potato crops well. The mound potato plants should be planted in a circle so that each potato will have sufficient room, as with the row method.

Whatever method you choose to grow your potatoes, though, you want to be sure that they have enough sunlight and water each day while they are growing. For water, it is also best to water potatoes very early in the morning so that they have time to soak it up and dry during the day. If you follow these steps when growing your own potato crops you should be able to have happy and healthy potatoes for any different reason that you'd like them!

How to eat a rambutan?

2008-12-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

How to eat a rambutan?

There are a couple theories on this but I take the quickest route which doesn’t require a knife. Takign the rambutan in front of me in both hands I grip it like I’m wringing washed wet socks dry and twist the skin of the fruit in opposite directions with each hand. Invariably the skin tears and an incredible bulbous clear fleshy rambutan is waiting for me to suck it out with suction or bite and pull it from the other half of the skin.

When chewing a rambutan you’ll eventually come up with a good system to let you avoid biting directly into the seed in the middle that is about the same size, shape and color as a big almond nut. I usually put the whole rambutan in the side of my mouth and chew almost halfway through it longways and maneuver it around using my tongue until I’ve pulled off 95% of the flesh. Then I either spit out the seed or pull the seed out with my fingers and polish off the remaining fruit.

There is an exo-seed type peel that is loose and surrounds the hard seed - it’s fine to eat, but may take some getting used to. I didn’t like it at all for the first few months I ate the fruit, but gradually it made no difference to me to eat it along with the rest of the flesh.

Be careful if you eat a lot of rambutan at one time not to handle the fleshy part with your fingers before you eat it as pesticides are usually used on the outside of the fruit to keep it safe from pests eating it. It’s delicious to them too.

Rambutans here in Thailand are at the usual rate of 15-25 baht per kilogram (2.2lbs). 25 baht is roughly equivalent to 80cents USD.

Rambutan taste is something you’ll quickly become accustomed to and addicted to. I am completely addicted and when each season comes I eat kilogram after kilogram of the fruit!

There are two kinds of rambutans in Thailand: Rong Rien (grade school) like those seen here, and one with pink hairs instead of green & yellow called the “Si Chompoo” (pink).

How To Choose and Plant Banana Trees

2008-12-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

How To Choose and Plant Banana Trees

By Deborah AndersonEMAIL ARTICLE

PRINT ARTICLEBanana trees can add a tropical flare to any area. These plants are very popular and thrive best in warm, humid areas - generally zones 8-9, where the temperature is over 85 degrees and the humidity is 50% or more. However, these hardy, tropical plants can be successfully grown north of those zones with a little more work and care, especially as container plants.

When choosing a banana tree follow these few steps to ensure you get the perfect one:

First, determine your available space for growing the banana trees. Choose a type of banana tree that will fit best in your space. Should you purchase short, stocky banana trees or tall, lanky ones?

Then, decide if you want your banana tree to bear edible fruit, or should the banana tree just be ornamental. If you have decided on a banana tree with edible fruit, then you must decide what type of fruit you would like, dessert fruit or cooking bananas.

Tall ornamental banana trees include Bordelon banana, Itinerans Var Gigantea banana, Maurelli banana, Monkey Fingers banana, Japanese Fiber banana and Sekkimensis banana.

Short ornamental bananas include Blood banana and Chinese Yellow banana.

Cavendish Dwarf banana is a short banana tree that produes edible bananas.

Tall, edible banana trees are Double banana, Goldfinger banana, Ice Cream banana, Iholene Red banana, Apple banana, Mysore banana, Orinoco banana, Rajapuri banana, Rose banana, Saba banana, Thousand Fingers banana, Valery banana and Williams Hybrid banana.

Cooking bananas include African Rhino Horn banana, Ele Ele banana and Hua Moa banana.

If possible, plan a trip to a well-established nursery, preferably one that specializes in fruit trees, to purchase the perfect banana tree.

Choose a banana tree that is between 12 and 14 inches high and free from any diseases or insects.

After choosing the banana tree that is perfect for you, and the threat of frost has passed, it is time to plant it following these simple steps:

Decide on the perfect location, if you haven't already. This place should have good drainage, should be protected from the wind and cold weather and should have no more than 30% shade.

Dig a planting hole for the carefully chosen banana tree measuring three feet wide by four feet deep.

Measure the height of the pot currently holding the banana tree.

Using the measurement above, replace the soil in the planting hole with organic matter such as peat moss, potting soil, compost, manure, kitchen scraps and/or pine bark mulch mixed 50/50 with the soil that has been previously removed.

Carefully remove the banana tree from its pot and loosen the root ball.

Gently place the banana tree with its loosened root ball into the prepared planting hole.

The soil should be replaced at the same level over the banana tree as it was in the pot, or maybe a little higher than that.

Fill the remaining space around the banana tree in the planting hole with the remaining organic matter and soil mixture.

Next, gently pack down the organic matter and soil mixture around the banana tree.

Water the newly planted banana tree to settle the roots and eliminate any air pockets that may have formed in the disturbed soil.

After watering, fertilize the banana tree with half a cup of slow-release, balanced fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 with micronutrients.

If you follow these steps for choosing and planting the perfect banana tree, you should have a beautiful addition to your landscape in no time.

Required Tools:

Shovel
tape measure
tamping tool

Quick Tips:

Keep a 10" to 12" layer of mulch on banana tree.
Clusters of 3 to 5 banana trees look better than just one.

How to grow banana tree ??

2008-12-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

Do you want to know to grow banana tree?

Start by learning more about the available species and variants. A key factor to success when it comes to banana growing is to choose the right species. Do you plant to grow your banana tree indoors? Choose a banana tree that will not get to big for your home. Do you want to grow your banana tree outdoors? Choose a banana tree capable of handling the climate in your garden, e.g. severe colds. Is the aim of your banana efforts to produce edible bananas? Make sure that you get a banana variant that produces delicious banana fruits of a suitable size.

Some banana variants still produce viable seeds, but most gardeners prefer to start with a so called “pup”, the sprouting root chunk of a banana tree. (Truth be told, bananas are not really trees, they are herbaceous plants and the stem is only a pseudostem.) To plant the “pup”, dig a whole into the ground in a sunny spot of your garden. Many banana varieties stop growing if the soil temperature falls under 68 degrees F so a sunny spot is really important. Stick the pup in the whole and refill. Sandy loamy soil is recommended for most banana varieties, but it is always a good idea to research your particular variety.

How to grow banana tree is not only about finding the right spot for your tree – spacing is also important. Banana plants need some room, at least of you want them to grow big and produce a lot of fruit, and cramming them together is therefore not recommended. For most varieties a distance of at least 6 feet between each plant is recommended, unless you are okay with them staying somewhat smaller and yielding fewer/smaller bananas. If one of your banana plants fails to thrive, it can be because surrounding, stronger plants are depriving it of water and nutrients. One way of combating this problem is to dig a trench between the strong plants and the weak plant. The aim of the trench is to form a barrier between the roots of the different plants. Once you have cut all the roots, you can refill the trench with the old soil.

How to grow banana tree and prevent disease

It might be tempting to accept banana plants from fellow gardeners, but such plants can carry unwanted micro organisms such as fungi. It is therefore safer to purchase sterile banana pups from commercial nurseries. Even if your bananas are strong enough to resist the fungi, it might harm other plants in your garden that are not equally resilient. If you still want to use non-sterile pups, dip the roots (and any soil) in a weak Chlorox solution before you plant them. Also remove as much soil as possible, since the soil can be filled with fungi.

Planning the Site for Growing Bananas

2008-12-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

Planning the Site for Growing Bananas

When looking for a site to plant bananas, it is important to find good well-drained soil. The soil should be mixed with 20% perlite for optimal growth. If you are serious in growing bananas and would like to make a plantation, it takes more than just that. After a plantation has been around for seven to ten years, the plants should be dug up. You should then leave the soil as it is for two years before planting legumes. When the legumes have matured and you had harvested them successfully, you can start planting bananas again.

Preparing the Site for Growing Bananas

Ensure that the soil in the site is rich, loamy, and slightly acidic. Build an irrigation system of ditches for the plants. Mark spots where you will plant your bananas with sticks on the ground. The plants should be amply spaced. The hole dug to plant the banana rhizomes should be a foot in diameter with a depth of ten to twelve inches. It is important to fertilize your plants every time you water them. Constant warmth in temperature is needed to be able to grow bananas successfully.

Required Materials for Growing Bananas

The basic materials needed for growing bananas include the banana rhizomes themselves, organic fertilizers, perlite, and standard gardening and pruning tools.

Watering Requirements of Bananas

After the first watering, do not water until the depth of irrigation has been reduced by half an inch.

Nutrients Required By Bananas

Banana plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and various other micronutrients to ensure that they are healthy.

Seasons Apt For Growing Bananas

Warm seasons with high humidity are perfect for growing banana plants.

Expectations/Results

If all the requirements for growing banana plants are met, they grow quite rapidly. You would know that a bunch of bananas is ready for harvesting when they are plump and exhibit no ribs. The banana plant dies after harvesting its fruits.

Growing Rambutan in Non-Tropical Regions

2008-12-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

Growing Rambutan in Non-Tropical Regions

Introduction

Rambutan trees fruit twice a year, yielding crops beginning late June and August and in December and January. Growing seasons vary, however, in each of the tropical countries where it flourishes. Truly tropical, Rambutan trees love warm humid climates. The also make great potted plants for indoors for those who live in non-tropical areas.

Demands from Asian immigrant fans have increased the import of this rather rare fruit into Europe, the Middle East and North America. Traditional suppliers include Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia but today Honduras and Australia are entering the raging Rambutan market. An anticipated worldwide demand is the result of improved handling of postharvest fruits, increased production and faster long-distance transporting of this delicate fruit. Thailand exports the most canned Rambutan while Malaysia is the largest exporter of fresh Rambutan.

One of the most exotic looking fruits and closely related to the lychee, very tropical Rambutan, pronounced ram-BYU-tn, varies in type and quality. This striking fruit may be greenish yellow, orange or crimson. Oval or globe-shaped, they are usually one to two inches long with a section of the stem attached. Easy to remove, the soft flexible hairy bristles are about one-half inch long. Long hairs on its leathery exterior make it seem bigger than the litchi but the inner part of the fruit is actually smaller. Prized for its exceptional juicy-sweet texture, Rambutan flavor is really quite subtle. Having a slight resemblance to a sweet chestnut, this unusual fruit gets its name, no surprise, from the Malaysian word for hair, "rambut". Seriously aromatic, the flavor is more acidic than the litchi. The large seed has an almond-like taste.

A source of vitamin C and calcium, Rambutan provides niacin, iron, protein and fiber. An average fruit contains 59 calories. Eating five daily servings of fruits and vegetables lowers the chances of cancer. A recent study found eating nine or ten daily servings of fruits and vegetables, combined with three servings of low-fat dairy products, were effective in lowering blood pressure.

Rambutan is excellent added to a mouthwatering tropical fruit salad. Combine with papaya, mango, pineapple, kumquats, and banana, to name a few. Blend with a brandy-orange juice-lemon juice dressing; chill. Spoon the luscious fruit salad into festive coconut shells or scooped-out pineapples for an impressive decorative eye-catching dessert. Top with whipped cream and a stemmed-cherry. Perfect for canning, rambutan retains its natural good looks and sturdy character. To prepare, cut or tear base of fruit; press out the translucent pulpy flesh. To store, fragile rambutan keeps only a day or two at room temperature. For longer storage, wrap in a perforated plastic bag; refrigerate.

Rambutan is also known as litchi chevelu in France and is called "gente" in Malaysia. Thailand fondly calls this fruit "ngob" (paa) and the Chinese refer to it as "bong mao dan".

Native to the western lowlands of Malaysia, rambutan is now cultivated in Zanzibar where early Arab traders introduced it, in Sri Lanka and in many areas of Southeast Asia. Rambutan is most commonly grown in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. The fruit is grown for export in Australia, Sri Lanka, Central America and Vietnam. Other tropical countries grow it for their own domestic consumption. In 1993, only thirty farmers on a combined sixty acres grew the rambutan fruit in Hawaii. Cultivation of rambutan is considered too fragile for the United States. Two types of rambutan include the standard variety and a specially developed green-haired rongrian ancestry that produces a thinner skin and an even more delicate flavor.

Potting

There are many different types of pots available and each has its benefits and drawbacks. There is plastic with can heat up or freeze quickly, Metal, same as plastic, Clay and wood dry quicker, ceramic that can be heavy and many others that you can buy at local garden centers. For the most part all can be used quite successfully with tropical plants. Choose one based on your own preferences.

These pots should have holes in the bottom for adequate drainage. When you buy your pot, and before you put in soil, cover these holes with a mesh of some sort to help retain the soil, it is also good to put down an inch or two of gravel to insure good drainage. With tropical plants drainage is essential to healthy plants.

Potting soil from the local garden center will suffice if mixed with 1 part sand; however a much better solution would be 1 part Perlite or Vermiculite, 1 part course sand, and 1 part Peat. This gives good drainage as well as sufficient nutrients. Make sure your soil is not packed down heavy to allow good drainage but not excessive drainage.

Remove your plant from its original container; look carefully at the root system. It they are heavily packed in and there is more root then dirt, we want to prune these roots before we plant. Take some of these roots and loosen them up and then carefully clip the ends to stimulate the plant to root more in its new container. If pruning is not needed, then just loosen the root ball before planting.

Place the plant in the new container making sure you have filled it half way with the new planting material. You want to make sure that when you fill the rest of the container with soil, the soil line is the same as the original plant when you pulled it out. The soil like should be about 1-4 inches below the rim of the pot when you are all finished.

Important key: Make sure your fully grown plant will be proportional to your pot. Don’t put an 8 foot tall tree in a 10 inch pot. Allow the roots to be able to grow, the larger the pot the more fruit it will bear.

Light

Rambutan usually require lots of sunlight, anywhere you can place them to receive full sunlight is beneficial to them.

When you receive them they are most likely used to full sunlight, when you are going to bring them indoors, or for winter times, when bringing them indoors, you must acclimate them to your indoor area. Make sure to put them near a good light source and if possible add additional light

Water

Rambutan are used to lots of water, however they are also used to well drained soil, so their water requirements are different for potted plants. These dependencies are based on size of the pot, size of the plant, type of plant, temperature where you keep the plant, the humidity and the type of soil you have. You are usually safe to water, when the upper surface of the soil is dry before you water your plant. Slowly fill the container watching for runoff at the bottom holes. Remember that wood or clay pots dry faster, making watering more frequent and cooler weather slows down the growth of the plant, thus reducing the need to water as much.

Temperature

This is probably the key ingredient to successful tropical plant keeping. NO FREEZING WEATHER. Rambutan cannot take cold temperatures below 50 F., so you will need to find a way to bring these indoors. Cold temperatures will lead to root damage, and leave damage. If you bring them indoors make sure you keep them away from drafts from doors or windows to freeze, and out of the heating vent areas so not to dry out too fast.

Fertilizer

Too much fertilizer is very bad for Rambutan. A good Mango fertilizer will do fine. Read the directions completely. After spending good money on a beautiful tropical plant, you would hate to kill it by over fertilizing it. Usually with a tropical plant the mature foliage will show deep green indicating that you are fertilizing on the correct scale. Make sure your fertilizer has a complete balanced diet of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Lesser amounts of Magnesium, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, again Read the label.

Pruning

With most container Rambutan plants little or no pruning is needed. However if the plant becomes “leggy” due to poor light conditions then cut it back greatly to force it to bush out. If the top becomes too large for the root structure, again a large pruning spree is needed. Also when you start to get leaf shed and twigs die back this is an indication that the root structure is not large enough for the top foliage and pruning is needed.

Fruitfulness

Will I get fruit? This is the question we all ask. Is it worth the time and effort? Ask anyone that has a fruit tree planted in a pot, as they pick tropical fruit on a blizzard day of 10 below zero, and they will always tell you “Yes!” For the most part container tropic plants are dependant on the light source and size of the pot to how much fruit they will have. Most fruit trees will fruit in pots as long as we keep all of the requirements alive in our head. The larger the tree the larger the pot that is needed. Fruit will bear proportional to the size of the pot and plant. Please keep in mind that some fruit will need a presence of another cultivator to be able to fruit. Again check the specifics of your plant before you decide to buy it.

Copyright Dr. Peter T. Dixon D.B.S.

Rambutan! Thailand’s BEST Fruit!

2008-12-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

Rambutan! Thailand’s BEST Fruit!

One of my favorite times of the year is happening right now in Thailand.

It’s time for the RAMBUTANS to become RIPE! I’m a rambutan lush, I have to admit. I eat more of these things than a man has a right to!

What in the world are rambutans? You might be asking yourself…

Rambutans are probably the most exotic fruit you’ve ever seen in your life. Maybe you’ve never seen them. They are grown the best in the south of Thailand. In fact, the best place I’ve ever had them from is from an area called, Ban Na San… a very small village along a river south of Surat Thani town about 30 km. Every year they have a huge week-long RAMBUTAN FESTIVAL there to celebrate since most of the residents make their living growing rambutans on their farms.

