QUINCE FRUIT: QUINCE LEGENDS: QUINCE HEALTH BENEFITS, USES AND HISTORY: PICKLED QUINCES RECIPE

QUINCE (CYDONIA VUGARIS)

The quince seems to cause some confusion, so let me say here that we are writing about the quince which is a fruit, originating in the Caucasus region and Iran, where it still grows wild. Its Latin name was Pryus cydonia, but it is now known by the Latin name Cydonia vulgaris. There is a shrub called japonica or Japanese or flowering quince in English, but this is Chaemomeles speciosa in Latin and not to be confused.

  Quinces look a little like pears but are hard and have a dry, sour, astringent taste when eaten raw. They are best cooked and known as ideal fruit for making jellies and marmalade. They have a high pectin content, especially the seeds, so ideal for these purposes. Quince jelly is a dark orange or brown colour and made in Greece and Portugal. They also make wonderful preserves of quince in these two countries. In Iran and the Middle East quinces are used with meat for example in the tagine dishes of Morocco they go well with lamb.

quince jelly

   Scholars believe that quinces were in fact the “golden apples” which were the fruit of the Forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden and the ones that Atalanta found so enchanting in Virgil’s work. It is believed that Paris gave Aphrodite a quince and it is considered to be her fruit and that of her Roman counterpart, Venus. She is often depicted with one in her right hand. Some wall-paintings and mosaics in Pompeii have a bear holding a quince in its paw. Plutarch mentions quinces as being shared by a bride and groom in the bridal chamber, and the ancient Greeks threw them into bridal chariots. The bride would nibble on one to sweeten her breath before entering the bedroom. The best variety of the ancient world reputedly came from the Greek city of Cydonia which was on the north coast of Crete and is now Chania. Quinces are still cultivated in the area.

They became symbols of love and fertility in the Middle Ages when they were also served at wedding feasts.

   Edward Lear the British nonsense rhyme poet lived for years in Greece and perhaps that’s why in his rhyme “The Owl and the Pussy Cat” the unlikely honeymooners “dined on mince and slices of quince.” Peter Quince was one of the rustics in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, so quinces were known in Britain in the 17^th century.

   You can actually eat some quinces raw, but if you do you should sprinkle them with lemon juice as the react badly to the air just like avocados and go brown quickly.

   They are filled with vitamin C and antioxidants so they help the body absorb calcium and iron and fight free radicals which damage the cells and also help protect against some cancers. They contain the minerals calcium, iron, copper, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, and the B-complex vitamins, niacin (B3), vitamin B6, and Folate (B9).The syrup made from the fruit is useful for diarrhea, and a decoction of the seeds is used in traditional medicine to help in cases of dysentery, and gonorrhea. It is thought that they may have potent anti-viral properties and be beneficial for gastric ulcers. The juice is a tonic, antiseptic astringent and diuretic. It aids digestion and lowers cholesterol if you eat quinces and drink the juice regularly. The potassium contained in them helps to regulate high blood pressure. The antioxidants help control your stress levels and the fruit is good for anaemia sufferers, and for asthma and cardiovascular disease. In Peru quinces are given to people suffering from altitude sickness and vomiting.

PICKLED QUINCES

Ingredients

3 medium-sized quinces,

750 ml cider vinegar

400 gr sugar

12 juniper berries

8-10 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf torn

Method

Pour the vinegar into a stainless steel pan with the sugar, juniper berries, black peppercorns and bay leaf, and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer while you peel core and halve the quinces. Cut them into 5 pieces lengthways and then lower them carefully into the pan. Cook for 20 – 25 mins or until the quince pieces can be easily pierced with a skewer.

Remove the pan from the heat, lift out the pieces of fruit and put them into clean storage jars. Cover them with the liquid, seal and allow to cool.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

KUMQUATS: KUMQUATS HEALTH BENEFITS, USES AND HISTORY: HOW TO MAKE KUMQUAT TISANE

KUMQUATS (FORTUNELLA JAPONICA)

Kumquats come into their own around Christmas time, when they are frequently preserved in brandy or pickled. You can eat them raw, skins too although they have a tart flavour.You can also find candied kumquats. They are believed to be native to China, as there are references to their cultivation in manuscripts dating back to 1176 AD.

