Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

[mountaingal]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

((rebel))...was feeling a little blue, so thought i'd do something that never fails to cheer me up - a thread about Jamaica's natural history...

ochi, soon come wid de soursop...just wanted to get in this little beauty, the starapple, the purple and the green varieties:


the trees are very tall, and have beautiful leaves, green on one side, copper on the other as seen in this pic:


here's the thing about starapples: they have a lot of latex like sap in the fruit, so they are known to be "binding" - eat too many of them and you get a severe case of constipation! also, the fruit doesn't drop from the tree when ripe, the tree holds on to the fruit. so if someone says you're mean like a starapple tree, they're not complimenting you, lol! we used to pick the fruit from the tree with long sticks.

[mountaingal]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

((DC)) was researching starapple when you posted...soon come wid jackfruit.

Nina - make sure you take an experienced person with you when you go fruit tasting/shopping in JA. Plenty fruit are "force ripe", meaning they LOOK ripe through some chemical process, but are not in fact, ripe on the inside. remember, the fruit has to have a definite, musky smell to be ripe.

okay, ochigal, here's soursop:



very versatile fruit, much loved for juicing, although i could eat a piece of soursop just by itself...mmmm...

my gran-aunty used to tie soursop leaves to her head when she felt poorly.

[SandiF]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

I think it's only 3 times I've eaten a custard apple, and I didn't quite like the taste.

'Tinkin' Toe



Actual Name: Hymenaea courbaril

Common Names: Jatoba, jatobá, stinking toe, algarrobo, azucar huayo, jataí, copal, Brazilian copal, courbaril, nazareno, Cayenne copal, demarara copal, gomme animee, pois confiture, guapinol, guapinole, loksi, South American locust

Part Used: Bark, resin, leaves

atoba is a huge canopy tree, growing to 30 m in height, indigenous to the Amazon rainforest and parts of tropical Central America. It produces bright green leaves, white, fragrant flowers that are pollinated by bats, and an oblong, brown, pod-like fruit with large seeds inside. The fruit is considered edible although hardly tasty; one of its common names, “stinking toe,” is used to describe the smell and taste of the fruit! In the Peruvian Amazon the tree is called azucar huayo and, in Brazil, jatobá. The Hymenaea genus comprises two dozen species of tall trees distributed in tropical parts of South America, Mexico, and Cuba.

Several species of Hymenaea, including jatoba, produce usable resins. At the base of the jatoba tree, an orange, sticky, resinous gum collects which is dug up and burned as incense, used in the manufacture of varnishes, and employed medicinally. Indians in the Amazon have long used this copal resin in magic rituals, love potions and in wedding ceremonies. The genus name Hymenaea is derived from Hymen, the Greek God of marriage, referring to the green leaflets that always occur in matching pairs. The resin of Hymenaea trees converts to amber through a remarkable chemical process requiring millions of years. During this process, volatile mono- and sesquiterpene phytochemicals leach out of the resin and nonvolatile diterpene chemicals bond together. This forms a hard polymer that is resistant to natural decay processes and the ravages of time. As portrayed in the Jurassic Park movies, amber of million-year-old Hymenaea trees have provided scientists with many clues to its prehistoric presence on earth as well as to the insects and other plants encased in it.

Jatoba also has an ancient history of use with the indigenous tribes of the rainforest. In addition to the resin, the bark of the tree is macerated by the Karaja Indians in Peru and Creole people in Guyana to treat diarrhea. In Ka’apor ethnobotany, jatoba is taken orally to stop excessive menstrual discharge, applied to wounded or sore eyes, and used as a vermifuge. It is used medicinally in the Peruvian Amazon for cystitis, hepatitis, prostatitis, and cough. In the Brazilian Amazon, the sap is used for coughs and bronchitis, and a bark tea is used for stomach problems as well as foot and nail fungus.

It would follow that jatoba has a long history of use in herbal medicine systems throughout South America. It was first recorded in Brazil in 1930. The bark was described by Dr. J. Monteiro Silva as being carminative, and astringent, and recommended for hematuria, diarrhea, dysentery, general fatigue, dyspepsia, constipation, bexiga, and hemoptysis. The resin was recommended for all types of upper respiratory and cardiopulmonary problems. According to Dr. Silva, whoever drinks jatoba bark tea feels “. . . strong and vigorous, with a good appetite, always ready to work.” In 1965, the traditional uses of jatoba were still being employed much as they had been since the ’30s, and a liquid extract called Vinho de Jatobá was widely sold throughout Brazil as a tonic and fortificant, for energy, and for numerous other disorders. In Brazilian herbal medicine today, jatoba bark and resin is still recommended for the same indications and problems as it has since 1930—and is documented to be tonic, stomachic, astringent, balsamic, antifungal, vermifuge, pectoral, and hemostatic. It is employed for diarrhea, prostatitis, cystitis, dysentery, intestinal colic, coughs, bronchitis, catarrh, asthma, and pulmonary weakness. Jatoba bark tea is still quite a popular drink among lumberjacks working in the forests in Brazil: it is a natural energy tonic that helps them to work long hours without fatigue. In traditional medicine in Panama, the fruit is used to treat mouth ulcers and the leaves and wood are used for diabetes. In the United States, jatoba is used as a natural energy tonic, for such respiratory ailments as asthma, laryngitis, and bronchitis, as a douche for yeast infections and as a decongestant. It is also used in the treatment of hemorrhages, bursitis, bladder infections, arthritis, prostatitis, yeast and fungal infections, cystitis, and is applied topically for such skin and nail fungus. At present, none of the research has indicated that jatoba has any toxicity. One study highlighted the mild allergic effect that jatoba resin may have when used externally.