Rambutans when they’re best, are just bigger than golf balls and a lot more oblong (oval) than a round golf ball. They are bursting with flavor though there is nothing I could compare the taste of a rambutan to unless you are familiar with another exotic fruit called the “longan” or “lumyai”. The texture too is something quite unlike fruits I’ve had in America. Amost like a hard, fleshy grape. There is not a lot of juice in rambutans - loose juice that is, because the juice is locked up in the almost clear fruity flesh.

A rambutan is best had in mid-season - somewhere around June-August as they seem to be most sweet, and large by then. The color ranges from a yellowish to an intense pink or red color. The color doesn’t matter much with regards to taste, as long ast the fruit is bigger than a golf ball you can almost be assured it is more sweet than sour. When it’s ripe the flesh separates easily from the seed. When not quite ripe the flesh sticks to the rambutan seed and the taste is a little sour overall, still not a bad taste though!

There are over 100 (I stopped counting at 100) green grass-like hairs a half inch to 3/4 inches long with slightly curled ends protruding from every rambutan. This is normal, do not be afraid.
Upon first inspection you might think it inedible, or, that it resembles poisonous caterpillars that even when touched bring great burning pain through your skin. Nothing could be further from the truth, though you may find some black ants in your batch you purchase. There is one crawling on my rambutan I brought out of the bag!

Tropical Evergreen Thai Mangosteen

2008-12-03T00:29:00.000-08:00

Tropical Evergreen Thai Mangosteen

This discourse is all about Thai mangosteen fruit and if you want to be acquainted with more about this topic, go on and read this analysis. If you are a practical kind of individual who has been enjoying Thai mangosteen fruit, it is certain that you would enjoy reading this piece of writing which tries to provide you useful tips on this exotic fruit.

Thai Mangosteen: The Solution to Wellbeing?

The mangosteen itself was first revealed in Burma and Siam, which is known as Thailand today. The Thai mangosteen is a tropical evergreen tree and can grow fairly tall. In Asia, where it has been known for centuries, it has over and over again been dubbed the "Queen of Fruits" owing to its healing properties.

The Life Phase of a Thai Mangosteen

For a Thai mangosteen tree to grow, it should have very humid, warm climate. As a consequence, you will only find the Thai mangosteen tree growing in close proximity to the equator. Even if some of the growing environments are the same in California and Florida, growing a Thai mangosteen tree in these places has not been successful apparently because of the minor differences in climate. There truly hasn't been much achievement in growing the Thai mangosteen trees in greenhouses either.

The fruit of the Thai mangosteen tree itself looks like a tiny, round eggplant with a curvilinear, attractive looking cap at the summit of the fruit itself. Different from many other kinds of fruit, it is by and large the outer shell or rind of the fruit that is utilized. The inner white sectioned fruit is rather edible, but nearly all of the healing properties related to the fruit are converged in the rind.

Although the Thai mangosteen fruit itself looks like it has a somewhat hard shell, it can be rather simple to open. Care must be taken when opening them, nevertheless, because the rind generates a very purple juice that blemishes fabric and even skin badly and can be impossible to get rid of. Frequently, hotels in Southeast Asia forbid their occupants from having the fruit to consume in their rooms for fear of damage to the room.

Since the Thai mangosteen is so hard to cultivate outside of Southeast Asia, mangosteen juice is more often than not rather pricey and can habitually be difficult to stumble on. The Internet is almost certainly the best location to look for Thai mangosteen juice. You will find numerous independent distributors advertising the juice, which they deliver directly to your house.

Thai mangosteen juice has already been demonstrated to be very beneficial to a person's health. Whether it is the super fruit that a lot of believers are claiming this might still need to be proven. Preliminary tests have exposed it can help with particular conditions, but as far as long term conditions is concerned, they still need to be studied further. It undoubtedly can't hurt to try it, and might even have long term health benefits.

That ends the conversation on Thai mangosteen fruit, and now it is for you to make your mind up if we have been successful in our attempt to give you some valuable content on this wonder fruit.

Where Does Mangosteen Grow?

2008-12-03T00:25:00.000-08:00

LocationThe mangosteen tree is found predominantly in Southeast Asia in countries like China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Philippines. There has been attempts to grow them in the US but it has not been successful. In Hawaii, the tree has not acclimatized and is rare in those islands. Neither has it been successful in California. The soil and climate in Florida is very unfavorable. Some plants have been grown for a time in containers in greenhouses. One tree, protected and grown in special soil lived to produce a single fruit before succumbing to winter cold.

ClimateThe mangosteen is ultra-tropical and cannot tolerate temperatures below 40º F (4.44º C), nor above 100º F (37.78º C). Seedlings are killed at 45º F (7.22º C).

It is limited in Malaya to elevations below 1,500 ft (450 m); In Madras it grows from 250 to 5,000 ft (76-1,500 m) above sea-level; and attempts to establish it north of 200 latitude have failed.

Mangosteen ordinarily requires high atmospheric humidity and an annual rainfall of 50 inches (127 cm) and no long periods of drought. In Dominica, mangosteens growing in an area having 80 inches (200 cm) of rain yearly required special care, but another locality with 105 inches (255 cm) and better moisture- holding soil capacity, flourished.

SoilMangosteen is not adapted to limestone and requires deep, rich organic soil, especially sandy loam or laterite. In India, the most productive specimens are on clay containing coarse material and a little silt. Sandy alluvial soils are not suitable for the mangosteen tree and sand low in humus contributes to the tree's low yields. Mangosteen needs good drainage and the water table ought to be about 6 ft (1.8 m) below ground level. The mangosteen must be sheltered from strong winds and salt spray.

PropagationTechnically, the so-called "seeds" are not true seeds but adventitious embryos, or hypocotyl tubercles, inasmuch as there has been no sexual fertilization. Some of the seeds are polyembryonic, producing more than one shoot. The individual nucellar embryos can be separated, if desired, before planting.

Inasmuch as the percentage of germination is directly related to the weight of the seed, only plump, fully developed seeds should be chosen for planting. Even these will lose viability in 5 days after removal from the fruit, though they are viable for 3 to 5 weeks in the fruit. Soaking in water for 24 hours expedites and enhances the rate of germination. Generally, sprouting occurs in 20 to 22 days and is complete in 43 days.

The young plants take 2 years or more to reach a height of 12 in (30 cm). Fruiting may take place in 7 to 9 years from planting but usually not for 10 or even 20 years.

Conventional vegetative propagation of the mangosteen is difficult.

Rose Apples - Chompoo

2008-12-03T00:18:00.000-08:00

Rose Apples - Chompoo

Red and green rose apples on sale in the market.

The rose apple is yet another fruit with a surprise up its sleeve. Based on its outward appearance, it could easily be mistaken for a small pear, although the skin is usually quite waxy compared to pears. But when you cut the rose apple open, you won't find a core filled with seeds. The core of a rose apple is more or less hollow, with a bit of cottony fluff that should be scraped out and discarded.

Rose apples are eaten skin and all. The texture is somewhere between a watermelon and an apple, as is the taste. Rose apples can have a slightly bitter after-taste, but this is rarely unpleasant. There are several varieties of rose apples, with the most common in Thailand having a light green green skin. This variety is available almost year round, while seasonal varieties vary in color from apple red to almost black. The red variety is native to Malaysia, where its common English name is "Malay apple." In Southern Thailand, you will also see a small cherry red variety that looks a bit like a child's top.

The rose apple is Bell - shaped, and has a glossy skin that is either green or pink, or red and is eaten along with the crisp, very juicy, slightly acid fresh. Its decorative appearance guarantees it a prominent place on any fruit platter during the peak season between June and September.

Rose Apple Fruit Facts

2008-12-03T00:07:00.000-08:00

ROSE APPLE

Syzygium jambos Alston

MyrtaceaeCommon Names: Rose apple, Plum rose, Malabar plum.

Related Species: Water Apple (Syzygium aqueum), Blue Lilly Pilly (S. coolminianum), Water berry (S. cordatum), Jambolan, Java Plum (S. cumini), Water Pear (S. guineense), Malay Apple (S. malaccense), Java Apple (S. samarangense).

Distant affinity: Eugenias (Eugenia spp.), Guavas (Psidium spp.), Jaboticaba (Myrciaria spp.).

Origin: The rose apple is native to the East Indies and Malaya and is cultivated and naturalized in many parts of India, southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. It was introduced into Jamaica in 1762 and became well distributed in the West Indies, and at low elevations, from southern Mexico to Peru. The tree was planted in Florida before 1877, and later in California.

Adaptation: Rose apples flourish in tropical or near-tropical climates, but the tree is proving to be hardy enough (to about 25° F) to be grown as an ornamental as far north in California as San Francisco. A beautiful specimen is thriving in the rather cold, windy rare fruit section of Quail Gardens in Encinitas. The rose apple is too large to make a suitable container plant

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habit: The rose apple is a highly decorative evergreen large shrub or small tree growing to about 20 feet with low spreading branches and pale-brown bark. It is wide spreading and often will be wider than its height.

Foliage: The lanceolate leaves are 4 to 9 inches in length by 2 inches wide, shiny and pink when they first emerge, fading to pale green. When mature they are slightly leathery and dark green. They are narrow and elliptic in shape and gradually taper to a point. The foliage is produced in a dense, luxuriant mass that hides all branches from view.

Flowers: Rose apple flowers are large and showy, white to pale cream and sweetly scented. They are 2 - 4 inches wide and consist mostly of about 300 conspicuous stamens to 1-1/3 inches long. There are usually 4 or 5 flowers together in terminal clusters. The flowers are a rich source of nectar for honeybees.

Fruit: The fruits are 1 - 2 inches wide, almost round or a little longer than wide. When ripe they may be greenish or dull-yellow flushed with pink. The skin is smooth and thin, and the firm flesh yellowish, sweet and rose scente. The texture is crisp, almost crunchy when the fruit is ripe and freshly picked. They contains one to four medium hard, round seeds, which rattle around inside the fruit. The seed as well as the roots are regarded as poisonous. Seedless, thick-fleshed fruits have been experimentally produced by treating opened flowers with growth regulators such as naphthoxy acetic acid.

CULTURE

Location: The rose apple needs a warm, sunny location that is not subject to significant frosts. It should also be kept in mind that the tree will occupy considerable space. The tree is moderately resistant to winds and tolerates cool, coastal conditions.

Soils: A deep, loamy, well-drained soil is best for the rose apple, but it also flourishes on sand and limestone with very little organic matter. In India it grows along streams. It is a favorite dooryard tree in the Peruvian part of the Amazon, where the trees are planted high enough to avoid the frequent floods.

Irrigation: The tree will tolerate semi-arid conditions, but prolonged dry spell are detrimental. It should have frequent irrigation when the weather is warm, and kept on the dry side when it's cold.

Fertilization: The rose apple's needs are unknown. If planted in a deep loamy soil it will thrive with very little other requirements. In less fertile soils a light semi-annual feeding of a balanced fertilizer, such as 6-6-6 NPK may be in order.

Pruning: Pruning of rose apples is not usually necessary. In some countries it is pruned drastically to promote dense growth and used as hedgerows around coffee plantations.

Frost Protection: The rose apple will take several degrees of frost but does best when planted in a protected spot on the south side of a wall or building. Young plants can be given overhead protection and covered when significant frosts are expected.

Propagation: Most rose apple trees are grown from seed. The seeds are polyembryonic and produce one to three sprouts, but seedlings are not uniform and there is considerable variation in fruit quality. The poorer fruits are dry and tasteless. Various vegetative propagation methods have been satisfactory. Treated semi-hardwood cuttings were moderately successful, while air-layering and veneer grafting of spring-flush scions have been successful to a greater degree. Fruiting takes about four years.

Pests and diseases: The rose apple has very few serious diseases and insect problems, although in humid climates the leaves are subject to a sooty mold from aphid excretions. Root rot caused by Fusarium spp., and mushroom root rot (Armillariella tabescens) can attack the tree.

Harvest: Rose apples bruise quite easily and are highly perishable. They must be freshly picked to be crisp. The fruit is only moderately interesting eaten out-of-hand, and is more often used in jellies and jams or preserved in combination with other fruits of more pronounced flavor. It is also cooked with sugar to make a dessert. When cooked with custards or puddings, they impart a rose flavor. The flowers can also be candied.

CULTIVARS

Insufficient tests have been made with strains from the West Indies, Mexico, and Guiana to tell if there are any significant differences. There are no known varieties.

FURTHER READING

Morton, Julia F. Fruits of Warm Climates. Creative Resources Systems, Inc. 1987. pp. 383-836.
Popenoe, Wilson. Manual of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits. Hafner Press. 1974. Facsimile of the 1920 edition. pp. 305-306

Guava Fruit Facts

2008-12-02T23:54:00.000-08:00

Guava Fruit Facts

One of the most gregarious of fruit trees, the guava, Psidium guajava L., of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), is almost universally known by its common English name or its equivalent in other languages. In Spanish, the tree is guayabo, or guayavo, the fruit guayaba or guyava. The French call it goyave or goyavier; the Dutch, guyaba, goeajaaba; the Surinamese, guave or goejaba; and the Portuguese, goiaba or goaibeira. Hawaiians call it guava or kuawa. In Guam it is abas. In Malaya, it is generally known either as guava or jambu batu, but has also numerous dialectal names as it does in India, tropical Africa and the Philippines where the corruption, bayabas, is often applied. Various tribal names–pichi, posh, enandi, etc.–are employed among the Indians of Mexico and Central and South America.

Plate L: GUAVA, Psidium guajava Description
A small tree to 33 ft (10 in) high, with spreading branches, the guava is easy to recognize because of its smooth, thin, copper-colored bark that flakes off, showing the greenish layer beneath; and also because of the attractive, "bony" aspect of its trunk which may in time attain a diameter of 10 in (25 cm). Young twigs are quadrangular and downy. The leaves, aromatic when crushed, are evergreen, opposite, short-petioled, oval or oblong-elliptic, somewhat irregular in outline; 2 3/4 to 6 in (7-15 cm) long, I 'A to 2 in (3-5 cm) wide, leathery, with conspicuous parallel veins, and more or less downy on the underside. Faintly fragrant, the white flowers, borne singly or in small clusters in the leaf axils, are 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, with 4 or 5 white petals which are quickly shed, and a prominent tuft of perhaps 250 white stamens tipped with pale-yellow anthers.

The fruit, exuding a strong, sweet, musky odor when ripe, may be round, ovoid, or pear-shaped, 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) long, with 4 or 5 protruding floral remnants (sepals) at the apex; and thin, light-yellow skin, frequently blushed with pink. Next to the skin is a layer of somewhat granular flesh, 1/8 to 1/2 in (3-12.5 mm) thick, white, yellowish, light- or dark-pink, or near-red, juicy, acid, subacid, or sweet and flavorful. The central pulp, concolorous or slightly darker in tone, is juicy and normally filled with very hard, yellowish seeds, 1/8 in (3 min) long, though some rare types have soft, chewable seeds. Actual seed counts have ranged from 112 to 535 but some guavas are seedless or nearly so.

When immature and until a very short time before ripening, the fruit is green, hard, gummy within and very astringent.

Origin and Distribution

The guava has been cultivated and distributed by man, by birds, and sundry 4-footed animals for so long that its place of origin is uncertain, but it is believed to be an area extending from southern Mexico into or through Central America. It is common throughout all warm areas of tropical America and in the West Indies (since 1526), the Bahamas, Bermuda and southern Florida where it was reportedly introduced in 1847 and was common over more than half the State by 1886. Early Spanish and Portuguese colonizers were quick to carry it from the New World to the East Indies and Guam. It was soon adopted as a crop in Asia and in warm parts of Africa. Egyptians have grown it for a long time and it may have traveled from Egypt to Palestine. It is occasionally seen in Algeria and on the Mediterranean coast of France. In India, guava cultivation has been estimated at 125,327 acres (50,720 ha) yielding 27,319 tons annually.

Apparently it did not arrive in Hawaii until the early 1800's. Now it occurs throughout the Pacific islands. Generally, it is a home fruit tree or planted in small groves, except in India where it is a major commercial resource. A guava research and improvement program was launched by the government of Colombia in 1961. In 1968, it was estimated that there were about 10 million wild trees (around Santander, Boyacá, Antioquia, Palmira, Buga, Cali and Cartago) bearing, 88 lbs (40 kg) each per year and that only 10% of the fruit was being utilized in processing. Bogotà absorbs 40% of the production and preserved products are exported to markets in Venezuela and Panama.

Brazil's modern guava industry is based on seeds of an Australian selection grown in the botanical garden of the Sao Paulo Railway Company at Tatu. Plantations were developed by Japanese farmers at Itaquera and this has become the leading guava-producing area in Brazil. The guava is one of the leading fruits of Mexico where the annual crop from 36,447 acres (14,750 ha) of seedling trees totals 192,850 tons (175,500 MT). Only in recent years has there been a research program designed to evaluate and select superior types for vegetative propagation and large-scale cultivation.