   They were brought back from China to London by a plant explorer, Robert Fortune, a Scot who was employed by the Royal Horticultural Society, in 1846. He brought back the Nagumi variety which is the one most often cultivated in the sunnier states of the USA. They have been grown in pots and in greenhouses as ornamental plants, as well as eventually for their fruits since the mid 19^th century, when all things “exotic” were swooped upon by the fashionable gentry in Britain and the US.

   Their Chinese name means “gold orange” and the trees are bought as New Year gifts to symbolize good luck in male-female relationships. They are also good luck symbols and in Japan bonsai kumquat trees are given as gifts at New Year.

   At first they were classified as Citrus but Dr. Walter T. Swingle transferred them to the Fortunella category in 1915 in honour of Robert Fortune. There are moves to remove them to the Citrus group once again though, as they are citrus fruits.

   Kumquats can rarely be grown successfully from seed, as they do not grow good firm roots. Instead they are grafted onto citrus root stocks, such as lemons. When you see them in the shops around Christmas time they usually have their leaves attached, a sign of the festive season, rather like mistletoe, holly and other evergreen sprays, a throwback to our pagan past when we celebrated the winter solstice quite differently.

   They are high in vitamins and trace elements, and contain many of the B-complex vitamins as well as Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. They are high in potassium and vitamin C and are good to cure colds. They are believed to be useful to heal wounds, for general oral health, and they boost the immune system and improve general health, with the vitamin C promoting the absorption of calcium and iron by the body. They can protect the cardiovascular system and reduce the pain in arthritic joints.

  You can make a hot drink with kumquats which is good for getting rid of a cold. Wash 10 kumquats and cut them in half. Squeeze the juice out of them into a teapot, add the halves and pour boiling water over them. Let the kumquats steep for 5 mins, covered and drink, sweetened with honey or gur (jaggery).

BRANDIED KUMQUATS

Ingredients

1 lb kumquats

¾ lb sugar

brandy

Method

Layer the kumquats and sugar in a Kilner or Mason jar and cover them with brandy, leaving 1” at the top of the jar. Seal the jar and turn it upside-down once a day for a week to move the sugar which sinks to the bottom. Put the jar back in its original upright position each time.

   After a week you can leave it for two months in a cool dark place and serve with amoretti biscuits and cream.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

WHAT IS JAMALGOTA? CROTON TIGLIUM: A POWERFUL LAXATIVE AND BIO - FUEL

JAMALGOTA, CROTON TIGLIUM AND JATROPHA CURCA(S)

Jamalgota is the Urdu name for the medicine from the two plants, Croton tiglium and Jatropha curca or curcas. The crushed leaves of jamalgota, Croton tiglium, are mainly used as a laxative for very persistent constipation, and are one of the most potent laxatives known to man. Croton tiglium is native to Pakistan, India, New Guinea, Indonesia and China and grow wild all over the Philippines. Traditional healers use this plant for many purposes, but they have knowledge which the layman does not have and know the doses and mixtures which make plants health giving rather than deadly. Four seeds of Croton tiglium can kill an adult, and 15 will kill a horse.

 These hakims or healers use the plant for treating gastroenteritis, throat problems, for abortions, eczema and mastitis. Applied externally, the crushed leaves which are the laxative part of the plant are applied to snake bites. The oil from jamalgota contains an insecticide and is a skin irritant.

   The oil from Jatropha Curcas is used to get rid of cancerous skin growths. However it can also contribute to them. The latex from this plant contains the alkaloid jatrophine which is being investigated for its possible anti-cancer properties. It is applied on the skin to cure various diseases and as a treatment for rheumatism. The twigs from the plant are used to clean the teeth, and the root juice to treat piles. The roots of Jatropha curcas are used to treat snake bites. 

