Fruit Plants A to Z

 

 

Apple

 

• Adam and Eve to Sir Isaac Newton, they have inspired us for centuries
• come in many types: sweet, sour, tart etc..
• good in harsh climate

 

Apricot

 

• sweet tangy flavor.
• Eat them fresh, dried, jams

 

Avocado

 

• monounsaturated fat
• best eaten raw

 

Bananas

 

• rich in potassium, riboflavin, niacin, fiber
• high energy value
• low-salt, low-fat, cholesterol-free
• Hundreds of different varieties

 

Blueberries

 

• have cancer-fighting antioxidants
• need acidic soil

 

Cantaloupe

 

• melon family, grow faster than watermelon or honeydew
• Harvest when they have sweet aroma and yield slightly to thumb

 

Cherries

 

• sweet and tart
• Sweet are deep red, orange, black
• Tart are bright red
• eaten fresh, dried, pies, jams

 

Custard Apple

 

• thick scaly skin and soft smooth flesh with seeds
• pick before fully ripe, allow 4 days for firm fruit to ripe
• good source of vitamin C, fiber, magnesium, potassium

 

Dates

 

• extremely nutritious, been around for thousands of years
• iron, natural sugars and much much more
• There are many varieties, native to middle east

 

Dewberry

 

• wild berry grows throughout North America, similar to raspberries
• grow on bushes, sweet but tart flavor
• Eat fresh, dried, jams, candied, pies

 

Durian

 

• disgusting smell
• eaten fresh, chilled, discarding seeds
• rich custardy flesh
• eaten fresh,ice cream,shakes, jam, cakes

 

Elephant Fruit

 

• small brown fruit covered in a hard green husk
• native to Asia

 

Fig

 

• One of the oldest cultivated fruits that can be dated 5,000 B.C.
• native to Middle East
• eaten fresh, dried, powder, coffee substitute

 

Guava

 

• eaten raw
• high in vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber

 

Grapes

 

• contain resveratrol
• easy to grow, pick type that is best suited for your climate
• Eat fresh, dried, juice

 

Honeydew

 

• Sweet flavor
• ripe when rind feels fuzzy

 

Horned Melon

 

• Native to Africa, South America, Asia
• frows on vine, ripe when shell is yellowish-orange with horns
• The flesh is green and seedy and tastes like a banana.

 

Jabuticaba

 

• Native to Brazil ( Brazilian grape tree)
• very sweet
• trunk produces large deep purple fruit
• eaten fresh, dried, wine

 

Jackfruit

 

• unripe seeds and flesh has a vegetables
• ripe fruit eaten fresh as well, slightly different taste

 

Kiwi

 

• native to China then New Zealand
• named after New Zealand official bird
• sweet tangy flesh, skin no eaten

 

Kumquat

 

• The golden orange of china
• eaten fresh, dried, cooking, syrup, marmalade
• contains lots of vitamins and minerals

 

Lychee

 

• subtropical fruit
• reddish shell, juicy sweet white flesh
• eaten fresh, dried, jams

 

Mangosteen

 

• doesn’t resemble or taste like mango
• flavor is described as indescribable
• shape of an apple, brownish-purple fruit

 

Mammee Apple

 

• Found in South America, Hawaii, Africa, Asia
• sweet flavor, eaten fresh
• large orange fruit, thick rind

 

Mango

 

• stringy membranes, pine-like taste, you either love it or hate the flavor
• eaten fresh, jams, cooking, smoothies, sauces

 

Nectarine

 

• sweet juicy flesh, colors vary from white to yellow and orange
• eaten fresh, pies, ice cream, jams
• Colors ranges from silvery white or yellowy orange to pinkish red.
• white flesh ones are the best and most expensive
• flavor described as cross between peach/ plum, but are smooth-skinned peach

 

Noni

 

• native to Asia
• strong stench when ripe
• known as the vomit fruit/ cheese fruit
• very nutritious

 

Olive

 

• YES it is a fruit, very healthy
• processed in salt in countless ways around the world
• native to Middle East, southern Europe
• has been cultivated for thousands of years

 

Passion fruit

 

• purple is the most popular one, teh size of a chicken egg
• eaten fresh, salads, drinks, ice cream, sorbets, desserts
• fragrant, sweet, slightly tart flesh

 

Papaya

 

• large orange-red or yellow tropical fruit
• flesh is creamy juicy and sweet
• very healthy full of vitamins and minerals
• large black seed that is edible, crushed as spice
• eaten fresh, dried, desserts, ice bream, smoothies

 

Paw Paw

 

