Foot and Fire

Sweet Granadilla a.k.a. Banana Granadilla is a sweet version of passionfruit.  I love its pale sweet scent, subtle sweetness. Sweet it is so that it can be eaten in a jiffy, so very unlike the passionfruit which has a challenging sourness and best paired with salt when eaten.  #exoticfruit #granadilla #bananagranadilla #sweetgranadilla  #passionfruit 

I first came to see Calabash or Miracle Fruit at the Bat Sanctuary in Samal Island of Davao Del Norte. I got amazed at its shiny skind and the roundness of its shape. Before my father passed away in 2016, he brought home a tall seedling of this plant known to cure cancer. Now, in March 2019, we had our first harvests. So far, we harvested seven (7) fruits. The first three (3) was given to a research team from UP while I processed into juice what fell down from the tree and the last three were what I formally made into juice. (Still awaiting for the promise of this wonder fruit -- 6.21.19) The juice is colored black with sweet and pleasing sourness. It has this particular smell which wards you off if you're sensitive but it can be ignored. For its claim for some medicinal cure, its not bad.

             Who can still recall the small sour-sweet pitted fruit that has the taste and texture of starfruit or  balimbing?   This one almost slipped my mind if not for the local expression (among Hiligaynon-speaking in the Philippines), " daw bangkiling ang imo balhas" which translates to "your sweat looks like sour gooseberry."  Since we have a local word for it, I believe " bangkiling " is a native fruit here in the Visayas. When I was a child, I ate it plain or with salt. Its taste just tickled the tip of my tongue as I was trying hard to recall its local name. Photos below are grabbed from the web. Ownership reverts to respective owners.

This "Sarali" is a childhood fruit for everyone who grew up in the Visayan area of the Philippines. Also known as  Flacourtia jangomas or Indian Plum or coffee plum, Sarali is best enjoyed by pressing one fruit between one's palm, move it in circular motion until tender, and pop the soft flesh quickly in one's mouth save the seeds. Just like apple, this fruit oxidizes quickly and thus, gets dark brown easily. It can give one's teeth a nasty brown shade. Sour with a hint of sweet, this is a must-try fruit. I believe, the fruit has an economic value just like sarguellas and lanzones. *** *** *** ***  Related readings:  Possible Treatment of Diabetes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2959214/ Anti bacterial property:  http://www.ijplsjournal.com/issues%20PDF%20files/july2011/1.pdf