The bark produces a dark-blue dye. The tusser silkworm is rather partial to its leaves, apparently. The fruit and wood from this tree is used as fuel.

      The oil cannot be used as a food until it goes through an expensive detoxification process so it is an ideal candidate for making bio-fuel. It was used in Madagascar, Benin and Cape Verde as fuel during the Second World War. Now it is cultivated as an oil crop in South America and elsewhere, and the by-products can be made into high quality paper, soap, cosmetics, toothpaste and embalming fluid. It can also be found in cough medicines and is used as a moistener in tobacco. After the oil has been extracted the seed cake can also be used as fertilizer. Because the seed contains 25-30% oil, and the kernel between 50 and 60% oil it makes the plant ideal for producing bio-fuel. It is an oleic-linoleic oil as it consists of 42.8% oleic acid and 32.8% linoleic acid. There are plans to cultivate the plants in Pakistan for bio-fuel as exporting and using it domestically would be very beneficial to the economy.

 

CRANBERRIES: KARONDA ( VACCINIUM OXYCOCCUS): HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY SAUCE

 CRANBERRIES, KARONDA (VACCINIUM OXYCOCCUS)

Cranberries, the red berries used in sauces as accompaniments to Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys are not the same as the European cranberry which is in fact the Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) whose berries are not edible.

   The cranberry is native to North America and was highly prized by the Native Americans for its health properties long before the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers. In some tribes it was a symbol of peace too. The Native Americans recognized the berry’s astringent qualities and used them in poultices to heal wounds. They have anti-bacterial qualities and are anti-asthmatic and diuretic. They are well-known for treating urinary tract infections such as cystitis and contain the anti-inflammatory substance, quercetin and proanthocyanidins which prevent bacteria sticking to the cells of the urinary tract and gut. Thus they help flush out bacteria such as E.coli in urine; they are diuretic. They also contain a potent vasodilator which opens up the bronchial tubes making them effective in the treatment of asthma. Cranberries also contain myricetin a flavonoid which is thought to have the ability to lower the risk of male prostate cancer.

   Cranberries are high in vitamin C which boosts the immune system and aids the body in its absorption of calcium. They are used in traditional or homeopathic medicine to help in the treatment of blood, and liver disorders and stomach problems. They contain antioxidants which combat the free radicals in our body which can cause cancer.

   These little red berries are the official state fruit of Wisconsin where they are cultivated. They are the number one fruit crop of the state harvested in early autumn in time to supply the Thanksgiving tables of America and the Christmas tables of the rest of the world .The US and Canada supply almost 98% of the world’s cranberries.

   The colonists found that the cranberry was useful to preserve meat during the winter as it contains benzoic acid, and the tart berries were utilized for this purpose. General Ulysses S. Grant famously ordered cranberry sauce to be served to his troops during the siege of Petersburg in 1864, and they were first canned commercially in 1912. They are called bounceberries and bearberries in the US, as when dropped the ripe berries bounce and it seems that bears are rather partial to them.

   If you add sugar to these berries when cooking them this will cancel out their anti-bacterial effects. So if you are intending to use them as a medicine use the leaves of sweet cicely or stevia instead of sugar.

   If you eat cranberries or drink the juice, and eat plenty of pomegranates and pumpkin this winter, as a male you will be doing a lot to decrease your risk of prostate cancer. Try the traditional recipe for cranberry sauce, using leaves instead of sugar. You can add a fruity red wine or brandy to this if you wish, or raisins which will counteract the tartness of the fruit.

CRANBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients

12 oz cranberries, washed and topped and tailed

1 cup water

1 handful of sweet cicely leaves, finely shredded

1 stick cinnamon or a few allspice berries or ¼ tsp grated nutmeg (optional)

Method

Put water in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the cranberries and leaves and bring to the boil again then lower the heat and simmer for 10 mins or until the cranberries burst. Add the optional spice if you are using them and simmer for a further 5 mins.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge until ready to serve with your turkey.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

PRICKLY PEARS: PRICKLY PEARS BENEFITS AND USES: PRICKLY PEAR SALAD DRESSING RECIPE

PRICKLY PEARS

Prickly pears come from the Opuntia family of cacti and there are more than 200 varieties in the world. They are native to arid regions and have spread to Greece and Turkey. It is said that in Greece and the islands the cacti were planted by the Venetians but this has not been proven. The fruit is known among other names as frangosyka of French figs, and elsewhere the fruit are also known locally as ‘figs’. This might be because they taste a little like a cross between a melon and a fig.

   The Aztecs were cultivating them when the Spaniards arrived and they used the milky juice from the pads of the cactus mixed with honey and egg yolks as an ointment to treat burns.

   In Ayurvedic medicine the plant and fruit is used to treat patients with diabetes and clinical studies have shown that the prickly pear can lower cholesterol levels and help in the treatment of patients with Type-II diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels. However it is believed at present that only the Opuntia streptacantha variety of cactus can do this.

  In Chinese traditional medicine, the pads were used to dress abscesses with. Presumably, the milky juice from the cactus pads is somehow good for the skin when applied directly.

  Native Americans made a syrup from the fruit and found it effective for whooping coughs and asthma. They also used the plant in other ways. They dried the fibres of the cactus and used them to weave baskets. Mats and fans, and used the woody skeleton of the plant to make furniture. They used the cactus spikes as toothpicks, so no part of the upper plant went to waste.

   In Sicily the flowers of the cactus are boiled in water and drunk as a diuretic. In Mexico the plant has been used for centuries to treat diabetes and inflammation caused by ulcers.

  I think we ate prickly pears last year while in Pakistan, but what we ate wasn’t prickly, although it had a hard skin, which we peeled, to reveal a red fleshed fruit which had some fairly large seeds in it. It tasted rather like a raspberry, and we grew a cactus from the fruit, so we guess it is one of the prickly pear varieties. We bought it as “sumerkand” which might be the Pashto word for this kind of cactus fruit.

In August 2010 a newspaper article from Hurriyet the English daily newspaper in Turkey suggested that Turkey utilize its prickly pear cacti (Opuntia ficus-indica) and cultivated them in order to cash in on the demand for the fruit and to plant them in order to prevent soil erosion on slopes going down to the sea. These cacti grow in abundance along the Turkish coast. It reported that Italy exports 50,000 tons of the prickly pears every year.

  To peel a prickly pear, hold it down with a fork and cut off the ends with a sharp knife, then make lengthwise cuts and peel the fruit. You can make prickly pear juice by washing the whole fruit and then put them in a pan with a cup of water. Cook over a low heat for 20-30 minutes until they are tender. Remove the hard skin and mash the fruit to a pulp then strain to use it in the recipe below.

PRICKLY PEAR SALAD DRESSING

Ingredients

½ cup of puree after boiling the fruit

1/3 cup sunflower or soy bean oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

4 tbsps tarragon vinegar

Method

Put all the ingredients into a jar and shake well to mix.

Pour over a fruit salad or a green one.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

  

WHAT IS AMROOD? GUAVA ( PSIDIUM GUAJAVA): GUAVA RECIPES: HOW TO MAKE AMROOD CHAAT:

GUAVA, AMROOD, (PSIDIUM GUAJAVA)

In Pakistan there are amrood everywhere perfuming the air when the fruit sellers spray them with water. This must be a good selling ploy as they smell wonderful! Unfortunately we’re very wary of them having eaten some that weren’t quite ripe last year. The problem was that we ate too many as they are delicious. However, don’t let our greed stop you from trying the recipe below, it’s very tasty. We have the guavas which have white flesh and green skins here in Pakistan, or yellow skinned ones with a creamy flesh. I hadn’t realized that they were guava as I had only previously eaten the pinky-red variety.

