Purple Pigeon Peas

In the time that I have been apologetically absent from active blogging duty, my neighbors have been busy accumulating garden specimens. Yes, I do have a previous post on pigeon peas; however, this one is purple! The  pea pods as well as the peas inside are purple. Of course, I was excited by this addition since:

1. Pigeon peas are delicious.
2. The theory goes that purple-coloured fruits and vegetables offer increased antioxidant benefits.

The flower...

Pigeon peas are photoperiodic and therefore coincide with one of the popular holidays-Christmas. While this post just missed FAO's 2016 International Year of Pulses, anytime is the best time to celebrate the nutritive role of pulses in a balanced diet. Usually they are grown without pesticides, another food safety advantage that the conscious foodie might celebrate. And who can deny the benefit that domestic production affords to household economics?

The fruit...

I have since grown plants and cooked of the harvest during the festive season. Apart from the caterpillar pests, I have had stiff competition from the birds who prefer it to the green variety. But thankfully they allowed me to scrape together a decent amount to prepare as a side for the Christmas meal.

...And the food.

Best wishes for your heart's happiness in this new year. And when the balance of life shall deal equal share of disappointments, best wishes for  literal and spiritual food to sustain your courage.

The Buzz About Breadfruit

Dear Breadfruit,

I have never doubted you.

Love,

Me

Breadfruit Progressive Portrait

A D.I.G blog post on breadfruit has been published. However, I am compelled to review the subject since coming across an increased number of online articles on breadfruit. Has it been my own lack of attention or is that breadfruit has under renewed (or new) attention?

• +GOOD Article: In providing a background to an article on a donation to the breadfruit cause, the Caribbean gets mentioned! The piece provides a historical background of breadfruit in the Caribbean:"When the sailors on the HMS Bounty mutinied in 1789, they were on a royal mission to procure breadfruit samples to cultivate a new food source for Caribbean plantation slaves". This context has long been used as an explanation into why the food is unpopular with many: "It’s just not that tasty. Slaves in the Caribbean refused to eat the fruit when it arrived in the late 18th century, and it took generations before breadfruit cuisine took hold in the region."The article describes the changing environment which has led to an increase of supporters on the breadfruit bandwagon.
• National Geographic Article: Could not agree more with Diane Ragone, Director of the Breadfruit Institute in her introduction to why breadfruit is a crop for food and nutrition security: "Well it is here and it has been here for a long time". Innovation does not have to be the next new thing; but to create solutions from existing resources.
• Huffington Post Article: The article describes breadfruit as "a new superfood".This is not the blog post to debate the term "superfood". The nutritional value of the crop is however undisputed-breadfruit is a source of carbohydrates (dietary fibre), fats and potassium and calcium.

A beautiful day for breadfruit

Beyond dining table conversations, breadfruit is now the subject of round table discussions. An International Breadfruit Conference is scheduled to take place at the University of the West Indies -St. Augustine Campus on July 5-10, 2015. The theme of the conference will be "Commercializing Breadfruit for Food and Nutrition Security". Sub-themes include:

• Historical perspectives/agricultural policies
• Germplasm collection, conservation, evaluation, distribution
• Propagation
• Post-harvest technology
• Economics, supply chain and value-chain analysis

Breadfruit root stock in propagation bins

While we count down the days to next year's conference, the Jamaican government aims to plant approximately 5000 breadfruit trees over the next six months as part of the project named "Trees That Feed Schools". Apart from the nutritional value, breadfruit requires minimal crop maintenance. The project's objectives are:

• Food and Nutrition Security, particularly for the benefit of youth in the school feeding programme.
• Reafforestation

More information can be sourced from online article.

Breadfruit plants in potting bags for sale at Barthe Propagation Station, Soufriere, Saint Lucia

You may also want to check out Facebook Pages dedicated to the promotion of breadfruit for food security and/or reafforestation:

• Global Breadfruit: https://www.facebook.com/GlobalBreadfruit
• Breadfruit Institute: https://www.facebook.com/BreadfruitInstitute

If you are not already the proud owner of the globally celebrated breadfruit, start today. For added encouragement, this breadfruit recipe is sure to convert you to a breadfruit believer.

Fruit Feature: Canistel

In this account of agventures (adVENTURES in AGgriculture), I can provide no justifiable explanation why this my first encounter with this fruit. I have never seen it sold in local farmers' market. Sadly, this is not a familiar fixture of home gardens. Maybe, others are in the same predicament as I: clueless about canistel.

Almost ripe canistel

A fruit is often imagined to be dripping of nature's nectar. But the canistel, like this source describes, is a "powdery" fruit. The green fruit ripens to yellow skin and yellow insides. Inside the flesh of the fruit are large, shiny brown seeds enclosed in what I can only describe as a fruity "plastic" casing. The texture of the fruit  pulp which is described as similar to a hard boiled egg has gained it the name Egg Fruit. This name may also be attributed to the colour of the insides and shape of the fruit itself. 