In Florida, the first commercial guava planting was established around 1912 in Palma Sola. Others appeared at Punta Gorda and Opalocka. A 40-acre (16 ha) guava grove was planted by Miami Fruit Industries at Indian-town in 1946. There have been more than two dozen guava jelly manufacturers throughout the state. A Sarasota concern was processing 250 bushels of guavas per day and a Pinellas County processor was operating a 150-bushel capacity plant in 1946. There has always been a steady market for guava products in Florida and the demand has increased in recent years with the influx of Caribbean and Latin American people.

The guava succumbs to frost in California except in a few favorable locations. Even if summers are too cool–a mean of 60º F (15.56º C)–in the coastal southern part of the state, the tree will die back and it cannot stand the intense daytime heat of interior valleys.

In many parts of the world, the guava runs wild and forms extensive thickets–called "guayabales" in Spanish–and it overruns pastures, fields and roadsides so vigorously in Hawaii, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Fiji, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba and southern Florida that it is classed as a noxious weed subject to eradication. Nevertheless, wild guavas have constituted the bulk of the commercial supply. In 1972, Hawaii processed, for domestic use and export, more than 2,500 tons (2,274 MT) of guavas, over 90% from wild trees. During the period of high demand in World War II, the wild guava crop in Cuba was said to be 10,000 tons (9,000 MT), and over 6,500 tons (6,000 MT) of guava products were exported.

Cultivars

Formerly, round and pear-shaped guavas were considered separate species–P. pomiferum L. and P. pyriferum L.–but they are now recognized as mere variations. Small, sour guavas predominate in the wild and are valued for processing.

'Redland', the first named cultivar in Florida, was developed at the University of Florida Agricultural Research and Education Center, Homestead, and described in 1941. Very large, with little odor, white-fleshed and with relatively few seeds, it was at first considered promising but because of its excessively mild flavor, low ascorbic acid content, and susceptibility to algal spotting, it was abandoned in favor of better selections.

'Supreme' came next, of faint odor, thick, white flesh, relatively few, small seeds, high ascorbic acid content and ability to produce heavy crops over a period of 8 months from late fall to early spring.

'Red Indian', of strong odor, medium to large size, round but slightly flattened at the base and apex, yellow skin often with pink blush; with medium thick, red flesh of sweet flavor; numerous but small seeds; agreeable for eating fresh; fairly productive in fall and early winter.

'Ruby', with pungent odor, medium to large size; ovate; with thick, red flesh, sweet flavor, relatively few seeds. An excellent guava for eating fresh and for canning; fairly productive, mainly in fall and early winter.

'Blitch' (a seedling which originated in West Palm Beach and was planted at Homestead)–of strong odor, medium size, oval, with light-pink flesh, numerous, small seeds; tart, pleasant flavor; good for jelly.

'Patillo' (a seedling selection at DeLand propagated by a root sucker and from that by air-layer and planted at Homestead)–of very mild odor, medium size, ovate to obovate, with pink flesh, moderate number of small seeds; subacid, agreeable flavor; good for general cooking. (As grown in Hawaii it is highly acid and best used for processing).

'Miami Red' and 'Miami White', large, nearly odorless and thick-fleshed, were released by the University of Miami's Experimental Farm in 1954.

In early 1952, Dr. J.J. Ochse imported into Florida air-layers of a seedless guava from Java. All died. In September 1953, the writer received air-layers from Saharanpur, India. One survived and was turned over to the Agricultural Research and Education Center, Homestead. Four more were ordered from Coimbatore but arrived dead. Willim Whitman brought in a grafted plant from Java in 1954 which grew well, fruited and was the source of propagating material. In 1955, Whitman obtained a plant of a seedless guava from Cuba and it bore its first fruit in 1957. Seedless guavas are the result of low fertility of pollen grains and self-incompatibility. The fruits tend to be malformed and the trees are scant bearers. Applications of gibberellic acid increase fruit size, weight and ascorbic acid content but induce prominent ridges on the surface.

Among early California cultivars were:

'Webber' (formerly 'Riverside'), of medium-large size, pale-yellowish flesh, good flavor and 9.5% sugar.

'Rolfs', of medium size with pink flesh; of good quality and containing 9% sugar.

'Hart', fairly large, with pale-yellow flesh, and 8% sugar content.

Currently, some rare fruit fanciers grow the Florida-developed 'Red Indian' and 'White Indian'; also 'Detwiler' and 'Turnbull'.

In 1975, a guava trial project was undertaken at the Maroochy Horticultural Research Station in southeastern Queensland, beginning with 5 strains from Hawaii. By 1981, 4 selections (GA9-39R1T2', 'GA11-56T7', GA11-56R5T2' and 'GA11-564T1') seemed to hold promise for processing and 2 selections ('GA11-56T3' and 'GA11-56R1T1') for marketing fresh. They were all vegetatively propagated and tested as to performance. The green-skinned, acid, 'GA11-56' and another Hawaiian selection, '1050', yellow-skinned and mild in flavor and odor, are being grown commercially for processing in New South Wales.

In India much attention is given the characteristics of local and introduced guava cultivars and their suitability for various purposes. Among common white-fleshed cultivars are:

'Apple Colour'–of medium size, slightly oblate; deep-pink skin, creamy-white flesh, moderate amount of seeds, very sweet flavor (0.34-2.12% acid, 9 to 11.36% sugar); heavy bearer; good keeping quality; good for canning.

'Behat Coconut'–large, with thick white flesh, few seeds; poor for canning.

'Chittidar'–medium to large, round-ovate, white-fleshed, mild acid-sweet flavor; bears moderately well; keeps well; good for canning.

'Habshi'–of medium size with thick, white flesh, few seeds; halves good for canning.

'Lucknow 42'–of medium size, roundish, with creamy-white, soft flesh; sweet, pleasant flavor; very few seeds; good quality; bears heavily; keeps fairly well; not suitable for canning.

'Lucknow 49'–medium-large with cream-white, thick flesh, few seeds; acid-sweet; good quality; heavy bearer; high in pectin and good for jelly; halves good for canning.

'Safeda'–of medium size, with very thin skin, thick, white flesh, few seeds. Outstanding quality for canning. A famous guava, widely planted, but susceptible to wilt and branches are brittle and break readily.

'Smooth Green'–of medium size, with thick white flesh, few, small, hard seeds. Halves are firm, good for canning.

'Allahabad'–large, white-fleshed, with few, medium-sized, fairly hard seeds.

'Karela'–medium-large, pear-shaped, furrowed, rough-skinned, with soft, granular, white flesh; sweet, rich, pleasant flavor. Poor bearer. Not popular.

'Nagpur Seedless'–small to medium, often irregular in shape; white-fleshed.

'Seedless' (from Allahabad)–medium to large, pear-shaped to ovoid; with thick white flesh, firm to soft, sweet. Light bearer; poor keeper.

A seedless type at Poona, India, was found to be a triploid with 33 chromosomes in place of the usual 22.

Other white-fleshed guavas with poor canning qualities are: 'Dharwar', 'Mirzapuri', 'Nasik', 'Sindh', and 'White Supreme X Ruby'.

Among red-fleshed cultivars in India there are:

'Anakapalle'–small, with thin, red flesh, many seeds; not suitable for canning.

'Florida Seedling'–small, with thin, red, acid flesh; many seeds; not suitable for canning.

Hapi'–medium to large, with red flesh.

'Hybrid Red Supreme'–large, with thin, red, acid flesh; moderate amount of seeds; not suitable for canning.

'Kothrud'–of medium size with medium thick, red flesh; moderate amount of seeds; not suitable for canning.

'Red-fleshed'–of medium size with many (about 567) fairly soft seeds; high in pectin and good for jelly; not suitable for canning.

Among other Indian cultivars are: 'Banaras', 'Dholka', 'Hasijka', 'Kaffree', and 'Wickramasekara'. The latter is a small fruit and poor bearer.

Indian breeders have crossed the guava with its dwarf, small-fruited relative, P. guineense Sw., with a view to reducing tree size and enhancing hardiness and yield.

In Egypt, a cultivar named 'Bassateen El Sabahia' has long been the standard commercial guava.

Efforts have been made to improve quality and yield and to this end selections were made from 300 seedlings. The most promising selection was tested and introduced into cultivation in 1975 under the name 'Bassateen Edfina'. It is pear-shaped, of medium size, sometimes pink-blushed, with thick, white flesh, few seeds, good flavor and higher ascorbic acid content than the parent. It bears well over a long season.

In Puerto Rico, over 100 promising selections were under observation in 1963.

Numerous cultivated clones identified only by number have been evaluated for processing characters. Others have been tested and rated for resistance to Glomerella disease. Among the few named cultivars are 'Corozal Mixta', 'Corriente', and 'Seedling 57-6-79'.

In Trinidad, a large, white-fleshed type is known as 'Cayenne'.

In 1967, French horticulturists made a detailed evaluation of 11 guava cultivars grown at the Neufchateau Station in Guadeloupe:

'Elisabeth'–large, round, pink-fleshed, very acid; good for processing.

'Red' X 'Supreme' X 'Ruby'–large, ovoid, with deep-pink flesh; agreeable for eating fresh.

'Large White'–large, round, white-fleshed; low sugar content, astringent; can be useful as filler in preserves.

'Acid Speer'–large, round, with pale-yellow flesh; acid; recommended only as source of pectin.

'Red' X 'Supreme' X 'Ruby' X 'White'–large to very large, pear-shaped, with creamy-white flesh; good for eating fresh and for juice and nectar.

'Pink Indian'–of medium size, red-fleshed; agreeably acid; good for eating fresh and for processing.

'Red Hybrid'–medium, sub-ovoid, red-fleshed; medium quality.

'Supreme' X 'Ruby'–medium, sub-ovoid, white-fleshed; unremarkable except for high productivity.

'Stone'–small, ovoid, with deep-pink flesh; attractive and of agreeable flavor for eating fresh.

'Supreme'–small, ovoid, with pale-yellow, pink-tinged flesh; sweet; good for sherbet and paste; very productive.

'Patricia'–very small, ovoid, salmon-fleshed; attractive; good to eat fresh but quickly loses its distinct strawberry flavor; good for sirup; very productive.

Between 1948 and 1969, 21 guava cultivars from 7 countries were introduced into Hawaii. Some have been test planted and evaluated at the Waimanalo Experimental Farm. Four sweet, white-fleshed, thick-walled cultivars were rated as commercially desirable: 'Indonesian White', 'Indonesian Seedless', 'Lucknow 49', and 'No. 6363' (a 'Ruby' X 'Supreme' hybrid from Florida).

Lower ratings were given four others of this group: 'Apple' (too musky and seedy); 'Allahabad Safeda' (too bumpy of surface); 'Burma' (too seedy) and 'Hong Kong White' (too seedy). Of the sweet, pink-fleshed, thick-walled cultivars examined, 'Hong Kong Pink' was preferred. Second choice was 'No. 6362' (a seedling of a 'Ruby' X' Supreme' cross in Florida). 'No. 7199', a seedling of a 'Stone Acid' X 'Ruby' cross in Florida, was considered too musky. Among acid, non-musky, thick-walled guavas, 'Beaumont', a Hawaiian selection, is large and pink-fleshed. 'Pink Acid' (#7198), from a Florida cross of 'Speer' and 'Stone Acid', has dark-pink flesh and few seeds.

These cultivars are employed in breeding programs in Hawaii. In 1978, a new cultivar, 'Ka Hua Kula', selected from 1,200 seedlings of 'Beaumont', was released and recommended for commercial guava puree. The fruit is large, with thick, deep-pink flesh, and fewer seeds than 'Beaumont', and is less acid. It is also a heavier bearer.

In Colombia, the cultivars 'Puerto Rico', 'Rojo Africano', and 'Agrio', all yield over 2,200 fruits annually. Other high-yielding cultivars being evaluated are 'White', 'Red', 'D-13', 'D-14', and 'Trujillo 2'.

Collecting guava cultivars is a hobby of Mr. Arthur Stockdale, Finca Catalina, Zitacuaro, Mexico.

He is said to have some very superior selections in his grove.

Pollination

The chief pollinator of guavas is the honeybee (Apis mellifera). The amount of cross-pollination ranges from 25.7 to 41.3%.

Climate

The guava thrives in both humid and dry climates. In India, it flourishes up to an altitude of 3,280 ft (1,000 m); in Jamaica, up to 3,906 ft (1,200 m); in Costa Rica, to 4,590 ft (1,400 m); in Ecuador, to 7,540 ft (2,300 m). It can survive only a few degrees of frost. Young trees have been damaged or killed in cold spells at Allahabad, India, in California and in Florida. Older trees, killed to the ground, have sent up new shoots which fruited 2 years later. The guava requires an annual rainfall between 40 and 80 in (1,000-2,000 mm); is said to bear more heavily in areas with a distinct winter season than in the deep Tropics.

Soil

The guava seems indiscriminate as to soil, doing equally well on heavy clay, marl, light sand, gravel bars near streams, or on limestone; and tolerating a pH range from 4.5 to 9.4. It is somewhat salt-resistant. Good drainage is recommended but guavas are seen growing spontaneously on land with a high water table–too wet for most other fruit trees.

Propagation

Guava seeds remain viable for many months. They often germinate in 2 to 3 weeks but may take as long as 8 weeks. Pretreatment with sulfuric acid, or boiling for 5 minutes, or soaking for 2 weeks, will hasten germination. Seedlings are transplanted when 2 to 30 in (5-75 cm) high and set out in the field when 1 or 2 years old. Inasmuch as guava trees cannot be depended upon to come true from seed, vegetative propagation is widely practiced.

In Hawaii, India and elsewhere, the tree has been grown from root cuttings. Pieces of any roots except the smallest and the very large, cut into 5 to 10 in (12.5-20 cm) lengths, are placed flat in a prepared bed and covered with 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) of soil which must be kept moist. Or one can merely cut through roots in the ground 2 to 3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) away from the tree trunk; the cut ends will sprout and can be dug up and transplanted.

By another method, air-layers of selected clones are allowed to grow 3 to 5 years and are then sawn off close to the ground. Then a ring of bark is removed from each new shoot; root-inducing chemical is applied. Ten days later, the shoots are banked with soil to a height 4 to 5 in (10-12.5 cm) above the ring. After 2 months, the shoots are separated and planted out.

Pruned branches may serve as propagating material. Cuttings of half-ripened wood, 1/4 to 1/2 in (6-12.5 mm) thick will root with bottom heat or rooting-hormone treatment. Using both, 87% success has been achieved. Treated softwood cuttings will also root well in intermittent mist. In Trinidad, softwood, treated cuttings have been rooted in 18 days in coconut fiber dust or sand in shaded bins sprayed 2 or 3 times daily to keep humidity above 90%. Over 100,000 plants were produced by this method over a 2-year period. Under tropical conditions (high heat and high humidity), mature wood 3/4 to 1 in (2-2.5 cm) thick and 1 1/2 to 2 ft (45-60 cm) long, stuck into 1-ft (30-cm) high black plastic bags filled with soil, readily roots without chemical treatment.

In India, air-layering and inarching have been practiced for many years. However, trees grown from cuttings or air-layers have no taproot and are apt to be blown down in the first 2 or 3 years. For this reason, budding and grafting are preferred.

Approach grafting yields 85 to 95% success. Trials have been made of the shield, patch and Forkert methods of budding. The latter always gives the best results (88 to 100%). Vigorous seedlings 1/2 to 1 in (1.25-2.5 cm) thick are used as rootstocks. The bark should slip easily to facilitate insertion of the bud, which is then tightly bound in place with a plastic strip and the rootstock is beheaded, leaving only 6 to 8 leaves above the bud. About a month later, an incision is made halfway through 2 or 3 in (5-7.5 cm) above the bud and the plant is bent over to force the bud to grow. When the bud has put up several inches of growth, the top of the rootstock is cut off immediately above the bud. Sprouting of the bud is expedited in the rainy season.

At the Horticultural Experiment and Training Center, Basti, India, a system of patch budding has been demonstrated as commercially feasible. A swollen but unsprouted, dormant bud is taken as a 3/4 x 3/8 in (2 x l cm) patch from a leaf axil of previous season's growth and taped onto a space of the same size cut 6 to 8 in (15-20 cm) above the ground on a 1-year-old, pencil-thick seedling during the period April-June. After the bud has "taken", 1/3 is cut from the top of the seedling; 2-3 weeks later, the rest of the top is cut off leaving only 3/4 to 1 1/4 in (2-3.2 cm) of stem above the bud. This method gives 80 to 90% success. If done in July, only 70%. In Hawaii, old seedling orchards have been topworked to superior selections by patch budding on stump shoots.

