Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Yellow Mangosteen

Latin Name: 

Garcinia xanthochymus or Randia fitzalanii

Physical Description: 

This small tree (up to 20 feet) has large glossy leaves with beautiful white, star-shaped, gardenia-scented flowers clusters. The round yellow fruit is very tart with several segments.

Usage: 

Yellow Mangosteens are eaten fresh, although the tree is generally cultivated for the pretty white flowers.

Factoids: 

Yellow Mangosteens are not relatives of the Mangosteen family, rather they are members of the Gardenia family. They are from South East Asia, where they are called Kandis.

Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Tomato

Latin Name: 

Solanum lycopersicum

Physical Description: 

Tomatoes are a sprawling plant 3-10 feet tall, with small yellow flowers and a weak woody stem. The leaves and stem are hairy. The fruit ranges in size from small (Cherry Tomato), medium (Early Girls and Plum Tomatoes) to large (Beefsteak)! Tomatoes are colorful - yellow, orange, red, deep red, purple - you name it!

Usage: 

Commonly mistaken for a vegetable, tomatoes can be served raw as a salad. Cooked, they make great pasta or pizza sauces. High in vitamin A and C, low in calorie content, and contains anti-oxidant lycopene (helps prevents cancer), tomatoes are great contribution to a healthy diet.

Factoids: 

Tomatoes have been cultivated since 500 B.C.E. by the Aztecs. They were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers in the latter 15th or early 16th century. Today, there are about 7,500 varieties commonly grown!

Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Marina Strawberry Tree

Latin Name: 

Arbutus unedo

Physical Description: 

This evergreen tree has large dark green leaves, attractive pink bell shaped flowers and strawberry-like fruit.

Usage: 

The fruit is seedy and have best flavor when turning dark crimson, but more attractive food for birds then humans. However, this tree everything urban gardener could ask for: fast growing, disease resistant, changes colors beautifully, with non-invasive roots.

Factoids: 

"The Garden of Earthly Delights", a mysterious painting by Hieronymus Bosch, was listed in the inventories of the Spanish Crown as "the picture with the strawberry-tree fruits".

Harvesting Season
From: 
November
To: 
December
Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Velvet Apple

Latin Name: 

Mabolo

Physical Description: 

Velvet Apple trees are evergreen. It produces velvety orangish fruit, similar to medium size apples. The fruit has sweet peach-like flavor but smells like cheese!

Usage: 

To eliminate the funky odor, peel the fruit and chill it for couple of hours. Velvet Apples are good source of iron, calcium and vitamin B.

Factoids: 

Velvet Tree or Mabolo is native to Philippines. It is also known as Peach Bloom in India, or Sagalat in Malaysia.

Harvesting Season
From: 
N/A
To: 
N/A
Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Viburnum

Latin Name: 

Viburnum

Physical Description: 

Viburnum fruit is produced within their five-petaled flowers. The fruit is oval, red to purple, blue and black and contains a seed.

Usage: 

Eaten raw or in jams, Viburnums are considered the most versatile and gardenworthy of shrubs due to their fragrant flowers, colorful fruits and stunning fall foliage.

Factoids: 

During the prehistoric times, the long straight shoots of Viburnums were used for arrow shafts - one was found with

Harvesting Season
From: 
N/A
To: 
N/A
Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Walnut

Latin Name: 

Juglans

Physical Description: 

Walnut trees may grow up to 130 feet, with large fern like leaves consisting of 5-25 leaflets. The walnut kernel consists of two bumpy lobes that resemble abstract butterflies.

Usage: 

Walnuts are widely eaten raw and in cooking. Green nuts can preserved in vinegar or made into nocino. They are considered "brain food" - not because of their brain-like appearance - because of the high levels of omega 3 fatty acids.

Factoids: 

Walnut shells are considered environmentally friendly and recyclable soft grit abrasive - used to clean soft metals, fiberglass, plastics, wood and stone.

Harvesting Season
From: 
September
To: 
November
Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

White Sapote

Latin Name: 

Casimiroa edulis

Physical Description: 

This evergreen tall tree (up to 80 feet) has densely branched canopy, which droops when mature; in spring, they are covered with small odorless greenish-yellow flowers. The fruit also ranges in color from green to yellow, and is oval or round and 1-6 inches in diameter. The custard-like fruit is delicious, similar to peach and banana with hint of bitterness.

Usage: 

White Sapotes are eaten chilled and fresh, but are also great in ice-cream and shakes. They are best harvested when they begin to ripen, because they ripe fruit get bruised or smashed easily.

Factoids: 

In Mexico they are called "sleepy sapote" because they are believed to have a soporific effect.

Harvesting Season
From: 
November
To: 
June
Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Wineberry

Latin Name: 

Rubus phoenicolasius maxim

Physical Description: 

This shrub has distinctive red hairs and small spines, which give the stems a reddish color when seen from a distance. The leaves consist of three heart shaped leaflets. Similar to raspberries, Wineberry bushes bear bright red, unbelievably sweet and delicious fruit.

Usage: 

Wineberries are often eaten fresh, but they also make great wine - that's where the name comes from!

Factoids: 

Wineberry is a great example of one person's fruit being another person's weed. Due to its invasive nature, it is considered a significant pest of agricultural and natural ecosystems in many parts of the US.

Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Sumac

Latin Name: 

Rhus coriaria

Physical Description: 

Sumac is a bushy shrub up to 10 ft tall. Small white flower are followed by dense clusters of fruit, each enclosed in hairy red/brown covering. Individual berries are round, up to quarter inch in diameter.

Usage: 

Sumac berries are dried and crushed to form a coarse purple-red powder, an essential ingredient in Arabic cooking for its sourness and astringency - used instead of lemons. It is rubbed on kebabs, put in salad dressings or often mixed with yogurt. Deep red color makes sumac power attractive garnish. Sumac leaves are used for leather tanning, making it light and flexible.

Factoids: 

"The seed of Sumach eaten in sauces with meat, stoppeth all manner of fluxes of the belly..." (Gerard, 1597) Some spices of Sumac are similar to Poison and Poison Oak, and can cause allergic reactions. Since goats don't mind eating bark, they are considered an efficient removal method, helping prevent new shoots.

Submitted by Oriana on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:12pm

Surinam Cherry

Latin Name: 

Eugenia uniflora

Physical Description: 

The Surinam Cherry is a large shrub or small tree up to 25 ft tall. New leaves are bronze colored, turning into glossy green before winter when they turn red and fall off. This lobed fruit with five to eight ridges is tart when green and orange, but its sweetness increases with color - dark red and black - and splits when ripens.

Usage: 

A great source of vitamin C, Surinam cherries are excellent chilled and make perfect addition to drinks. Some fruit may have resinous taste, which can be eliminated if pitted and chilled for two to three hours before serving. These dense bushes are perfect as hedges or natural screens in gardens.

Factoids: 

After being introduced to Bermuda for ornamental purposes, it grew out of control and is currently on their list of invasive plants.

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