The delicious insides

Green canistel

First impresssions of Canistel

• Sweet! Very sweet. It tastes like apricot with a subtle undertone of sugar apple. No sooner had I completed the staging of the open canistel, when an ant came to the picnic by way of agreement.
• The texture of the fruit is like cooked sweet potatoes (another reference to the sweet taste). It's like a slice of cake...It's like desert and food in one!
• The scent, a heady pungence that I liken to that of apricot also. Before the fruit even forms, the scent of the flowers attract bees to the tree.

Although I have been told that the fruit is made into delicious drinks, a Google search will produce recipe results  such as ice-creams and pies. Nutritional value of canistel includes dietary fibre, carbohydrates, niacin, carotene, ascorbic acid, calcium and phosphorus.

Canistel flowers

Are you convinced yet that you should have this fruit tree in your yard? Propagated canistel plants can be sourced at the Barthe Propagation Station at Myers Bridge, Soufriere.

Additional sources:

Canistel Facts and Recipes

In A Nutmeg

Deconstructed Nutmeg

You may be familiar with those nutmegs shaking loosely in their tough outer casing. Or maybe you are further convenienced in having packaged powdered nutmeg. Nutmeg has both culinary and medicinal purposes. However there is more over the surface of the nutmeg story.

I encountered a colleague at an agricultural conference and one of his first comments was that he had assumed that I was a national of Grenada from my then Twitter cover photo of nutmeg. Contrary to those who would be so inclined, nutmeg is also grown in Saint Lucia and other Caribbean islands. Interestingly, according to this FAO source, nutmeg was first planted in the West Indies in Saint Vincent in 1802.

Most intriguing to me, is that there are female and male nutmeg trees. Further, it is only the female plant that is capable of producing fruit. This blog effectively captures my sentiments on this subject:

"Just imagine the shock of a nutmeg farmer when he realises that the plant that he has been watering, pampering is a useless male plant!"

This begs the question: How does one identify a female plant before it gets to the flowering stage??? Complicated and costly DNA analysis is out of reach to the small-scale farmer and definitely out of my reach too! 

I recently purchased a propagated plant which I was promised has a 75% chance of flowering. It has planted it out and I patiently await the approximated 5 years to maturity. However to increase these odds, I will plant a few more to add keep my lone plant company. This source suggests that for the home garden the plants be spaced 10m apart. Wish me luck!

Nutmeg tree photo being photobombed by coconut palms

Nutmeg fruits on tree branches

Did you know that the nutmeg on the tree is encased in fleshy rounded fruit? When ripe, this bursts into halves to reveal the oval shaped nutmeg outer casing. On this casing is a red,lace-like membrane called mace or aril. Mace also has spice properties. They can be used in the same recipes that you would the nutmeg itself to add another dimension of flavour. The shell is then cracked to obtain the nutmeg seed.

Close up of nutmeg fruit

Nutmeg aflame-I am hot about nutmeg and it is hot about me too

While the nutmeg seed is a commercial product, I have yet to see mace on local supermarket shelves. An older generation birdie told me that the best fruit jams are made with mace for spice and I make it my duty to source them directly from the farmer. As with all things, there can be no substitute for freshness!

A Lesson in Grafting

Generally, flowering trees reproduce by seed. However, when flowers are cross-pollinated, the seed that develops in the fruit after fertilization contains genetic properties from two different plants. Therefore, the tree that develops when the new tree develops will not exhibit the same traits as the parent plant. Grafting provides a solution to the dilemma of how to get the exact tastiness, texture, firmness and other preferred traits replicated for future enjoyment. As you can imagine, grafted plants are the choice of the farmers.

Today I am fortunate to witness, refresh and broaden my knowledge on the process of grafting fruit trees. The subjects today are cocoa trees. 

1. The scion selections are prepared: The top is wrapped with a strip of plastic; The end to be fitted into the stock is trimmed into a wedge shape. It is important that the scion must be about the same size of the stock: not too big and not smaller.

Skilled hands

 2. Stocks are neatly cut off.

 3. A cleft is made down the middle of the stock.

4. The scions are inserted into the stock

5. The graft union is securely wrapped with another strip of plastic. This is meant to prevent water entry and prevent the growth of fungus. The new growth of the graft will gradually stretch and break through the plastic strips.

The finished product!

It is an optional step to spray around the completed graft union with the fungicide, Kocide for added measure. Growth progress is checked in fifteen (15) days.

Other tree crops which are propagated by the grafting method are mangoes and citrus.

Additional Source: 

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/fruit/grafting-and-budding-fruit-trees/