Plants used for Food
By Patrick Janeway
Fruits
African Cucumber
Pitaya
Yangmei
Yangmei, also called red bayberry, yamamomo or Myrica rubra , is a type of sweet fruit native to Asia. It is almost unheard of in the United States, although the tree can be found growing along many urban streets. The fruit is very high in vitamin C which will help your body fight deseases and has been cultivated for thousands of years in China, where today it is eaten raw, fermented into alcoholic beverages, and used to produce a distinct reddish dye that is extracted from the bark of the tree.
The tree grows up to 10 meters in temperate environments. The yangmei fruit ripens on the tree during summer, with a very small ripeness window of only a few weeks. The tree is an evergreen, with pale silvery bark and slender green leaves. It is often planted in areas with poor soil because it is a nitrogen fixer and will replenish the soil it is grown in. For this reason, it makes an excellent crop for fields that need long term nitrogen restoration, because it will produce profitable fruit while renewing the soil.
Durian
The Durian or Durio grows and in Asia and is native to Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. its is well know as the king of all fruits and can becomes up to 30 centimetres long with an average mass of 1-2 kilograms. It releases a oder that has been described as rotting fleash. The smell has been described as a combination of turpentine, gym socks and rotten onions. Some people have said it tasted like a rich custard highly flavored with almonds. The durian plant only blooms at night which gives bats a chance to collect the pollen and carry it to another Durian plant.
Salak
Salak (Salacca zalacca) is a species of palm tree. It is native ton Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia.It is a very short-stemmed palm, with leaves up to 6 metres long, each leaf has a 2-metre long petoile with spines up to 15 centimetres long, and numerous leaflets. It take about four years until its first crop.
flowers develop from June. Hand pollinate from male varieties onto bisexual varieties. (see note). Fruit take 6 months to mature. Pick bunch when the individual fruit are easily picked. Must not show green colour under the skin. It most remain High temperature and humidity required throughout the year. Frost tender and sun sensitive when young. High and continuous water requirement. It is generally eaten fresh but can be pickled or hot packed into syrup. Apple texture and pineapple sweetness gives
good possibilities in pies etc.
Jack Fruit
Hala Fruit
The fruit can be eaten raw and cooked and is a major source of food in Miroesia. The fibrous nature of the fruit also serves as a natural Dental Floss. The tree's leaves are often used as flavoring for sweet dishes such as kaya jam, and are also said to have medicinal properties. It is also used in Sri Lankan cookery, where the leaves are used to flavor a variety of curries. Leaves were used by the Polynesians to make baskets, mats or Outrigger. Pandanus tectorius naturally grows in coastal regions, such as on mangrove margins and beaches, at elevations from sea level to 610 m.It requires 1,500–4,000 mm of annual rainfall.
Conclusion
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya
http://www.fruitsinfo.com/African-cucumber-Exotic-fruits.php
http://listverse.com/2011/07/23/20-more-fruits-you-probably-dont-know/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salak
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=african+cucumber&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=nVw7U-67KcnYkgXCmYCYAg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=872
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=african+cucumber&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=n
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=african+cucumber&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=nVw7U-67KcnYkgXCmYCYAg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=872#q=african+cucumber+tree&safe=active&tbm=ischhttp://www.google.com.au/search?q=salak&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=oWM7U7HKN4OqkAWLloCQCQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=872
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=the+scientific+name+for+afriacan+cucumber#q=the+scientific+name+for+african+cucumber&safe=active&spell=1
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=the+scientific+name+for+pitaya&safe=active&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=QWU7U_a3BoLTkAWq64CoAQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=1280&bih=872&dpr=1
http://www.google.com.au/search?
q=jackfruit&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Jd08U-WSO47rkgXun4DQDw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=780#q=jackfruit&safe=active&tbm=isch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandanus_tectorius