Culture

Guava trees are frequently planted too close. Optimum distance between the trees should be at least 33 ft (10 m). Planting 16 1/2 ft (5 m) apart is possible if the trees are "hedged". The yield per tree will be less but the total yield per land area will be higher than at the wider spacing. Some recommend setting the trees 8 ft (2.4 m) apart in rows 24 ft (7.3 m) apart and removing every other tree as soon as there is overcrowding. Where mass production is not desired and space is limited, guava trees can be grown as cordons on a wire fence. Rows should always run north and south so that each tree receives the maximum sunlight. Exudates from the roots of guava trees tend to inhibit the growth of weeds over the root system.

Light pruning is always recommended to develop a strong framework, and suckers should also be eliminated around the base. Experimental heading-back has increased yield in some cultivars in Puerto Rico. In Palestine, the trees are cut back to 6 1/2 ft (2 m) every other spring to facilitate harvesting without ladders. Fruits are borne by new shoots from mature wood. If trees bear too heavily, the branches may break. Therefore, thinning is recommended and results in larger fruits.

Guava trees grow rapidly and fruit in 2 to 4 years from seed. They live 30 to 40 years but productivity declines after the 15th year. Orchards may be rejuvenated by drastic pruning.

The tree is drought-tolerant but in dry regions lack of irrigation during the period of fruit development will cause the fruits to be deficient in size. In areas receiving only 15 to 20 in (38-50 cm) rainfall annually, the guava will benefit from an additional 2,460 cm (2 acre feet) applied by means of 8 to 10 irrigations, one every 15-20 days in summer and one each month in winter.
Guava trees respond to a complete fertilizer mix applied once a month during the first year and every other month the second year (except from mid-November to mid-January) at the rate of 8 oz (227 g) per tree initially with a gradual increase to 24 oz (680 g) by the end of the second year. Nutritional sprays providing copper and zinc are recommended thrice annually for the first 2 years and once a year thereafter. In India, flavor and quality of guavas has been somewhat improved by spraying the foliage with an aqueous solution of potassium sulfate weekly for 7 weeks after fruit set.

Control of Wild Trees

Large trees that have overrun pastures are killed in Fiji with 2,4-D dicamba or 2,4,5-T in diesel fuel or old engine oil. Extensive wild stands of young trees are best burned. Cutting results in regrowth with multiple stems.

Cropping and Yield

The fruit matures 90 to 150 days after flowering. Generally, there are 2 crops per year in southern Puerto Rico; the heaviest, with small fruits, in late summer and early fall; another, with larger fruits, in late winter and early spring. In northern India, the main crop ripens in mid-winter and the fruits are of the best quality. A second crop is home in the rainy season but the fruits are less abundant and watery. Growers usually withhold irrigation after December or January or root-prune the trees in order to avoid a second crop. The trees will shed many leaves and any fruits set will drop. An average winter crop in northern India is about 450 fruits per tree. Trees may bear only 100-300 fruits in the rainy season but the price is higher because of relative scarcity despite the lower quality. Of course, yields vary with the cultivar and cultural treatment. Experiments have shown that spraying young guava trees with 25% urea plus a wetting agent will bring them into production early and shorten the harvest period from the usual 15 weeks to 4 weeks.

Handling and Keeping Quality

Ripe guavas bruise easily and are highly perishable. Fruits for processing may be harvested by mechanical tree-shakers and plastic nets. For fresh marketing and shipping, the fruits must be clipped when full grown but underripe, and handled with great care. After grading for size, the fruits should be wrapped individually in tissue and packed in 1 to 4 padded layers with extra padding on top before the cover is put on. They have been successully shipped from Miami to wholesalers in major northern cities in refrigerated trucks at temperatures of 45º to 55º F (7.22º-12.78º C). It is commonly said that guavas must be tree-ripened to attain prime quality, but the cost of protecting the crop from birds makes early picking necessary. It has been demonstrated that fruits picked when yellow-green and artificially ripened for 6 days in straw at room temperature developed superior color and sugar content.

Guavas kept at room temperature in India are normally overripe and mealy by the 6th day, but if wrapped in pliofilm will keep in good condition for 9 days. In cold storage, pliofilm-wrapped fruits remain unchanged for more than 12 days. Wrapping checks weight loss and preserves glossiness. Unwrapped 'Safeda' guavas, just turned yellow, have kept well for 4 weeks in cold storage at 47º to 50º F (8.33º-10º C) and relative humidity of 85-95%, and were in good condition for 3 days thereafter at room temperature of 76º to 87º F (24º-44º C).

Fruits coated with a 3% wax emulsion will keep well for 8 days at 72º to 86º F (22.2º-30º C) and 40 to 60% relative humidity, and for 21 days at 47º to 50º F (8.3º-10º C) and relative humidity of 85-90%. Storage life of mature green guavas is prolonged at 68º F (20º C), relative humidity of 85%, less than 10% carbon dioxide, and complete removal of ethylene.

Researchers at Kurukshetra University, India, have shown that treatment of harvested guavas with 100 ppm morphactin (chlorflurenol methyl ester 74050) increases the storage life of guavas by controlling fungal decay, and reducing loss of color, weight, sugars, ascorbic acid and non-volatile organic acids. Combined fungicidal and double-wax coating has increased marketability by 30 days.

Australian workers report prolonged life and reduced rotting in storage after a hot water dip, but better results were achieved by dipping in an aqueous benomyl suspension at 122º F (50º C).

Higher temperatures cause some skin injury, as does a guazatine dip which is also a less effective fungicide.

Fruits sprayed on the tree with gibberellic acid 20-35 days before normal ripening, were retarded nearly a week as compared with the untreated fruits. Also, mature guavas soaked in gibberellic acid off the tree showed a prolonged storage life.

Trials at Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar, India, showed that weekly spraying with 1.0% potassium sulfate–1.6 gals (6 liters) per tree–beginning 7 days after fruit set and ending just before harvesting at the pale-green stage, delays yellowing, retains firmness and flavor beyond normal storage life.

Food technologists in India found that bottled guava juice (strained from sliced guavas boiled 35 minutes), preserved with 700 ppm SO2, lost much ascorbic acid but little pectin when stored for 3 months without refrigeration, and it made perfectly set jelly.

Pests and Diseases

Guava trees are seriously damaged by the citrus flat mite, Brevipa1pus californicus in Egypt. In India, the tree is attacked by 80 insect species, including 3 bark-eating caterpillars (Indarbella spp.) and the guava scale, but this and other scale insects are generally kept under control by their natural enemies. The green shield scale, Pulvinaria psidii, requires chemical measures in Florida, as does the guava white fly, Trialeurodes floridensis, and a weevil, Anthonomus irroratus, which bores holes in the newly forming fruits.

The red-banded thrips feed on leaves and the fruit surface. In India, cockchafer beetles feed on the leaves at the end of the rainy season and their grubs, hatched in the soil, attack the roots.

The larvae of the guava shoot borer penetrates the tender twigs, killing the shoots. Sometimes aphids are prevalent, sucking the sap from the underside of the leaves of new shoots and excreting honeydew on which sooty mold develops.

The guava fruit worm, Argyresthia eugeniella, invisibly infiltrates hard green fruits, and the citron plant bug, Theognis gonagia, the yellow beetle, Costalimaita ferruginea, and the fruit-sucking bug, Helopeltis antonii, feed on ripe fruits. A false spider mite, Brevipalpus phoenicis, causes surface russeting beginning when the fruits are half-grown. Fruit russeting and defoliation result also from infestations of red-banded thrips, Selenothrips rubrocinctus. The coconut mealybug, Pseudococcus nipae, has been a serious problem in Puerto Rico but has been effectively combatted by the introduction of its parasitic enemy, Pseudaphycus utilis.

Soil-inhabiting white grubs require plowing-in of an approved and effective pesticide during field preparation in Puerto Rico. There are other minor pests, but the great problems wherever the guava is grown are fruit flies.

The guava is a prime host of the Mediterranean, Oriental, Mexican, and Caribbean fruit flies, and the melon fly–Ceratitis capitata, Dacus dorsalis, Anastrepha ludens, A. suspensa, and Dacus cucurbitae. Ripe fruits will be found infested with the larvae and totally unusable except as feed for cattle and swine. To avoid fruit fly damage, fruits must be picked before full maturity and this requires harvesting at least 3 times a week. In Brazil, choice, undamaged guavas are produced by covering the fruits with paper sacks when young (the size of an olive). Infested fruits should be burned or otherwise destroyed. In recent years, the Cooperative Extension Service in Dade County, Florida, has distributed wasps that attack the larvae and pupae of the Caribbean fruit fly and have somewhat reduced the menace.

In Puerto Rico, up to 50% of the guava crop (mainly from wild trees) may be ruined by the uncontrollable fungus, Glomerella cingulata, which mummifies and blackens immature fruits and rots mature fruits. Diplodia natalensis may similarly affect 40% of the crop on some trees in South India.

Fruits punctured by insects are subject to mucor rot (caused by the fungus, Mucor hiemalis) in Hawaii. On some trees, 80% of the mature green fruits may be ruined.

Algal spotting of leaves and fruits (caused by Cephaleuros virescens) occurs in some cultivars in humid southern Florida but can be controlled with copper fungicides. During the rainy season in India, and the Province of Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, the fungus, Phytophthora parasitica, is responsible for much infectious fruit rot. Botryodiplodia sp. and Dothiorella sp. cause stem-end rot in fruits damaged during harvesting. Macrophomina sp. has been linked to fruit rot in Venezuela and Gliocladium roseum has been identified on rotting fruits on the market in India.
In Bahia, Brazil, severe deficiency symptoms of guava trees was attributed to nematodes and nematicide treatment of the soil in a circle 3 ft (0.9 in) out from the base restored the trees to normal in 5 months. Zinc deficiency may be conspicuous when the guava is grown on light soils.

It is corrected by two summer sprayings 60 days apart with zinc sulphate.

Wilt, associated with the fungi Fusarium solani and Macrophomina phaseoli, brings about gradual decline and death of undernourished 1-to 5-year-old guava trees in West Bengal. A wilt disease brought about by the wound parasite, Myxosporium psidii, causes the death of many guava trees, especially in summer, throughout Taiwan. Wilt is also caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. psidii which invades the trunk and roots through tunnels bored by the larvae of Coelosterna beetles. Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) may attack the fruits in the rainy season.

Pestalotia psidii sometimes causes canker on green guavas in India and rots fruits in storage.

Severe losses are occasioned in India by birds and bats and some efforts are made to protect the crop by nets or noisemakers.

Food Uses

Raw guavas are eaten out-of-hand, but are preferred seeded and served sliced as dessert or in salads. More commonly, the fruit is cooked and cooking eliminates the strong odor. A standard dessert throughout Latin America and the Spanish-speaking islands of the West Indies is stewed guava shells (cascos de guayaba), that is, guava halves with the central seed pulp removed, strained and added to the shells while cooking to enrich the sirup. The canned product is widely sold and the shells can also be quick-frozen. They are often served with cream cheese. Sometimes guavas are canned whole or cut in half without seed removal.

Bars of thick, rich guava paste and guava cheese are staple sweets, and guava jelly is almost universally marketed. Guava juice, made by boiling sliced, unseeded guavas and straining, is much used in Hawaii in punch and ice cream sodas. A clear guava juice with all the ascorbic acid and other properties undamaged by excessive heat, is made in South Africa by trimming and mincing guavas, mixing with a natural fungal enzyme (now available under various trade names), letting stand for 18 hours at 120º to 130º F (49º-54º C) and filtering. It is made into sirup for use on waffles, ice cream, puddings and in milkshakes. Guava juice and nectar are among the numerous popular canned or bottled fruit beverages of the Caribbean area. After washing and trimming of the floral remnants, whole guavas in sirup or merely sprinkled with sugar can be put into plastic bags and quick-frozen.

There are innumerable recipes for utilizing guavas in pies, cakes, puddings, sauce, ice cream, jam, butter, marmalade, chutney, relish, catsup, and other products. In India, discoloration in canned guavas has been overcome by adding 0.06% citric acid and 0.125% ascorbic acid to the sirup. For pink sherbet, French researchers recommend 2 parts of the cultivar 'Acid Speer' and 6 parts 'Stone'. For white or pale-yellow sherbet, 2 parts 'Supreme' and 4 parts 'Large White'. In South Africa, a baby-food manufacturer markets a guava-tapioca product, and a guava extract prepared from small and overripe fruits is used as an ascorbic-acid enrichment for soft drinks and various foods.

Dehydrated guavas may be reduced to a powder which can be used to flavor ice cream, confections and fruit juices, or boiled with sugar to make jelly, or utilized as pectin to make jelly of low-pectin fruits. India finds it practical to dehydrate guavas during the seasonal glut for jelly-manufacture in the off-season. In 1947, Hawaii began sea shipment of frozen guava juice and puree in 5-gallon cans to processors on the mainland of the United States. Since 1975, Brazil has been exporting large quantities of guava paste, concentrated guava pulp, and guava shells not only to the United States but to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Japan.

Canned, frozen guava nectar is an important product in Hawaii and Puerto Rico but may be excessively gritty unless stone cells from the outer flesh and skin are reduced by use of a stone mill or removed by centrifuging.

In South Africa, guavas are mixed with cornmeal and other ingredients to make breakfast-food flakes.

Green mature guavas can be utilized as a source of pectin, yielding somewhat more and higher quality pectin than ripe fruits.

Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion*

Calories 36-50
Moisture 77-86 g
Crude Fiber 2.8-5.5 g
Protein 0.9-1.0 g
Fat 0.1-0.5 g
Ash 0.43-0.7 g
Carbohydrates 9.5-10 g
Calcium 9.1-17 mg
Phosphorus 17.8-30 mg
Iron 0.30-0.70 mg
Carotene (Vitamin A) 200-400 I.U.
Thiamine 0.046 mg
Riboflavin 0.03-0.04 mg
Niacin0. 6-1.068 mg
Vitamin B 340 I.U.
Vitamin G4 35 I.U.

*Analyses of whole ripe guavas.

Ascorbic acid–mainly in the skin, secondly in the firm flesh, and little in the central pulp–varies from 56 to 600 mg. It may range up to 350-450 mg in nearly ripe fruit. When specimens of the same lot of fruits are fully ripe and soft, it may decline to 50-100 mg. Canning or other heat processing destroys about 50% of the ascorbic acid. Guava powder containing 2,500-3,000 mg ascorbic acid was commonly added to military rations in World War II. Guava seeds contain 14% of an aromatic oil, 15% protein and 13% starch. The strong odor of the fruit is attributed to carbonyl compounds.

Other Uses

Wood: The wood is yellow to reddish, fine-grained, compact, moderately strong, weighs 650-750 kg per cubic meter; is durable indoors; used in carpentry and turnery. Though it may warp on seasoning, it is much in demand in Malaya for handles; in India, it is valued for engravings. Guatemalans use guava wood to make spinning tops, and in El Salvador it is fashioned into hair combs which are perishable when wet. It is good fuelwood. and also a source of charcoal.

Leaves and bark: The leaves and bark are rich in tannin (10% in the leaves on a dry weight basis, 11-30% in the bark). The bark is used in Central America for tanning hides. Malayans use the leaves with other plant materials to make a black dye for silk. In southeast Asia, the leaves are employed to give a black color to cotton; and in Indonesia, they serve to dye matting.

Wood flowers: In Mexico, the tree may be parasitized by the mistletoe, Psittacanthus calyculatus Don, producing the rosette-like malformations called "wood flowers" which are sold as ornamental curiosities.

Medicinal Uses: The roots, bark, leaves and immature fruits, because of their astringency, are commonly employed to halt gastroenteritis, diarrhea and dysentery, throughout the tropics.

Crushed leaves are applied on wounds, ulcers and rheumatic places, and leaves are chewed to relieve toothache. The leaf decoction is taken as a remedy for coughs, throat and chest ailments, gargled to relieve oral ulcers and inflamed gums; and also taken as an emmenagogue and vermifuge, and treatment for leucorrhea. It has been effective in halting vomiting and diarrhea in cholera patients. It is also applied on skin diseases. A decoction of the new shoots is taken as a febrifuge. The leaf infusion is prescribed in India in cerebral ailments, nephritis and cachexia. An extract is given in epilepsy and chorea and a tincture is rubbed on the spine of children in convulsions. A combined decoction of leaves and bark is given to expel the placenta after childbirth.

The leaves, in addition to tannin, possess essential oil containing the sesquiterpene hydrocarbons caryophyllene, b-bisabolene, aromadendrene, b-selinene, nerolidiol, caryophyllene oxide and sel-11-en-4x -ol, also some triterpenoids and b-sitosterol. The bark contains tannin, crystals of calcium oxalate, ellagic acid and starch. The young fruits are rich in tannin.

How to grow a pineapple in your home

2008-12-02T23:45:00.000-08:00

Pineapple is one of the world's most unique and exotic tropical fruits, yet it is possible to grow it in a temperate zone under controlled conditions. Although you may not be able to grow as large a plant as is grown on a plantation in Hawaii, the following information should permit you to grow a healthy, attractive pineapple for your home.

Planting a pineapple

Pineapple is grown from planting material supplied by the plant itself. Use the crown (the leafy top) of the fruit you purchased at your grocery store. Later, your plant will produce other planting material. (More about this later.)