Phytochemical anaylsis of jatoba shows that it is rich in biologically active compounds including diterpenes, sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, and oligosaccharides. The phytochemical makeup of jatoba is very similar to another resin-producing rainforest tree, copaiba, which is also featured in this book. Some of these same chemicals occuring in both plants (such as copalic acid, delta-cadinene, caryophyllene and alpha-humulene) have shown to exhibit significant cytotoxic, antimicrobial, antifungal and antitumor activities in clinical studies. In other research, another of jatoba’s phytochemicals, astilbin, was shown in a 1997 clinical study to provide antioxidant and liver-protective properties. Jatoba also contains terpenes and phenolics which are responsible for protecting the tree from fungi in the rainforest. In fact, the jatoba tree is one of the few trees in the rainforest that sports a completely clean trunk bark, without any of the usual mold and fungus found on many other trees in this wet and humid environment. These terpenes and phenolics have been documented in several studies over the years and the antifungal activity of jatoba is attributed to these chemicals. In addition to its antifungal properties, jatoba also has been documented to have anti-yeast activity against a wide range of organisms including Candida.

Other clinical studies have been performed on jatoba since the early 1970s which have shown that it has antimicrobial, molluscicidal, and antibacterial activities, including in vitro actions against such organisms as E. coli, Psuedomonas, Staphylococcus and Bacillus. In addition, a water extract of jatoba leaves has demonstrated significant hypoglycemic activity, producing a significant reduction in plasma glucose levels (which validates another traditional use).

Practitioners have long reported that jatoba has shown good results with acute and chronic cystitis and prostatitis. Many practitioners today are discovering that these chronic conditions can oftentimes be fungal in nature rather than bacterial. The widespread use of antibiotics to treat these types of cases can actually kill off friendly bacteria which live off fungi—and increase the chances of a fungal problem or encourage fungal growth—even to the point of making the condition chronic. When these types of chronic prostatitis and cystitis cases react so quickly and dramatically to jatoba supplements, is it probably from jatoba’s antifungal and anti-yeast properties at work, not its antibacterial properties.

Natural health practitioners in the United States are learning of jatoba’s many uses and employing it as a natural remedy for prostatitis and cystitis, as a healthful tonic for added energy (without any caffeine or harmful stimulants), and for many fungal and yeast problems such as Candida, athlete’s foot, and stubborn nail fungus. It is a wonderful, helpful natural remedy from an important and ancient rainforest resource.

Traditional Remedy: One-half to one cup bark decoction 1–3 times daily or 1–3 ml of a 4:1 tincture twice daily. A strong bark decoction or standard tincture diluted with water and a small amount of cider vinegar is used topically for skin or nail fungi or employed as a douche for yeast infections.

Contraindications: Jatoba leaves have been documented to have a hypoglycemic effect and, as such, should be used under practitioner supervision in those with hypoglycemia or on medication to lower their blood glucose levels.

Source http://www.rain-tree.com/jatoba.htm

[Ochigal]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

Originally posted by BND1999:
[qb] Ochigal.. if i come in july... you gonna do a tasting with me?? Would love to meander with you!!! [/qb]

Silly girl...do you have to ask? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Heck...Meander is my middle name. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[SandiF]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

My favourite fruit, the Otahitie Apple. Hmmm, mouth watering. Living in Barbican, we had two Otahitie Apple trees in the yard. The blossoms smelled heavenly, and the apples were simply delightfully succulent. Yummy.

Otahitie Apple Syzygium malaccense



Apple blossoms.

[mountaingal]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

i can almost feel my salivary glands begin to ache in my jaw corners as i type the name of this next fruit, tamarind:



the outer shell of the tamarind pod is brittle, and the inside flesh very sticky and SOUR:


tamarind balls (the flesh scraped off the seeds and mixed with sugar) are a popular Jamaican treat. the Trinidadians add a bit of pepper to the tamarind ball for a little kick - i love those ones: sweet, sour and spicy all in one.

the tamarind tree is very stately and beautiful, the leaves reminding me of the shame-old-lady plant.