• sweet flavor, taste like a cross between banana/ mango
• native of eastern United States
• yellow-green skin, soft orange flesh, creamy custard consistency

 

Peach

 

• flesh is juicy, sweet and aromatic
• eaten fresh, dried, jams, desserts, canned,ice cream, smoothies
• trees only produce fruit for 10/15 years
• grow well in regions with mild winters

 

Pear

 

• contain vitamin A, C, potassium, riboflavin
• deteriorate quickly
• flesh can range from soft/sweet/juicy to firm, mild apple flavor to grainy/ gritty
• wide variety around the world
• colors: green, red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow
• eaten fresh, jams, ice cream, smoothies, desserts, cooking
• contain fiber, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins

 

Persimmons

 

• native to Japan, but frown arounf the world
• resembling a tomato (berries)
• skin is smooth and changes from yellow to red when ripe
• eaten fresh, desserts, salads, baking, jam
• flesh is soft tangy with fibrous texture
• Some other name: divine fruit, wheat of Zeus, Gods pear, Jove’s fire
• two types: astringent and non-astringent
• Before ripening they have a chalky bitter taste

 

Pineapple

 

• flesh is sweet juicy and sometimes tart
• eaten fresh, dried, jams, dessert, cooking, juice, ice cream, smoothies
• enzyme bromelain-helps digestion, wounds, pain
• cultivated from crown cutting

native to South America, Brazil, Paraguay

• rich source manganese, vitamin C, bromelain, but no essential nutrients

 

Plums

 

• high in antioxidants
• ripe is plump and firm
• eaten fresh, dried, canned, jam, desserts, smoothies, ice cream
• native to East European, Caucasian mountains, Asia
• flavor range from sweet to tart
• hardy trees

 

Pomegranates

 

• skin is thin but tough, deep red color, filled with edible, tangy sweet seeds, crimson pulp
• red/purple in color
• seeds eaten fresh, salads, juice, smoothies, ice cream, desserts
• native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan
• cultivated since ancient times
• drought tolerant, tolerant moderate frost

 

Pomelo

 

• native to Asia
• Similar to grapefruit
• flesh yellow to pink, flesh is sweet

 

Rambutan

 

• native to Southeast Asia
• shell is bright magenta, with protruding green tentacles
• flesh is white, sweet acidic flavor

 

Quince

 

• wooly outer shell, astringent flesh
• flavor resembles pear/apple
• eaten fresh, cooking, jams, desserts, smoothies

 

Raspberry

 

• Tart sweet flesh , and juicy, raspberries are delicious eaten fresh or cooked.
• eaten fresh, dried, jams, juice, meads, wines, ice cream, sauces, smoothies
• grows in cold climates

 

Sapodillas

 

• tropical fruit
• skin is brown and rough, flesh taste like sweet vanilla/banana custard
• unripe flesh is bitter
• native to southern Mexico, Central America
• grows tropical environments, dying easily if temps drop below freezing
• takes 5-8 yrs to bear fruit, yield fruit 2 x year,

 

Star Apple

 

• green to purple in color
• skin is smooth, flesh is translucent white, has seeds that form a star
• tropical tree, grows fast
• native to Greater Antilles, West Indies
• eaten fresh scooped from skin
• has many names: caimito, purple star apple, abiaba, estrella, milk fruit (milky juices inside), aguay.
• skin and rind are high in latex, not edible
• benefits: diabetes, rheumatism, anti-oxidant properties, antitussive

 

Star Fruit

 

• native to Southeast Asia, South Pacific, East Asia
• resembles a star
• eaten fresh, cooking, preserves, relishes, drinks

 

Strawberry

 

• easy to grow anywhere
• red color, sweet flavor
• eaten fresh, dried, jams, desserts, ice cream, drinks
• Is a fruit not a berry
• should be harvested every other day to maintain top quality

 

Tomatillo

 

• Is a fruit
• expensive to buy, very easy to grow
• needs plenty of space to grow,like you would tomatoes
• Harvest when papery husk begins to dry

 

Ugli fruit

 

• citrus hybrid, cross between tangerine/grapefruit
• high in vitamins and minerals
• tropical tree

 

Xylocarp

 

• hard woody fruit
• native to Vietnam, South Asia
• used in traditional cart making
• seeds are edible
• medicinal plant

 

Watermelon

 

• pick when ground spot in cream or yellow
• scrambling/ trailing vine
• native to southern Africa
• grown in tropical/ subtropical
• special kind of berry, hard rind and no internal division
• flesh is sweet juicy,deep red or pink in color, black seeds
• eaten fresh, fried, pickled
• rind is edible, after cooking
• can produce fruit within 100 days

 

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