Preparing a crown

Remove the crown from your pineapple by twisting or cutting it off. Any adhering flesh should be trimmed off its base, or it might rot after planting. After trimming, cut the bottom of the crown (its stem) until you see root buds, which are small round structures visible around the perimeter of the stem base. Remove as little tissue as possible to avoid cutting into young stem tissue. To make planting easier, you can also strip off some of the lower leaves, exposing up to about three-fourths of an inch of the base of the crown. The small brown-colored bumps below the leaf scars are root primordia (the beginnings of roots) and there may even be a few short roots at the base if the crown.

After trimming and stripping, place the crown upside down in a dry, shaded place for about a week (5 to 7 days) before planting. This will permit the cut end and the leaf scars to heal and prevent rot.

Planting

The easiest way to grow a pineapple is in soil. Use a good light garden soil, mixing in up to 30 per cent well-composted organic matter. A commercial potting soil will also work well and will assure a disease-free potting medium.

Start your pineapple in an 8-inch porous red clay pot. Later, when it outgrows this, transplant it to a 12-inch pot, the largest size you will need. Plastic posts can also be used, but extra care needs to be taken to be sure adequate drainage is provided and plants are not overwatered.

Be sure there is good drainage since pineapples do not like "wet feet." Provide drainage by placing a curved piece of broken pot over the hole in the bottom of the pot. Over this, add about a half an inch (1 centimeter) of coarse qravel. Then add your soil.

Tamp the soil firmly around the base of the crown at planting. Avoid getting soil into the central leaves of the crown. It is possible to start, and even grow your pineapple in water, but nutrients -- which can be purchased at a gardening store -- must be added. Ask for a hydroponic fertilizer, a soluble mix that contains all of the essential plant nutrients, and follow directions for shrubs.

Feeding

Fertilize at planting and every two or three months thereafter with a good household plant food. If using a solid plant food, scatter it on the surface of the soil and wash it in by watering.

A liquid (foliar spray) fertilizer can also be used. Pour the solution into the base of the leaves and on the surface of the soil. Take special care not to pour the solution into the center of the plant as the young leaves may be injured. Follow directions under "small shrubs" given on the label of the products you use.

Watering

The pineapple plant is miserly with water, requiring only about 20 inches of natural rainfall per year, if well distributed. You need only wet the soil once a week, and when plants are indoors, it is best to apply all the water to the soil.

Light and temperaturePineapple is a tropical plant and frost or freezing temperatures will kill it. If you live in a temperate climate, your pineapple must divide its time between your house and your porch or garden.

During summer, set your plant on a sunny porch or bury the pot in your garden. Do not take your plant out of the house until all danger of frost is past. When you first remove your plant from your house, keep it in a semi-shaded spot for several days to prevent sunburn.

During cold months, keep your plant in the house. Bring it in early in the fall. Place it near a window or sliding-glass door for maximum sunlight. At night, move it away from the window to prevent freezing. If the room is warm enough for you to be comfortable, the pineapple will be at the right temperature.

You can also grow your plant indoors, for example in a basement, by using "Plant-Gro" fluorescent light tubes This light can also be helpful if your windows do not let enough sunshine into the room where you are keepinq your plant. You should keep the light on for between 12 and 14 hours per day. When the plant gets large enough to bear a fruit (see Flowering and Fruiting below), you should reduce the daylength to 10 to 11 hours until the inflorescence appears in the center of the plant. You can then return to longer days.

Pests and diseases

As house plants, your pineapple will be subject to a minimum of pests and diseases if qiven proper care. The pests most likely to attack your plant are mealybugs, scale and mites. All can be removed by washing the leaves with soapy water, rinsing after with clear water. Or, spray with an insecticide. Be sure to follow the directions on the label when using insecticides.

The only disease you will likely encounter will be heart rot caused by fungi. In heart rot, the central leaves turn black and are easily pulled out of the plant. When heart rot occurs, the plant can sometimes be saved by pouring a fungicide into the heart (center) of the plant. If this stops the infection, a side shoot will start growing. This shoot will then become your plant and will eventually flower and form a fruit. Or you can remove it and begin a new plant (see "Other planting material").

For good insecticides and fungicides, talk to your nurseryman or visit your local garden store.
Flowering and fruitingAlthough the pineapple plant is attractive in itself, most growers want their plants to flower and fruit. In Hawaii, a crown takes about 20 months to produce a ripe fruit. It may take your plant that long, or longer.

When your plant is at least 24 inches (60 to 70 centimeters) tall and 12 to 14 months old, an inflorescence bud will begin to form in the center of the leaves. You will not be able to see the developing fruit until about two months later when a bright red cone emerges. Flower development in Hawaii typically occurs in late December or January when the days are short (about 10.5 hours) and the nights are cool (55 to 65 F; about 13 to 18 C).

Later, flowers -- light blue in color -open row by row over a period of about two weeks, starting from the bottom. When the petals of the last flower have dried, the fruit begins to develop. If your pineapple plant is at least 24 inches tall and has not flowered by the time it is 20 to 24 months old, you can "force" it with an inexpensive chemical.

Forcing your plant

To force your plant, place a small lump of calcium carbide about the size of your little fingernail in the center of your plant and pour a quarter cup of water over it. This will release acetylene gas which will force your plant to flower. To improve your chances of success, it is best to treat your plant in the evening after the sun goes down and temperatures are cooler. (Calcium carbide may be obtainable at a welding shop, garden store, pharmacy or toy store.)

You can also 'force' a plant by enclosing it completely in a polyethylene bag together with two ripe apples for one week. The ethylene gas released from the ripe apples will do the trick.

Harvesting your pineapple

When the fruit is golden half way up it can be picked and eaten. You can wait longer if you wish.

Producing a second or ratoon fruit

Either during or after the fruit on the mother plant has ripened, one or more shoots, they are called suckers by pineapple growers, will grow from the mother-plant stem. If you want your original plant to produce another fruit, leave one or at most two of the shoots on the plant to produce a second or ratoon fruit. Excess shoots can be cut off and potted (See Other planting material). Continue to feed and water your plant as you did when it was first planted. In Hawaii, it takes about one additional year to produce a first ratoon fruit. If the plant remains healthy, it may even be possible to produce a third crop, called a second ratoon.

Other planting material

After the fruit is picked, branches on the main stem of the plant -- called shoots -- and sometimes on the stem just below the fruit -- called slips --can be removed and used for planting material. After these branches are about 12 inches long, you can cut or break them off close to the stem. Many of the varieties now being grown produce few or no slips, so do not be concerned if your plant doesn't produce slips.

Prepare and grow your slips and shoots in the same manner you did your crown. In the case of slips, there may be a small knob at their base. This should be cut off. Because they are larger, slips and shoots will produce a fruit in less time than to takes for a crown. It is best to use plant size as a guide in determining the best time to force flowering. Slips and shoots grow most rapidly while attached to the mother plant, so it is best to let them grow for several months after the fruit is removed.

Prepared by the Pineapple Research Institute of Hawaii, which closed in 1972. Slightly revised on 6/5/2000. If you are interested in a personal experience, see Rombough, L.J. 1995. A passon for pineapple. Indoor & Patio Gardening, Jan. issue, pp. 56-59.

How To Grow A Pineapple : What Next?

2008-12-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

What Next?

Over the previous year, there may have been a few new plants to emerge from the lower foliage. Let these grow as large as possible before you remove them to start the process all over again using the same method as with the original mother plant. In addition, there may be one or more shoots, suckers or slips (see picture) that you may have noticed after harvesting the fruit that are growing from the mother-plant stem. Slips and shoots grow most rapidly while attached to the mother plant, so it is best to let them grow for several months after the fruit is removed. After these branches are about 12 inches long, you can cut or break them off close to the stem and grow your slips, suckers and shoots in the same manner you did your crown. In the case of slips, there may be a small knob at their base. This should be cut off. Because they are larger, slips and shoots will produce a fruit in less time than to takes for a crown.

If you want your original plant to produce another fruit, leave one or at most two of the shoots on the plant to produce a second, or ratoon, fruit. Excess shoots can be cut off and potted. Continue to feed and water your plant as you did when it was first planted. In Hawaii, it takes about one additional year to produce a first ratoon fruit. If the plant remains healthy, it may even be possible to produce a third crop, called a second ratoon. You can also grow another plant from the crown of the harvested fruit, leaving you with several, new, free plants.

How To Grow A Pineapple : Flowering and Fruiting

2008-12-02T23:37:00.000-08:00

Flowering and Fruiting

Although the pineapple plant is attractive in and of itself, most growers want their plants to flower and fruit. In Hawaii, a crown takes about twenty to twenty-six months to produce a ripe fruit. However, it may only take twenty months, and you will see some surprises along the way. When your plant is at least 24 inches tall and twelve to fourteen months old, an inflorescence bud will begin to form in the center of the leaves. You will not be able to see the developing fruit until about two months later when it will surprise you with a bright red cone emerges from its center. For an excellent photo log (Plog?) of one enthusiast's success with growing a fruit, click here.

(By the way, to the right you can see very healthy baby pineapples growing at Longwood Gardens, in Longwood, PA. There were a total of 8 plants in the room. Clearly they have a system that works!)

After twenty months come the flowers. Bright blue flowers open row by row, starting at the bottom, over about two weeks (flower development in Hawaii typically occurs in late December or January when the days are short (about 10.5 hours) and the nights are cool (55 to 65 F; about 13 to 18 C)). Each flower only lasts one day, but there are many to enjoy.

When the petals of the last flower have dried, the fruit begins to develop. After three to six months from this period, your fruit will begin to ripen. When the fruit is golden halfway up, your pineapple is ready. Surprisingly enough it will be just about the size of a can of pineapple, or a bit larger.

If your pineapple plant is at least 24 inches tall and has not flowered by the time it is twenty to twenty-four months old, you can "force" it with a few different techniques that trick the plant into putting its energy into flowering instead of making new leaves.

Forced Fruiting

It is best to force the plant to flower during the winter months when the days are cooler and shorter as this is when a pineapple is accustomed to making fruit.

The first technique is to lay the plant and pot on its side between waterings. This interferes with hormones in the plant, causing the production of another hormone, ethylene, which induces flowering.

A second method of inducing flowering is to place the plant in a bag with two ripe & bruised apples for two weeks. Move the plant to a shady location during this time, and then move it back to its sunny spot. The ripening apples produce ethylene gas that will induce flowering in the pineapple.

A third method is to place a small lump of calcium carbide about the size of your little fingernail in the center of your plant and pour a quarter cup of water over it. This will release acetylene gas that will force your plant to flower. To improve your chances of success, it is best to treat your plant in the evening after the sun goes down and temperatures are cooler. (Calcium carbide may be obtainable at a welding shop, garden store, pharmacy or toy store.)

Two to three months later, the plant should form a flower spike in its center.

Harvesting your pineapple

When your fruit is about six months old, about four months after flowering has occurred, changes begin to occur. The color of the shell changes from green to rich gold. The color change of the shell occurs first at the bottom of the fruit and moves upwards.

During this change, the fruit becomes sweeter and the color of the flesh changes from white to yellow. The fruit will weigh from two to four pounds. When the fruit is golden half way up it can be picked and eaten, though if you wait until it's fully ripe it will be worth the wait! Once the fruit develops, it should last on the plant for several months.

How To Grow A Pineapple : General Care & Feeding

2008-12-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

General Care & Feeding

Light and temperature

A pineapple is a tropical plant and frost or freezing temperatures will kill it. If you live in a temperate climate, your pineapple must divide its time between your house and your porch or garden.

Pineapples like to get at least 6 hours of bright light each day. During summer, set your plant on a sunny porch or bury the pot in your garden. Do not take your plant out of the house until all danger of frost is past. When you first remove your plant from your house, keep it in a semi-shaded spot for several days to prevent sunburn.

During cold months, keep your plant in the house. Bring it in early in the fall, by mid-September. Place it near a window or sliding-glass door for maximum sunlight. At night, move it away from the window to prevent freezing. The pineapple prefers a temperature of 65 - 75 degrees F (minimum of 60 degrees). If the room is warm enough for you to be comfortable, the pineapple will be at the right temperature.

You can also grow your plant indoors, for example in a basement, by using "Plant-Gro" fluorescent light tubes. This light can also be helpful if your windows do not let enough sunshine into the room where you are keeping your plant. You should keep the light on for between 12 and 14 hours per day. When the plant gets large enough to bear a fruit you should reduce the day length to 10 to 11 hours until the inflorescence appears in the center of the plant. You can then return to longer days.

Watering and fertilizing

The pineapple plant is miserly with water, requiring only about 20 inches of natural rainfall per year, if well distributed. You need only wet the soil once a week, and when the plant is indoors, it is best to apply all the water to the soil. When outside, spray the leaves in addition to wetting the soil so that the cups at the bottom of the plant are filled. It is also important that it never completely dries out. Then again, it must never sit in soggy soil. During its growing season, it will appreciate more water than in the winter months.

Fertilize carefully and only about once every month or so during the growing season. If using a solid plant food, scatter it on the surface of the soil and wash it in by watering.

Pests and diseases

As house plants, your pineapple will be subject to a minimum of pests and diseases if given proper care. The pests most likely to attack your plant are mealy bugs, scale and mites. All can be removed by washing the leaves with soapy water, rinsing after with clear water. Or, spray with an insecticide. Be sure to follow the directions on the label when using insecticides.

The only disease you would likely encounter would be heart rot caused by fungi. In heart rot, the central leaves turn black and are easily pulled out of the plant. When heart rot occurs, the plant can sometimes be saved by pouring a fungicide into the heart (center) of the plant. If this stops the infection, a side shoot will start growing. This shoot will then become your plant and will eventually flower and form a fruit. Or you can remove it and begin a new plant.

How To Grow A Pineapple : STEP FIVE

2008-12-02T23:27:00.000-08:00

STEP FIVE – Repot the Crown

Repot the pineapple in a twelve-inch porous clay pot with a well-draining potting soil such as a cactus potting soil. See the photos below of my 2 pineapple plants after their 2nd repotting. Be sure there is good drainage since pineapples do not like 'wet feet'. Provide drainage by placing a curved piece of broken pot over the hole in the bottom of the pot. Over this, add about a half an inch of coarse gravel or small stones, and then add your soil up to an inch from the top, patting down the soil gently to firm it up.

Tamp the soil firmly around the base of the crown at planting. Avoid getting soil into the central leaves of the crown.

Rot is commonly caused by over watering or the soil not draining properly. The plant should only stop growing during the winter months. It will put out new growth all during the early spring and summer well into fall. If the plant stops growing during its growing season, take the plant out of the pot and examine the root structure carefully. They should be firm and solid. If necessary, wash off the old potting mix and repot into fresh mix.

As the pineapple continues to grow, you may need to repot it into an even larger pot if it gets root-bound.

How To Grow A Pineapple : STEP FOUR

2008-12-02T23:20:00.000-08:00

STEP FOUR – Plant the Crown

Once roots appear, plant the pineapple in a fast draining potting soil such as a Bromeliad or Cactus Potting Soil mixed with a third perlite. An eight-inch porous clay pot with bottom drainage is ideal. Layer about two inches of stones in the bottom of the pot prior to putting in the soil/perlite mix. The picture to the left illustrates the materials needed (the two pottery shards in the front are to put over the drainage holes; these came from an extra clay saucer that I broke up).

The first step is to cover the drainage hole with the pottery shard. Second, put in a layer of stones followed by the soil and perlite mix. Finally, plant the crown and water it thoroughly prior to placing it in a window or some other sunny place. You can see the sequence in the pictures to the right (the inner leaves of the pineapple on the left are easily pulled out which doesn't bode well for the plant. Only time will tell which is a good example of why it's good to root two plants in case one dies).

In terms of watering, the soil should always be slightly moist; not wet (which will promote rot) and not dry. It will take six to eight weeks for the stalk to really start sending out strong roots. Do not rush this process or fertilize at this point.

After about two months, the pineapple should be supporting itself as a new plant. Gently tug on the plant to see if new roots have formed. If they are present, they will resist your tug. If absent, the top of the pineapple will pull from the soil revealing the absence of new roots. If there are no new roots, replace the pineapple top in the soil and wait longer. If the base looks like it is rotting, start again with a new pineapple top, root it again as above and then use fresh potting soil. Repeat the process, but be sure not to over water.

At this point you should notice that the original leaves of the pineapple will begin to die and turn brown, with new leaves beginning to grow at the center. Over the course of the following year, remove the original leaves as they die. During this time the pineapple should be watered no more than once a week.

If roots have developed with the new leaf growth, it is a sign that things are going well.

After one full year of growth, repot the plant.

Below you can see these two plants one year later. Three lessons I've learned:

1) don't give up on your plant even when things are looking grim (the pictures on the right are of one of the plants that had rotted in the center; you can see two brand new sprouts that formed along side the original plant.)

I was about to toss it when I noticed the first sprout.

2) my plants rooted indoors, however real growth didn't begin until I took them outside in the spring. With the next growing season they'll be repotted as instructed below.

