Hello, good evening, hummingbird friends,

Here we are in the middle of November, it's starting to get chilly 🥶… and nothing is more revitalizing than a good shot of… SUGAR! (Wait…What?) My compatriots might think that I've cracked. Indeed, our territories are heavily affected by this scourge called diabetes (more info here). So without getting into the debate about good or bad sugar, today I'm going to talk to you about natural vitamins. And not just any vitamins, those of our ancestors, through the fruits of their garden.

 

Obviously, fruits don't go without vegetables, we've heard it enough - "you have to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day" - so we'll also talk about the latter in a future article. For now, let's focus on: forgotten fruits!

 

The fruits

Like any good hummingbird, getting your sugar fix is essential. So from the following list, I would be very curious to know which of these fruits, slowly fallen into the oblivion of human memory, you know. I suggest you discover them by month, starting with the month of November... you never know, if you live in the islands, maybe one of them is just waiting to be picked in your garden:

• November

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• December

• January

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• FEBRUARY

 

 

 

 

 

 

• March

• April

• May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• June

 

 

 

 

 

 

• July

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• August

• September

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• October

Miracle fruit

 

 

There you have it… and as you can imagine, this is not an exhaustive list, because there are many other fruits to discover in our gardens.

But let's take a moment to look at five of them: brie, "coco boeuf", jackfruit, paroka and miracle fruit.

With such unique names, I think they are some of the most intriguing of our selection.

Brie

THE Brie is a small caimite. And for those who don't know what caimite is, I invite you to look it up in the dictionary - Hahaha... sorry I'm getting carried away and digressing (but it's a little nod to learning in the West Indies...). So if brie is from the same family as caimite, it is much rarer and harder to find than the latter. Green in color after flowering, it gradually turns purple as it ripens. There are two varieties: an elongated one and a round one. If its pulp is delicious as can be, as much as it sticks to the mouth (like caimite), it is also known to promote milk in pregnant women and maintain sperm production in men if consumed re-gu-larly.

The coconut beef

THE "coconut-beef" is a very fleshy and very fragrant variety of mango. This fruit therefore has nothing to do with the animal and even less with the coconut or the coconut tree (incidentally, a little clarification, we say "THE coconut" and "THE coconut", despite what some people might say). Although its shape might make one wonder if there might not be a link with bovine testicles. To be continued. That being said, it should be noted that the mango, in general, is one of the most consumed fruits in the world and there are many varieties. The most popular are the Julie mango and the Bassignac mango.

The Jack

THE Jack is the fruit of the jackfruit tree. Native to India and Bangladesh, it has been cultivated in most tropical regions of the world. Also called "poor man's fruit", the jackfruit or jack apple can be eaten green and cooked, or ripe and raw. Its seeds are toxic when raw but excellent when roasted, with a slight chestnut flavor. Its wood is hard and thin, yellow in color, it is used to make instruments, furniture and marquetry. Jackfruits are fruits with thick skin, yellowish when ripe, with stringy, sweet, juicy and very fragrant flesh. Good for health, they are a substitute of choice for vegetarians who want to find an alternative to meat, thanks to its consistency and its strong nutritional qualities.

The paroka

THE paroka is part of the Cucurbitaceae family. Also called manjé coolie, Mexican apple, Zindian apple, coolie apple or konkonm kooli, this fruit originating from India is found throughout the Antilles. Presented in the form of a climbing vine, it would not be surprising to come across it near parks or fences. Its small, very bright fruits, both green, yellow or red, have serrated edges. It opens when ripe to reveal its seeds surrounded by a bright red pulp. The properties of this small fruit are multiple, whether at the level of the leaves which have hypnotic virtues, or of the ripe fruit which contains charantine (hypoglycemic principle). It can be used to lower blood glucose levels in diabetics or for microbial, parasitic or viral infections. Be careful, the seeds are toxic, especially their arils. Precautions must therefore be taken, especially with children who are particularly sensitive to its harmful effects.

The miracle fruit

The latest in our selection is the miracle fruit. Such a name is rather difficult to bear but do you remember the scourge I was talking about at the beginning? Diabetes? Well, here is a fruit with extraordinary properties! Indeed, the miraculous fruit has the astonishing ability to transform acidic and acrid tastes into sweet and mild tastes. Yes, yes my hummingbirds, having tried it myself, I encourage you to do the test if you find some. Bite into a lemon after eating one of these berries and you will let me know... The sensation can last up to two hours depending on the person! So obviously, the scientific community is very interested in this fruit with improbable assets but if it cannot sweeten your coffee it can always trick your brain and thus allow you to reduce your sugar consumption.

 

After so much sweetness, are you ready to let yourself be charmed by our forgotten vegetables? Wait a minute, I'll let you digest it, and we'll see you in a future article 😄

 

Now I'm curious...what fruit didn't you know in this list? I'll read you in the comments!

And since we're on the subject, have you read my previous article on Soaking? It's over here!

 

Lina

 

Jujube