[DC]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

Oh thank you ((MG)))!. Always liked your informative threads.. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Love those purple starapples; I just can't get into the green ones. When is starapple season? Is it around Christmas time? Can't remember...

the fruit doesn't drop from the tree when ripe, the tree holds on to the fruit.

Never knew this..

[mountaingal]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

mmmm...lovely pic of that otaheite apple, Sandi, and of the blossom - i'd forgotten what they looked like!

i've had rose apple a couple times...they're nice but the perfume of the fruit was a little disconcerting, felt i should be dabbing it on instead of eating it...

saw a mammee apple in the west indian store yesterday, but am not familiar with that fruit at all...

[DC]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

Originally posted by SandiF:
[qb] My favourite fruit, the Otahitie Apple. Hmmm, mouth watering. Living in Barbican, we had two Otahitie Apple trees in the yard. The blossoms smelled heavenly, and the apples were simply delightfully succulent. Yummy.

Otahitie Apple Syzygium malaccense



Apple blossoms.
[/qb]

I swear this was the apple in the Garden of Eden dat Eve ate..no wonda she cudden resist..lol

I just cannot get into American apples. After having tasted of our Jamaican apple, I just know I will not experience that same delicious mouth watering taste..

Bwoy, oonu really mek people want fi booka flight-just fi goh eat some of these fruits right now..

[tonirand]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

Moderators,

Please to lak dis dung!!.

I find this thread to be most offensive and I am deeply hurt at the cruelty of the posters.

Why go to the extent that you have to make me feel this way??

A which roadside stan oonoo si up yasso weh a sell dem nicle looking fruits deh? It nevva bad enuff dat oonoo mention di name oonoo did haffi post pictcha to??

Moderators, I repeat, pls to lak it dung. I cannot bear di trauma to mi likkle heart [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

(H)AnnA(H) run off gaan tek har meds before di place staat spin again. A wudda gi mi arm an leg an piece a mi chess fi get a bite outa one a dem neeseberry deh. Oh di trauma!!

[mountaingal]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

who remember the tall tale about guavas - that if you eat too many the seeds will collect in your tripe..?!? bwoy, the things we used to believe as pickney.

there are many varieties of guava, some have green skin when they're ripe, most have yellow skin. some have red inside, some have yellow, some are almost white, most have pink. all are fleshy and like most country pickney, i ate the skin and all. the tree doesn't grow very tall, the bark is slippery and the leaves are aromatic.

[mountaingal]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

Originally posted by (H)AnnA(H):
[qb] Moderators,

Please to lak dis dung!!.

I find this thread to be most offensive and I am deeply hurt at the cruelty of the posters.

Why go to the extent that you have to make me feel this way??

A which roadside stan oonoo si up yasso weh a sell dem nicle looking fruits deh? It nevva bad enuff dat oonoo mention di name oonoo did haffi post pictcha to??

Moderators, I repeat, pls to lak it dung. I cannot bear di trauma to mi likkle heart [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

(H)AnnA(H) run off gaan tek har meds before di place staat spin again. A wudda gi mi arm an leg an piece a mi chess fi get a bite outa one a dem neeseberry deh. Oh di trauma!! [/qb]

LOL! ((Anna)) hush me love. summertime, god spare we life, we go chinatown go pick up couple neeseberry...

[mountaingal]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

arite, who besides ochi, DC and me want jackfruit?



it is the largest fruit to grow on a tree.



they sell this fruit very expensive in chinatown, a little piece can cost $8. i find it almost unbearable to walk past some of the fruitstands in summer, the smell of the cut jackfruit is so intense and inviting. when i eat it, it's like eating sweet meat. the seeds are good boiled, i hear, but i can't remember much about that.

[tonirand]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

Aye MG,

Mi hed hat mi fi si dem. Mi sen wen mi go home mi boun fi get kallic cause mi a nyam di wol a dem one time!!

Laed mi tell yu. Mi did live beside a nice lady wah did have some big custad apple pon har tree an shi tell wi seh wi cudda pik dem wen wi want. All 3 time fi di maaning mi go tell har howdy do so mi cudda get one.

Not to mention di guava tree up di road. Mi still have di scar pon mi shin fram di day mi a try sneak troo di fence an bab wiyah ketch mi

Ah well..... dem were di days mi dear. Mi miss mi yaad [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[SandiF]

Re: Sweet! Jamaican fruits...

You know, MG, I feel the same way about Rose Apple. The scent is a bit too perfumy and heady. My mother used to use the rose apple leaf to make a tea, but I can't remember for what purpose. Must ask her...

The American apples cannot walk wid fi wi Otahitie Apple. In Portland on my father's family farm, they grow apple trees and mi a tell yu sey, one year I visited my uncle, and it was apple season. I nyam apple so til mi clide that day!