3) grow two crowns as one will likely not be as strong as the other. Then you can repot the healthier one. You may also notice that I clipped the tips off of the plants as I think I left them outside too long, and the cold turned their tips brown.

How To Grow A Pineapple : STEP THREE

2008-12-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

STEP THREE – Root the Crown

There are various ways to do this, but I have found after trying several methods, that the simplest is the most effective. Place the crown in a clear glass of water and change out the water every few days. Place the crown away from any temperature extremes (heating or cooling vents/hot south-facing windows). On top of the refrigerator will work. In three weeks you'll see healthy root growth as illustrated in the pictures at right. You're now ready to plant the crown. As an aside, I've been told that if you use a dark colored glass, like a red plastic cup for example, you'll get better rooting. However I haven't tried this myself. You might want to try a clear glass as well as a dark glass, and let me know your results.

How To Grow A Pineapple : STEP TWO

2008-12-02T23:13:00.000-08:00

STEP TWO - Prepare the Crown

Grab hold of the entire top set of leaves. Twist hard and it will come out with a bit of stalk. (If you cut the top off you will need to remove all of the excess fruit flesh, otherwise it will only rot and may kill the whole plant). Any adhering flesh should be trimmed off its base to prevent rotting after planting. After trimming, carefully slice small, horizontal sections from the bottom of the crown until you see root buds that appear as small dots or circles on the flat, cut surface (see picture). Remove as little tissue as possible to avoid cutting into young stem tissue.

Next, strip off some of the lower leaves, exposing up to about an inch of the base of the crown (the stalk will root but the leaves will rot - see photo). They will come off in sort of a spiral fashion. The idea is to bare the stalk. The small brown-colored bumps below the leaf scars are root primordia (baby roots waiting to grow) and there may even be a few short roots at the base of the crown (the picture at right shows a crown with a lot of roots). Though these won't be the roots that will grow in the next step, try not to damage these.

After trimming and stripping, let the crown dry out for a couple days before going to the next step. This will permit the cut end and the leaf scars to heal and prevent rot.

How To Grow A Pineapple : STEP ONE

2008-12-02T23:04:00.000-08:00

STEP ONE - Obtain a Pineapple

From the local grocery store, choose a mature pineapple that has healthy, firm, green leaves (not yellow or brown) and with a fruit skin that is golden brown (not too green). Actually, I'd recommend growing two pineapples in the not unlikely event that one of them dies. At the very least you can pick the healthiest of the two plants to nurture to full growth. Also, if you find you have more pineapple than you can eat, just chop it up and freeze it. It tastes great!

Inspect the base of the leaves for small grayish spots which are scale insects. If these are found, the crown should be discarded and one selected which is free of these insects. Try to find one that is ripe but not overripe. Test for ripeness by gently pulling on a leaf. If it pops out with ease, the fruit is overripe.To make the most use of the pineapple, use the pineapple corer you see here. It's an inexpensive but ingenious little gadget that cores and slices all in one step!

How To Grow A Pineapple : introduction

2008-12-02T23:01:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to learn how to grow a pineapple that will yield a sweet-tasting fruit, then you've come to the right place. This page is chock full of everything you need to know. But first let me put in a plug for my wife's photography web site where you can peruse her artwork, and even download a print to put on your wall. Just click on the banner below.

Pineapple is one of the world's most unique and exotic tropical fruits, yet it is possible to grow it in a temperate zone under controlled conditions; with the most difficult part of the process just getting it rooted. Although you may not be able to grow as large a plant as is grown on a plantation in Hawaii, the following information should enable you to grow a healthy, attractive pineapple for your home. And it makes a fun family project for the kids!

With some patience, you can even grow a new pineapple from this plant. It takes about two to three years, though, and even then some plants are difficult to get to produce new fruit. However, I've searched the web and have provided below the best techniques for improving your odds of harvesting a ripe & delicious pineapple that will fill your house with its aroma. To make full-sized pineapples, the plant will ultimately need to get about six feet across and six feet tall. But, you can grow it as an interesting indoor plant and even get it to produce fruit (albeit small fruit) without letting it take over the living room :-)

Here is some interesting trivia about your pineapple. The pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family. As such it is related to Spanish moss and some interesting ornamental plants sold in many nurseries. These ornamentals are interesting in that they absorb water and nutrients from a water-tight reservoir formed where the leaves come together, or by interesting absorptive hairs which cover the Spanish moss and similar bromeliads, allowing them to draw water and nutrients from the fog and dust in the air. The pineapple, however, uses its roots like houseplants with which you are familiar and should be easy to grow if you treat it like a normal houseplant that needs bright light.

There seems to be no definitive site given for the original discovery of pineapples in the new world. It is thought they may have originated in the northeastern area of South America, near what is now known today as Guiana. There are several different pineapples besides the grocery store variety. For example, an Ananas nana is one of the smallest, about eighteen inches tall and grows in a six-inch pot. One of the showiest pineapples is Ananas bracteatus, tricolor. When mature it is about four to five feet in diameter and about the same height. It flushes a brilliant pink at the base of its white and green striped leaves. It also has pink recurved spines so caution must be exercised when working around the plant. Our commercial pineapple, Ananas cosmos, var. Smooth Cayene is the one most people are familiar with, but only in a can, as a fruit.

Nutritional value of the Blackberry.

2008-12-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

Blackberries

Scientific Name: Rubus spp.

Value: (per 100 gram of the edible part)

Proximates

Water - 85.640 gram

Energy - 52 kcal

Energy - 218 kj

Protein - 0.720 gram

Total lipid (fat) - 0.390 gram

Carbohydrate, by difference - 12.760 gram

Fiber, total dietary - 5.300 gram

Minerals

Calcium, Ca - 32 mg Iron,

Fe - 0.570 mg Magnesium,

Mg - 20 mg

Phosphorus, P - 21 mg

Potassium, K - 196 mg

Sodium, Na - 0 mg

Zinc, Zn - 0.270 mg

Copper, Cu - 0.140 mg

Manganese, Mn - 1.291 mg

Selenium, Se - 0 mcg

Vitamins

Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 21 mg

Thiamin - 0.030 mg

Riboflavin - 0.040 mg

Niacin - 0.400 mg

Pantothenic acid - 0.240 mg

Vitamin B-6 - 0.058 mg

Folate - 34 mcg

Vitamin A, IU - 165 IU

Vitamin A, RE - 16 mcg_RE

Source: US Department of Agriculture

Nutritional value of the Guava

2008-12-02T06:14:00.000-08:00

Guava

Scientific Name: Psidium guajava

Value: (per 100 gram of the edible part)

Proximates

Water - 86.100 gram

Energy - 51 kcal

Energy - 213 kj

Protein - 0.820 gram

Total lipid (fat) - 0.600 gram

Carbohydrate, by difference - 11.880 gram

Fiber, total dietary - 5.400 gram

Minerals

Calcium, Ca - 20 mg

Iron, Fe - 0.310 mg

Magnesium, Mg - 10 mg

Phosphorus, P - 25 mg

Potassium, K - 284 mg

Sodium, Na - 3 mg

Zinc, Zn - 0.230 mg

Copper, Cu - 0.103 mg

Manganese, Mn - 0.144 mg S

elenium, Se - 0.600 mcg

Vitamins

Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 183.500 mg

Thiamin - 0.050 mg

Riboflavin - 0.050 mg

Niacin - 1.200 mg

Pantothenic acid - 0.150 mg

Vitamin B-6 - 0.143 mg

Folate - 14 mcg

Vitamin A, IU - 792 IU

Vitamin A, RE - 79 mcg_RE

Source: US Department of Agriculture

Nutritional value of the Apricots

2008-12-02T06:09:00.000-08:00

Apricots

Scientific Name: Prunus armeniaca

Value: (per 100 gram of the edible part)

Proximates

Water - 86.350 gram

Energy - 48 kcal

Energy - 201 kj

Protein - 1.400 gram

Total lipid (fat) - 0.390 gram

Carbohydrate, by difference - 11.120 gram

Fiber, total dietary - 2.400 gram

Minerals

Calcium, Ca - 14 mg

Iron, Fe - 0.540 mg

Magnesium, Mg - 8 mg

Phosphorus, P - 19 mg

Potassium, K - 296 mg

Sodium, Na - 1 mg Zinc, Zn - 0.260 mg

Copper, Cu - 0.089 mg

Manganese, Mn - 0.079 mg

Selenium, Se - 0.400 mcg

Vitamins

Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 10 mg

Thiamin - 0.030 mg

Riboflavin - 0.040 mg

Niacin - 0.600 mg

Pantothenic acid - 0.240 mg

Vitamin B-6 - 0.054 mg

Folate - 8.600 mcg

Vitamin A, IU - 2612 IU

Vitamin A, RE - 261 mcg_RE

Source: US Department of Agriculture

Käsefrucht Durian

2008-12-02T06:07:00.000-08:00

Käsefrucht Durian

Von Lionel Bauer

An der Durian-Frucht scheiden sich die Geister - entweder man mag sie, und dann trifft zu, was der britische Naturforscher Alfred Russell Wallace (der unabhängig von Charles Darwin, aber just zur selben Zeit das biologische Gesetz der Evolution entdeckte) Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts in sein Tagebuch schrieb, nachdem er auf Borneo seine erste Durian verzehrt hatte: "Je mehr man davon ißt, desto weniger ist man geneigt, auf sie zu verzichten."

Macht die Durian also süchtig? Nicht im Sinne einer körperlichen Sucht. Aber wer Durians mag, der wird sie mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit auf den Spitzenplatz seiner Präferenzliste setzen. Und wer käme schon auf den Gedanken, einem Apfel oder einer Birne ein Denkmal zu errichten? Doch in der südphilippinischen Stadt Davao steht ein Durian-Denkmal - genauso selbstverständlich wie in München die Bavaria, wenn auch nicht ganz so groß.

Oder man mag sie nicht, die Durian, und dann reagiert man fast allergisch auf die Frucht, und man kann sie, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes, nicht riechen.

Denn die Durian stinkt, sie stinkt sogar ganz fürchterlich (und das geben sogar Durian-Fanatiker zu), und zwar nach einer Mischung aus Limburger Käse und Baby-Kot. Und weil die Durian so stinkt, hat sie in den meisten Hotels in Südostasians Hausverbot, besonders in den touristisch orientierten, und dieses Hausverbot wird oft durch Schilder kundgetan, die bisweilen so groß sind, daß man sie wirklich nicht übersehen kann.

Die Haupt-Erntezeit für Durian-Früchte beginnt im April und umfaßt den ganzen Mai. Hauptsächlich in den südlicheren Teilen thailands, in denen die Regenzeit von Juni bis Oktober weniger ausgeprägt ist, werden Durians bis in den August geerntet. Am billigsten sind Durians im Mai, wenn man das Kilo für 15 bis 20 Baht bekommt - das gilt für die Standard-Sorten.

Die Frucht mit Stacheln, die so groß und fast so scharf sind wie die Zähne einer Holzsäge, wächst auf riesigen Bäumen und erreicht ein Gewicht von einem halben bis fünf Kilos, wobei die 2-Kilo-Gewichtsklasse die vorherrschende ist. Wie in Deutschland bei den Äpfeln, so gibt es auch bei den Durians verschiedene Arten. Und obwohl sich die verschiedenen Durian-Sorten geschmacklich und dem Aussehen nach weniger voneinander unterscheiden als die Sorten deutscher Äpfel, bei denen es rote, grüne und gelbe gibt, sind bei den Durian-Arten die Preisunterschiede enorm.

Die am weitesten verbreitete Qualitätssorte ist Cha Ni, die während der Haupt-Erntezeit im April und Mai zum oben erwähnten Preis von 15 bis 20 Baht erhältlich ist. Die teuerste Sorte ist Mon Thong, deren Preis meist etwa das doppelte dessen der Cha Ni beträgt.

Es wäre aber übertrieben, zu behaupten, die Sorte Mon Thong sei so viel besser. Zwar ist die Sorte Mon Thong etwas süßer und das Fruchtfleisch noch etwas kremiger. Was die Sorte Mon Thong aber in erster Linie auszeichnet, ist, daß sie im Körper weniger intensiv nacharbeitet. Denn je nachdem, wie gut ein Verdauungstrakt mit Durians fertig wird, werden die meisten Menschen noch nach Stunden durch Aufstoßen daran erinnert, daß sie Durian gegessen haben. Das riecht dann auch die Umwelt, und je nachdem, wie sehr man im Beruf einen guten Eindruck machen muß, ist das mehr oder minder störend.

Es ist nicht besonders hilfreich, zu beschreiben, wie eine Durian schmeckt. Wer sie einmal probiert hat, weiß mehr über ihren Geschmack als jemand, der darüber mehrere Seiten in einem Buch gelesen hat. Mit dieser Einschränkung ist die folgende Beschreibung für Leute gedacht, die (da zur Zeit nicht, noch nicht in Thailand) keine Gelegenheit haben, sich einfach einmal eine Durian zu kaufen.

Durians sind, wie gesagt, stachlige Früchte mit einem Durchschnittsgewicht von etwa 2 kg. Die Frucht ist schwer zu öffnen, und es empfiehlt sich, dies den Durian-Verkäufer machen zu lassen, der darin Routine hat. Die Frucht hat fünf Segmente, in denen jeweils ein gelbes, kremiges Fruchtfleisch ein bis fünf große Kerne umfaßt. Gegessen wird ausschließlich das gelbe Fruchtfleisch. Dies beträgt nur etwa 15 % des Gewichts der Frucht.

Obwohl 15 % Durian-Fruchtfleisch sich im Vergleich zu gut 90 % Fruchtfleisch bei Äpfeln, Birnen, Pfirsichen oder Mangos nicht gerade gut ausnimmt, ist es keineswegs so, daß man an einer 1-Kilo-Durian weniger satt würde als an einem Kilo Pfirsichen oder Mangos. Das Durian-Fruchtfleisch hat nur einen geringen Wasseranteil (geringer als der von Bananen), und von 150 oder 200 Gramm Durian-Fruchtfleisch ist man gerade so satt wie von 900 Gramm Pfirsich-Fruchtfleisch. Man schmeckt es der Durian-Frucht geradezu an, daß sie nicht nur einen hohen Nährwert hat, sondern auch an Mineralstoffen überaus reich ist.

Durians in Thailand

2008-12-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

Durians in Thailand

By Lionel Bauer

The following is an excerpt of a text based on a description of the Thai ministry of tourism:

Beginning in May and extending through August, the durian announces its presence in Thai markets with a distinctive, highly pervasive aroma. To Thais, as well as to many other Asians, the stink is a welcome odor for they regard durian as the king of fruits, a rare delicacy that is well worth the comparatively high price it commands.

Some visitors, on the other hand, are deterred by the potent smell and never actually sample the creamy golden flesh hidden within the spiny exterior - thereby missing one of the truly great pleasures of fruit eating. "The more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop," wrote Alfred Russell Wallace, after eating his first durian on Borneo in the 19th century, and most of those who follow his example are likely to agree with him.

Thai durians are noted for their subtle flavor and smooth texture, often winning over gourmets who have failed to respond in other countries where the fruit grows. Three of the most popular varieties (and there are several dozen to choose from) are cha ni, kan yao, and the most prized of all, mon thong.

Nutritional value of the durian

2008-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Nutritional value of the durian

Value:(per 100 gram of the edible part)

Water - 64.990 gram
Energy - 147 kcal
Energy - 615 kj
Protein - 1.47 gram
Total lipid (fat) - 5.33 gram
Carbohydrate, by difference - 27.09 gram
Fiber, total dietary - 3.8 gram

Minerals

Calcium, Ca - 6 mg
Iron, Fe - 0.430 mg
Magnesium, Mg - 30 mg
Phosphorus, P - 38 mg
Potassium, K - 436 mg
Sodium, Na - 1 mg
Zinc, Zn - 0.28 mg
Copper, Cu - 0.207 mg
Manganese, Mn - 0.324 mg

Vitamins

Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 19.7 mg
Thiamin - 0.374 mg
Riboflavin - 0.2 mg
Niacin - 1.074 mg
Pantothenic acid - 0.23 mg
Vitamin B-6 - 0.316 mg
Vitamin A, IU - 45.000 IU
Vitamin A, RE - 5.000 mcg_RE

Source: US Department of Agriculture

Eating durian for health and youth

2008-12-02T05:54:00.000-08:00

Eating durian for health and youth

By Lionel Bauer

Durian is a fruit unique to Southeast Asia. This is sort-of strange, as almost any fruit or vegetable with a somewhat appealing taste has long become a universally cultivated crop. And not that the durian would be lacking in taste appeal. Those who like durian typically regard it as the king of fruit. And even in countries where, during the harvest season, there is a real flood of durians, prices never drop to dirt-cheap levels, as they do for pineapples and bananas.

Well, durians have a strong smell and a unique taste. Could be that those who haven't seen others indulging in durians have doubts as to the fruit's fitness for human consumption. Judging by the fruit's smell, its flesh moves straight from unripe to rotten.

But when good durians are available at reasonable prices I can, for weeks on end, make durian the staple of my diet. And I enjoy a good health doing so.

I haven't been to a hospital or physician for years, and I practically never take any medicine. Anyway, I have little confidence in medical science, and would never undergo an operation that requires full anesthesia.

I can eat durian for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I am confident that I can do so until an old age, without developing diabetes or hepatitis. Actually, I even believe that the durian has a magical power to keep me young and look young, without facelifts or other cosmetic or plastic surgery.

Only slowly, durians are catching on in other parts of the world. They aren't grown yet commercially on other continents, though the climate would be ideal in the Northern parts of South America, as well as sub-Saharan Africa. (I have been informed by a reader that there are a few durian trees on Zanzibar.)

Durians are catching on in other parts of the world primarily because Thailand now produces, on a large scale, exportable durian fruit of the Mon Thong variety. Mon Thong is the only durian variety that is suitable to be shipped (usually by plane) to far-away destinations because Mon Thong durian can be harvested weeks before they have fully ripened, can be stored for weeks, and have no tendency to rot prematurely.

Classical durian varieties as they are common in Indonesia (mainly Sumatra and Borneo) have to ripen on the tree and are harvested only once they have fallen off on their own. They are then best eaten within some 6 hours, or, at least, within a day. They will lose flavor and texture beginning on the second day after having fallen off the tree.

Thai agriculturists have also succeeded in minimizing the typical offensive durian smell. On Thai durian plantations, transplantation surgery on this cash crop is a common occurrence. By transplanting branches of grown trees onto newly growing trees of less than 70 cm in height, they keep the trees of their plantations low… a precondition for making the harvesting of unripe fruit an easy task. Naturally growing durian trees can reach an impressive height of up to 30 meters.

As a result of the efforts of Thai agriculturists, durian fruit now is exported to North America, with Western Canada a major destination (as Western Canada, particularly Vancouver, has a substantial population of Asian, especially Southern Chinese, origin).

Commercial Mon Thong durians are the most digestion-friendly sub-species. By this, I don't mean that in general, durians would be hard to digest. No stomach cramps and no excessive winds as with cabbage, and no discharge pain as with chilies. But with non-Mon Thong durians, there will be burping, and burps do smell like the durian fruit... socially not acceptable even in counties where durians are grown. Mon Thong is clearly the mildest kind of durian fruit. (But even in Thailand, durians are usually banned in offices and hospitals.)

However, Mon Thong durians are like Del Monte bananas. They are a neat agricultural product: they look good (no wrinkles, no age spots) on supermarket shelves, they stay young and can be stored with ease for quite some time, produce little odor, are of predictable, standardized quality. But they no longer have quite the original taste. OK, I don't mind what they do with bananas. But for the durian, it's a loss.

Durians are like grapes and wine, or like cheese. They are a food for gourmets, for connoisseurs. For genuine durian lovers, differentiating tastes in accordance to variety and region can be a true science.

Classic durians, as they are found on Sumatra and Borneo, come in as wide a variety and shades of taste as does wine, or cheese. Though there isn't a durian culture yet as there is a wine culture, there would be a good foundation for it. It's probably only a matter of Southeast Asia becoming sufficiently developed in economic terms to support food culture on a Western level.

Gourmet durian culture will have to be centered on Sumatra and Borneo, just as wine and cheese culture is centered on France.

Thailand may currently be the world's main durian exporter, and has the lowest prices (during the season in May), but Indonesia is the cradle of the fruit, and has hundreds of yet unclassified varieties.

Those who know only the standard Thai Mon Thong variety will be surprised in how many different flavors and textures durian can come.

Standard Thai Mon Thong durians have sweet fruity-tasting meat with a firm texture and of yellow color. It's the variety that is the least likely to be outright disliked. It's also a bit boring for the taste buds.

Indonesian durians come in a wide range of flavors.

My own preferred variety has white, wrinkled meat with a texture like whipped cream and a bitter-sweet, nutty taste.

When the meat is not wrinkled upon opening of the fruit, the taste will be less creamy, and rather fruity.

You are less likely to find bitter-sweet durians with yellow meat, but occasionally you will come across that combination, too.

Yellow-meat durians are usually just sweet, not bitter-sweet. They also are less likely to have a nutty flavor.

"Durian", by the way, is an Indonesian word. "Duri" translates as thorn, and "durian" means thorny. Therefore durian, by name, is the thorny fruit. Which indeed, it is. You can kill a person by throwing a durian at his head. It's just like a ball of spikes. (There is another Southeast Asian fruit, known by an Indonesian name: Rambutan, the "hair fruit", "rambut" being the Indonesian word for "hair".)

Indonesia has the best climate for durians (highly tropical), and in the chief Indonesian durian-growing area of North Sumatra, durians are available year round. Incidentally, during the Thai durian season of mid-April to mid-June, there is the least output on North Sumatra, and prices rise to threefold their peak season's level.

I am convinced that durians are good for health, not just because fruit in general is healthy.

The locals in all countries where durians are grown believe that it heats the body. You'll be told that if you eat durian before bedtime, you won't need a blanket. I haven't seen any scientific proof in that direction, and I have been feeling unusually hot only a few times after eating durians in the evening.

From my own experience of eating thousands of durian fruits, I know that in some magical way, eating durian (in sufficient quantity) will clear the lungs and breath pathways. After having consumed the flesh of two durians with a combined weight (not yet pealed) of about 4 kg, I always cough up phlegm from my lungs.

Transplantation of Durian abroad

2008-12-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

Transplantation of Durian abroad

By Lionel Bauer

Durian fruits are not widely available outside of Southeast Asia. Some fruits may occasionally make it to delicatessen shops in the US and specifically Western Canada, but they are always imported from Southeast Asia, and they are usually of the Thai variety, which is durable but lacks in taste.

It wouldn't have to be this way. The durian tree, of course, is native to Southeast Asia, primarily Sumatra and Borneo.

But durian trees could easily be transplanted to equatorial Africa, or equatorial Central America, or in the Southern United States, or possibly even southern Mediterranean Europe.

The reason why it hasn't been planted in these areas of the world probably has to do with the fruit's smell. Farmers outside Southeast Asia have never had much confidence that it would sell.

But of the people from Western countries who have visited Southeast Asia, or even have lived here for some time, a good number have learned to love the fruit.

As a matter of fact, there are few culinary delicacies that have as dedicated a following as does the durian, in Southeast Asia as well as among Westerners who have tasted it. Few people would drive 10 or 20 kilometers a day for the opportunity to eat apples, or pineapples, or bananas. We eat these fruits when they are available… and when they are not, never mind, we eat something else.

But to obtain durians, many people would take considerable effort. Plant their own durian trees, for example.

If the Western durian lovers who have been to Southeast Asia (as normal tourists, or as sex tourists, or, increasingly, as cosmetic surgery tourists looking for the best deals in facelifts, hair transplantations, liposuction, or tummy tucks) have the opportunity to eat quality durians at a good price, they may even travel 50 kilometers, or they may finally decide to plant some themselves.

Anyway, among the Southeast Asian magical plants and herbs that are supposed to help with sexual desire and sexual function, durians are still the easiest to handle. Trying to grow some tongkat ali, kacip fatimah, or sirih leaves will be more effort.

Durian trees take 5 to 10 years to bear fruit, and when they do, you can expect 20 to 50 fruits every year. The tree will grow on any kind of soil, provided it gets enough water, especially during the time, the fruit ripens. Genuine durians (not the Thai plastic variety) should be left to ripen on the tree, until they fall down. They are at their best in the first 12 hours after having falling off the tree.

How to choose a durian

2008-12-02T05:43:00.000-08:00

How to choose a durian

By Lionel Bauer

The famous French gourmet bible Larousse Gastronomique advises that a durian is ready to be eaten when its husks begin to crack.

I cannot judge the Larousse Gastronomique on other culinary topics, but on durians, their advice is misleading.

You can wait with a Thai Mon Tong durian, or maybe a Cha Ni, until it cracks, but with all other varieties, it's a foul strategy.

With practically all Indonesian durian varieties (and Indonesia has the greatest local durian consumption in the world), it is best to eat a durian within about six hours after it has fallen from a tree even if it may so difficult to open it that a man with proper tools is needed for the job.

Buying and eating Mon Thong durians in Thailand is a low risk venture. You can buy durians in the market, and for as long as the fruit is ripe, it will be ok. Seldom will it happen that a fruit, which looks all right outside, will be rotten inside.

"Kampung" is the Malay and Indonesian word for "village". "Durian Kampung" means that these durian fruits do not come from a plantation but from a village… from original durian trees, and not from trees that have been grafted, or genetically manipulated. No plantation durian can match the taste of a durian kampung.

In Indonesia, to buy the fruit and take it home is the wrong approach. You will often be disappointed. At least a third of the durians sold in Indonesia are not optimal. The following can happen:

1. Overripe. The flesh is pulpy (beceh), and the sulphuric taste component is too strong. The fruit will cause a lot of burping.

2. Rotten (busuk). When a segment of the fruit is rotten at a side, the whole segment usually has to be discarded.

3 "Cold" (dingin). The fruit hasn't been ripening on the tree. Durian fruits will still ripen after taken of the tree. This means: the flesh of the fruit will become soft and develop the right texture. But the fruit once of the tree, will no longer develop the typical strong durian taste.

Even if you are a durian expert yourself, you should, in Indonesia, always let the "tukang durian" do the choosing for you. The "tukang durian" is the salesman (yes, it's always a man; all other fruit are sold by women) who builds up a roadside stall, usually with a few chairs. Durians are different in different regions. Sometimes one can go by the smell of the closed fruit, but often one can't. And the tukang durian always has an edge over the buyer because he knows from which plantation, or even from which tree, his durians come from.

I have considerable experience with durians. If I have been at a durian place for some time, I develop a feeling on how to select a good fruit. But still, instead of taking over myself the responsibility that a particular fruit I chose appeals to my taste, I rather let the seller do the choosing. If I'm a regular customer, he won't want to lose me by letting me buy fruits of minor quality.

This durian fruit has been cut open in a typical manner to check whether it has a good taste and the right texture. It will later be closed again with the wooden spikes that can be seen on the photo.

In Indonesia it is common practice to let the customer taste the fruit he is offered to buy. For that purpose it is cut open at one segment (and if not bought, "nailed" closed again with matches). If the customer doesn't like a fruit that is offered, a new one will be chosen and opened in the same manner.

Opening a fruit for tasting is less common in Thailand. There is also less risk with Thai varieties that the taste of a particular fruit just isn't right.

In Thailand, one will often see a durian salesperson hitting a fruit to determine whether it is ripe or not. If the sound is hollow, or resembles knocking on wood, the fruit is not yet ripe. The sound should be low and full for a ripe fruit.

Smelling a fruit is unreliable. Some varieties will smell unopened when they are ready to be eaten, and for some other varieties, when they smell unopened, they are hopelessly overripe.
In Indonesia, the best bet is still to follow the advice of the "tukang durian", and if his choice should be lousy, buy somewhere else in the future.

Indonesian durians are seldom sold in shops. Usually, they are displayed on street-side racks. The salesperson is almost always a man, called "Tukang Durian".

In Indonesia, northern Sumatra is the best address for durians. For this assessment, I not only take into account the fact that durians are available year-round, but also the generally low price levels. Java has some durians, especially the area around Jepara, but prices in major cities of Java Island are usually around triple the prices of Medan, the main city on Sumatra. I have once traveled to Makassar after having been told that durians there cost on average less than half a dollar a fruit.

What disappointment, after I discovered that South Sulawesi durians are exceptionally small and also not the tastiest variety. I stayed in Makassar only for three days.

Cambodia doesn't have good durians. What is available has mostly been imported from Thailand.
But what you will find on the markets in Phnom Penh is the sorts of durian that cannot be sold in Thailand.

You'll find quality Thai durians in Singapore and Malaysia, though Malaysia also has its own durian produce.

MANGO FRUIT FACTS

2008-12-02T05:34:00.000-08:00

MANGO

Mangifera indica L.

AnacardiaceaeCommon Names: Mango, Mangot, Manga, Mangou.

Related species: Bindjai (Mangifera caesia), Horse Mango (M. foetida), Kuweni mango (M. odorata).

Distant affinity: Cashew (Anacardium occidentale), Gandaria (Bouea gandaria), Pistachio (Pistacia vera), Marula (Sclerocarya birrea), Ambarella (Spondias cytherea), Yellow Mombin (Spondias mombin), Red Mombin (Spondias purpurea), Imbu (Spondias tuberosa).

Origin: The mango is native to southern Asia, especially Burma and eastern India. It spread early on to Malaya, eastern Asia and eastern Africa. Mangos were introduced to California (Santa Barbara) in 1880.

Forms: The mango exists in two races, one from India and the other from the Philippines and Southeast Asia. The Indian race is intolerant of humidity, has flushes of bright red new growth that are subject to mildew, and bears monoembryonic fruit of high color and regular form. The Philippine race tolerates excess moisture, has pale green or red new growth and resists mildew. Its polyembryonic fruit is pale green and elongated kidney-shaped. Philippines types from Mexico have proven to be the hardiest mangos in California.

Adaptation: Mangos basically require a frost-free climate. Flowers and small fruit can be killed if temperatures drop below 40° F, even for a short period. Young trees may be seriously damaged if the temperature drops below 30° F, but mature trees may withstand very short periods of temperatures as low as 25° F. The mango must have warm, dry weather to set fruit. In southern California the best locations are in the foothills, away from immediate marine influence. It is worth a trial in the warmest cove locations in the California Central Valley, but is more speculative in the coastal counties north of Santa Barbara, where only the most cold adapted varieties are likely to succeed. Mangos luxuriate in summer heat and resent cool summer fog. Wet, humid weather favors anthracnose and poor fruit set. Dwarf cultivars are suitable for culture in large containers or in a greenhouse.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habit: Mango trees make handsome landscape specimens and shade trees. They are erect and fast growing with sufficient heat, and the canopy can be broad and rounded, or more upright, with a relatively slender crown. It is ultimately a large tree, to 65 ft., but usually half that size in California. The tree is long-lived with some specimens known to be over 300 years old and still fruiting. In deep soil the taproot descends to a depth of 20 ft, and the profuse, wide-spreading feeder roots also send down many anchor roots which penetrate for several feet.

Foliage: The leaves are dark green above and pale below, usually red while young. The midrib is pale and conspicuous and the many horizontal veins distinct. Full-grown leaves may be 4 to 12-1/2 in. long and 3/4 to 2 in. wide, and are generally borne in clusters separated by a length of naked stem bearing no buds. These naked stems mark successive flushes of growth. Each flush of growth will harden off to a rich green color before the next flush of growth begins.

Flowers: The yellowish or reddish flowers are borne in inflorescences which appear at branch terminals, in dense panicles of up to 2000 minute flowers. These flowers respire a volatile substance, causing allergic and respiratory problems for some persons. Pollinators are flies, hoverflies, rarely bees. Few of the flowers in each inflorescence are perfect, so most do not produce pollen and are incapable of producing fruit. Pollen cannot be shed in high humidity or rain. Fertilization is also ineffective when night temperatures are below 55° F. Mangos are monoecious and self-fertile, so a single tree will produce fruit without cross pollination. Polyembryonic types may not require pollination at all. Branches may be ringed to induce flowering, but the results are mixed.

Fruits: The fruits grow at the end of a long, stringlike stem (the former panicle), with sometimes two or more fruits to a stem. The fruits are 2 to 9 inches long and may be kidney shaped, ovate or (rarely) round. They range in size from 8 ounces to around 24 ounces. The flower scar at the apex is prominent, in some cultivars bulging from the fruit. The leathery skin is waxy and smooth, and when ripe entirely pale green or yellow marked with red, according to cultivar. It is inedible and contains a sap that is irritating to some people. The quality of the fruit is based on the scarcity of fiber and minimal turpentine taste.

The flesh of a mango is peachlike and juicy, with more or less numerous fibers radiating from the husk of the single large kidney-shaped seed. Fibers are more pronounced in fruits grown with hard water and chemical fertilizers. The flavor is pleasant and rich and high in sugars and acid. The seed may either have a single embryo, producing one seedling, or polyembryonic, producing several seedlings that are identical but not always true to the parent type. It is impossible to distinguish true-to-type from zygotic seedlings from the same fruit. Some seedlings produce numerous tiny, parthenocarpic fruits which fail to develop and abort. Mango trees tend to be alternate bearing.

CULTURE

Location: The mango grows to a good size and casts a dense shade, but the roots are not destructive. It requires full sun and perfect air drainage in winter. It does best at the top or middle level of a slope. A windbreak should be provided in exposed areas. The trees may also need staking. In the desert it needs the shade of other trees; or plant on the north side of the house. In the garden or near the coast, plant against a south wall, or in an area surrounded by paving, to provide maximum heat. In the greenhouse, full light and free air movement are important to avoid disease.

Soil: Mangos will grow in almost any well-drained soil whether sandy, loam or clay, but avoid heavy, wet soils. A pH between 5.5 and 7.5 is preferred. They are somewhat tolerant of alkalinity. For good growth, mangos needs a deep soil to accommodate their extensive root systems.

Irrigation: Irrigation should start when the weather warms: February in the desert, April at the coast. Continue every one to two weeks, more often in light soils, nearly continuously in the desert, until the fruit is harvested. Irrigation may be discontinued when rains are sufficient to maintain soil moisture. In the greenhouse keep watered until the fruit is harvested, then reduce to the minimum required to avoid wilting. Watering is then increased after one to two months to initiate a new bloom and growth cycle.

Fertilization: Mango trees require regular applications of nitrogen fertilizer to promote healthy growth flushes and flower production. Chelated micronutrients, especially iron, are also often necessary. A feeding program similar to one used for citrus is satisfactory, but do not fertilize after midsummer. Organic fertilizers perform best, since the trees are subject to fertilizer burn. Young trees are particularly sensitive to over-fertilizing, but respond well to fish emulsion. Sandy soils require more fertilizer than loam or clay.

Pruning: Healthy trees require little pruning, although pruning to stimulate new growth promotes uniform annual bearing. Removing some flower clusters during a heavy bloom year may also alleviate alternate bearing. Mangos may be pruned to control size in late winter or early spring without a loss of fruit. Sap and debris can cause severe dermatitis, similar to poison oak. It is best to avoid burning prunings or litter.

Frost Protection: During the first two years, the trees should be given some protection such as an overhead cover during any frost threat. Once the tree is 3 to 4 feet high, overhead protection is difficult but still worthwhile, especially if an unusual cold snap is predicted. Frost damage can also be avoided by erecting an overhead lath shelter, orchard heating, placing lights under the canopy, or using foam or straw trunk wraps. Do not prune dead parts until all frost danger is past.

Propagation:

Seedlings are a gamble. Supermarket fruits may have been treated to sterilize, or chilled too long to remain viable. These seeds are normally discolored gray. To grow mangos from seed, remove the husk and plant the seed (before it dries out) with the hump at soil level. The seeds normally germinate in two to four weeks, and do best with bottom heat. Multiple polyembryonic seedlings should be carefully separated as soon as they have sprouted so not to loose the cotyledons. Seedling mangos will bloom and bear in three to six years.

Some success at grafting can be obtained in April and September, but better luck is more likely during May through August. Small plants with a diameter of a pencil graft well with the common whip graft. On larger trees the crown groove bark graft allows several scions to be put on at once. Fully grown trees may be topworked by crown or groove bark graft, or prune hard and whip graft sprouts later. Plastic bagging with a few drops of moisture improves the graft's chances of being successful.

Graft in the second year, using cleft, side or tongue (splice) graft in midsummer. Scion and stock should be swelling for a new flush of growth. Grafts are most successful if the leaves are allowed to remain below the graft, but remove suckers. Use pencil-sized scions of hard wood with three or four nodes. Cover with loose punctured white paper bag for shade.

If top working, do not dehorn the entire tree at one time; leave at least two fully leafed branches intact. Marcottage is feasible in humid climates or greenhouses, but results in few plants. Although budding is rare in California; it can be done by using a shield bud in an inverted T, at the moment the tree begins a new growth flush. Cuttings are rarely successful, although experiments have shown that rooting may be improved by treating with ethylene, which destroys the root-inhibiting hormone in the cambium.

The Mango is a suitable and productive tree for growing in a container or greenhouse. Start with established plants of named cultivars. Select the finest Indian cultivars, which are most rewarding for the effort involved. A large tub is required, with casters for easy moving. In the greenhouse, the atmosphere should be kept dry as possible to avoid anthracnose. Place a fan nearby to move the air around trees and use ventilators. The plants should be hosed down in the morning on a weekly basis to control mites. A regular spraying of appropriate pesticides for anthracnose and mealybug may also be needed.

The location of the intended planting will dictate the choice of cultivars. Seedlings selected under California conditions have provided cultivars suitable for coastal counties. Florida cultivars are generally more suitable in the desert and Central Valley.

Pests and Diseases: Scale, mealybugs and mites are frequent pests in the greenhouse and orchard. In the greenhouse, thrips often turn leaves rusty brown. Malathion is the conventional spray for insect pests; sulfur works on mites. Gophers are attracted to the roots. The flower panicles, young fruit and leaves are subject to powdery mildew (Oidium mangiferae), especially in rainy weather or frequent fog. A spray of powdered kelp at bud break will often control it. Sodium bicarbonate and fungicide sprays are also effective. Trees planted in pavement openings seldom develop mildew.

Bacterial spot (Colletotrichum oleosporides) distorts and turns developing leaves black and disfigures developing fruit. Infection may spread to fresh young growth. Anthracnose can be controlled with bimonthly applications of copper spray or captan as a growth flush begins, and until the flowers open. Resume spraying when the fruits begin to form. Mango trees are very sensitive to root loss that can occur from digging, transplanting or gopher damage. "Soft nose," a physical disorder of shriveling at the fruit apex, seems associated with excessive nitrogen in soil. Exposed fruits sunburn in high temperatures.

Fruit Harvest: Mango fruit matures in 100 to 150 days after flowering. The fruit will have the best flavor if allowed to ripen on the tree, although winter-maturing fruits must be ripened indoors in coastal California. Ripening fruit turns the characteristic color of the variety and begins to soften to the touch, much like a peach. Commercial marketability requires 13% dissolved solids (sugars). When the first fruit shows color on tree, all of that size fruit or larger may be removed; repeat when remaining fruit colors. Do not store below 50° F.The fruit ripens best if placed stem end down in trays at room temperature and covered with a dampened cloth to avoid shriveling. Mangos ripen in June from January bloom in interior California, and October from April bloom on the coast. Less time is required to mature greenhouse fruit.

Commercial potential: The mango is the apple (or peach) of the tropics, and one of the most commonly eaten fruits in tropical countries around the world. The fruit is grown commercially on a small scale in Florida. In California a large planting in the Coachella Valley has now reached production stage. The quality of the fruit is generally comparable to Florida mangos, but has other advantages., i.e. the lack of fruit fly and seed weevil populations. Mexico, and to a lesser extent Central America, is a major supplier to U.S. markets today.

How To Grow Mango Trees From Seeds

2008-12-02T05:09:00.000-08:00

Growing Mangoes

Mangifera indica

How To Grow Mango Trees From Seeds

I know more about growing mangoes than I'd like to. I live in a mango growing region... All my friends grow mango trees commercially!

Whether I like it or not, I do get suckered into helping out when extra hands are needed on deck...

Actually, it's not that bad. The reason so many people I know grow mangoes is that mango trees are extremely easy to grow and manage.

In the right climate growing mangoes takes no effort or attention at all.

Through my friends I can get all the mangoes I want for free, and then some. But I still grow mango in my own garden, about a dozen different varieties.

Mangoes come in different colours and sizes, have different flavours, and they ripen at slightly different times.

Growing different mango tree varieties keeps things interesting, but most importantly it stretches out the harvest time of this feast or famine fruit. You can eat fresh mango for a few months instead of only a few weeks!

What do mango trees look like?

The mango is a very attractive, evergreen tree with glossy, dense foliage. The new shoots are reddish, the mature leaves a dark green.

Depending on the variety mango trees can grow huge (to 35 m and 15 m across for seedling trees of older varieties). But you can keep a mango tree small by pruning it regularly.

A mango tree in full flower is a sight to behold. The large pink panicles are at the ends of the branches and cover the whole tree. Oh, and they smell good, too!

Where can you grow mangoes?

Mangoes are a strictly tropical fruit. They love the tropics. The best climate to grow mangoes is frost free, with cool, dry winters and steamy, hot summers.

Mangoes like growing in light and free draining soils, they don't need rich soil. You actually get the best crops on soils of somewhat lower fertility.

Getting started with growing mangoes

There are two ways to get started: you can buy mango trees at a nursery or you can grow your own from seed. The seed grown trees will take a lot longer to bear fruit. (Unless you know how to graft them or know someone who does.)

Mango trees that were grown in a nursery are usually grafted and should fruit within three to four years. Seedling trees may take five to eight years.

Seedling mango trees grow much bigger and stronger than the nursery trees and have an indestructible root system.

Grafted trees are of a more manageable size. Another advantage is that you know you will get a reliably bearing tree. If you grow mango from seed you need to know exactly which tree your mango seed came from or you won't know what you are getting until eight years later...

If you buy mango trees in a nursery I suggest you don't look just for size and colour. Have you ever tasted the variety you are about to buy? Some mangoes taste awful... True. Some of the commercial varieties are bred for shelf life, size and looks, but are barely edible. (Yes, I am totally spoiled when it comes to mangoes.) So, know the variety you buy!

Secondly, if you plan to grow more than one mango tree, find out if it is an early or late fruiting variety. Don't buy three trees that all fruit at the same time.

Thirdly, if you live in a cooler, subtropical area, make sure you get a variety that flowers well in those conditions. All mangoes will grow if your climate is frost free, but flowering habits depend on temperature and vary. And without flowers there will be little fruit...

And last but not least, especially if you live in an area where it may rain during the cooler time of the year, you should also look for a variety that shows good resistance to the mango disease anthracnose. (More on that below.)

If you buy your mango trees you can skip the next section:

Growing mango trees from seed

Growing mangoes from seed is actually quite easy. (All the seeds of the mangoes I eat, dry and freeze are thrown out in the garden as mulch, and they all grow...)

The most important step is the seed selection! If you take any old shop bought seed it may not grow true to type. The seed needs to come from what is called a "polyembrionic" variety.

What that means is that the seed will sprout several identical trees. And those seedling trees will be identical to the parent tree. They are clones.

Ideally you know the parent tree, it's from your area, grows really well and gets a bumper crop every year! If not, oh well. Get seed from a polyembrionic variety and at least you know that the fruit you harvest will taste the same.

(The most common commercial variety in Australia, the Kensington Pride—also known as Bowen-—is polyembrionic. It's also a vigorous tree and usually fruits reliably, so it is well suited for seed growing.If anyone knows a good variety to recommend to US readers, please let me know.)

The best time to grow mangoes from seed is the beginning of the wet season (beginning of summer).

Eat a nice mango, remove as much flesh from the seed as possible and then let it dry for a day or two.

To germinate the mango seed you could just put the whole thing in a warm, moist place and wait for it to sprout. Then cut off all the seedlings except for one. (The smallest supposedly gives you the best fruit.)

Or, if you prefer to fuss over them (or if you have only one seed but want half a dozen trees) then you can carefully cut a corner of the fibrous big seed. Cut only just deep enough so you can see the two halves of the seed, and then break it open.

Inside you find several small bean shaped seeds. Hopefully they are white and not all grey or brown and shrivelled...

You can plant those mango seeds individually. They should take about ten days to sprout. I like to sprout my seeds right where they are to grow. That way I don't need to worry about hardening them off (getting a shade grown seedling used to full sun) or about transplanting shock. If you are worried about the little thing getting eaten, uprooted or trampled you can always put a barrier around it.

If you prefer to first grow your mango tree in a pot, follow the instructions for nursery trees when it comes to planting time:

Planting a mango tree

You plant a mango tree just like you plant any other fruit tree, so I won't go into specifics here. (A page about planting fruit trees is coming soon.)

The best time to plant your mango tree is the beginning of the wet season (summer).

Make sure you select a place in full sun. (And make triple sure you really want a big tree there!)

The tree needs to be sun hardened. If your mango tree was grown in a shade house, gradually get it used to the sun first. Then dig a big enough hole. Carefully separate tree and pot without disturbing the roots. Put tree in hole, fill in, water.

Caring for a mango tree

I mentioned at the beginning that mangoes need little care. It's true.

Young mango trees do benefit from regular watering and a little fertilizing until they are established. But don't love your mango tree to death. Overwatering can kill it, especially if your soil is a bit heavy. And too much nitrogen fertilizer will make it weak and sappy, all leaves and little fruit, susceptible to bugs and diseases.

The older the tree gets, the less nitrogen it needs. Phosphorus and potassium are more important.

Mulch your mango tree heavily and spread a bit of compost every now and then. If your soil is reasonable that should be all the tree needs.

If the compost is made with wood ash, all the better. (Wood ash supplies potassium which will encourage fruiting and make the fruit taste better.) For mulch use only rough stuff like hay or lucerne, nothing that may mat down and become all soggy like grass clippings.

Fertilize mango trees in spring and summer only, and only a little at a time.

A good way of helping the tree is foliar spraying with fish fertilizer or seaweed solution. It provides trace elements and avoids deficiencies, but it doesn't overfeed.

But your best bet, even on very poor soil, is still lots of organic matter by way of compost and mulch.

When the tree is one metre high, cut it back by a third so it branches.

When those branches get to a metre, cut the tips off again.

That should give you a nice shaped tree.

Pruning a mango tree

Mangoes respond very well to pruning. And they are forgiving. Whatever you mess up, it will grow back...

Mangoes grow terminal flowers (they flower at the tip of a branch), so the more branches you have the better the crop. You can encourage lateral branching with tip pruning. (Only taking off the tips of branches.)

You should also aim for an open crown, taking out whole branches if the centre becomes too crowded, so that air and light can penetrate.

You can use pruning to keep your tree a manageable size and a nice shape. Mango tree growing too tall? Cut it down. Too wide? Cut it back.

Pruning mangoes is not a science. In fact, the commercial growers here hire a big, scary machine with a long arm with three huge rotating blades.

The machine drives along the rows and gives the trees a good hair cut so they all end up exactly the same height and width... You can do something similar by hand if you want to keep your tree a certain size.

Usually mango pruning is done after harvest, though in some cooler areas the preferred time is just before flowering.

Ideally you prune only a little bit every year. If you let a mango tree grow much too big first, and then cut it back to a third of its size, the tree will likely skip the next crop... (Cut it back to a stump and it will take two years or more. But amazingly they will grow back even from that!)

Having said all that, after the initial cuts to encourage branching as mentioned in the previous section, you don't HAVE to prune a mango tree. If you don't mind having a real big tree, mangoes grow and fruit very well without pruning!

Flowering, fruit set and harvesting mangoes

Mangoes flower profusely and self pollinate very well.

The flowering is triggered by cool nights. In the true tropics a severe cold snap will bring out masses of flowers. For us a severe cold snap is a night below 15°C. In years where it doesn't get so cold we end up with poor crops.

(But there are mango varieties that flower well even when it doesn't get so cold... That's why I grow a dozen different ones.)

In colder climates it can easily be too cold for mango flowers to be viable. Selecting cold hardier varieties is important for you. (Nam Doc Mai would be a suitable variety in Australia.)

Initially you may see masses of tiny mangoes on your flower panicles, but the tree will shed a lot of them and keep only what it can handle. So don't worry if you see a lot of them drop off.

The mangoes will grow bigger and plumper, and eventually they will start to change colour. How long that takes depends on your climate. The hotter the weather the faster the mangoes ripen.

Usually your mangoes will be ready by the beginning of the wet season (late spring/early summer).

If your mangoes get eaten (wild birds, bats, possums, the neighbour's kids...) you can pick them half green. They will ripen at room temperature. (Ha! My rooms are about 40°C at that time of the year... when they say room temperature they mean 18-22°C.)

Be careful when harvesting mangoes, don't get any of the sap on you. The sap can spurt from the fruit stem when it snaps off and can cause burns, allergies and dermatitis.

It also burns the skin of the mango, which will go rotten at that spot.
(Doesn't matter if you eat it straight away, but it does when you pick them half green.)

The best way to harvest mangoes is to cut them off with a long section of stem still attached, and to handle them carfully so that the stem does not snap off.

Mango pests and diseases

The most serious mango disease is anthracnose, a fungus that can cause the flowers to go black and fall off. It also causes black spots on stem and small fruit, leaves may go brown...

Some varieties are more susceptible to it then others and it's worse in wet weather. It is worst in areas where it rains during flowering and fruit set. In areas with dry winters anthracnose can often be seen only once the fruit ripens. It develops black patches that go rotten...

Unless you want to spray nasty stuff, like copper solution or fungicides, you may have to live with anthracnose and accept some losses. A healthy tree with strong cell walls will show less infections than a weak one. So keep piling on that compost and spraying that seaweed...

There are many newer mango varieties that show good resistance to anthracnose. Get one of those if you live in a climate with winter rains!

Any other mango pests and diseases, like fruit spotting bugs and borers and whatever else is around, should be kept in check if you have a diverse permaculture garden that encourages beneficial insects.

One more hint is to forsake neatness and leave your lower mango tree branches drooping onto the ground. When everything else has been stung, sucked and eaten, there are usually still mangoes hiding under there...

Can you grow mangoes indoors?

Nope. But you can grow mangoes in pots! So if it is just a little bit too cold in winter where you are, you can buy a dwarf variety and grow it in a tub and bring it inside during the coldest time of the year.

However, even a mango tree growing in a pot still needs lots and lots of heat and sun in summer. Growing mangoes indoors won't do!