  In the Romance languages these fruit have names that are obviously guava, but in Guam they call them abas so I had to include that piece of information, and in Urdu they are amrood. There are many different varieties around the world, but it is believed that they originated in Mexico and Central America. 

The Portuguese brought them to the Indian subcontinent in the 18^th century and they have flourished. They have grown in Egypt for a long time and are known to grow in Algeria and Morocco. They were spread around the world by the 16^th century Spanish and Portuguese explorers. One of the first places they were exported to were the West Indies in 1526. They were said to be a favourite of the Aztecs and Incas. The bark of the trees is very distinctive as it is a copper colour although this outer bark peels off to reveal the green under layer.

   The leaves are particularly used in traditional medicine and so are the young fruits and the bark, all of which contain tannin. You can get a black dye for dying silk from the leaves too. The wood from the trees is used for carving, and because of the high tannin content the bark is used in Central America, it is used for tanning hides.

   A tisane can be made from the fresh or dried leaf which relieves diahorrhoea. You need 1 cup of boiling water to 1or 2 tsps of fresh leaves (1 tsp dried). Pour the water over the leaves and leave to steep for half an hour for medicinal purposes. This tisane also acts as a diuretic and stops the E.coli bacteria sticking to the walls of the intestines and urinary tract.

This is also good in the treatment of diabetes as it inhibits the increase of blood sugar in plasma, but has no effect on the level of insulin in plasma. It’s also good for dieters as it helps reduce body fat and is an antioxidant which combats the free radicals in the body which damage cells and can cause cancer.

   The Tikuna Indians living in the Amazon use a decoction of the leaves and bark as a cure for dysentery and diahorrhoea, for stomach upsets, vomiting, to regulate periods and as a douche for vaginal discharge, and to tone the walls of the vagina after childbirth. The decoction is also used to apply to wounds. The young leaves are chewed for mouth ulcers, bleeding gums and bad breath, and if you chew them before drinking they are said to prevent a hangover.

   Researchers have shown that the guava leaf has antioxidant effects which are beneficial to the heart. Consumption of the fruit over a 12 week period lowered blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Guavas are used in Peru and Brazil as diuretics and they contain carotenoids, saponins, flavonoids, essential oils and fatty acids. They have been called one of nature’s “super fruits.” In some parts of the world they are called “the poor man’s apple”.

   Guavas have a long history of cultivation and the seeds have been found in food stores in archaeological sites in Peru, showing that the ancient people’s used to cultivate them, even though they grew wild.

costa rica guava

    You can do a lot of things with guavas including using the juice in cocktails. One really refreshing drink is made from 2/3 rds guava juice and 1/3 Portuguese vinho verde or any other sparkling wine. Simply stir the mixture well and add ice.

    For a quick appetizer, cut guavas in half around the middle, scoop out the seeds and put cottage cheese in the cavity add a few chives and serve on lettuce leaves.

Use them in a sauce with chicken and pasta and light rum – you need spring onions, 1 cup of guava juice a tbsp fresh lime juice ¼ cup light rum and shredded coriander leaves. Pound the chicken breast halves so they are very thin and fry them on both sides until cooked (about 4 mins each side)  then remove them and fry the onions for a few minutes, next add the juices and finally the rum. Boil the sauce until it has thickened, add the chicken to heat it through and serve with your favourite pasta.

AMROOD CHAAT

Ingredients

1 kg guava (white or cream flesh)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp sugar

Method

Cut the guava in half across the middle and scoop out the seeds.

Mix the salt, chilli powder (red) and sugar together (you can put it in a jar and shake it well). Put this into the amrood shells and rub in to the flesh. Leave to stand for 15 minutes before eating.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

PUMPKIN SEEDS - USEFUL FOR MEN' S GENERAL SEXUAL HEALTH

PUMPKIN SEEDS

When you hollow out your pumpkin, don’t throw the seeds away. They are good for your health too and can be snacked on at any time of day. In Greece they are called “passé tempo” (time passing) and often served in bars with drinks. Older Greeks can often be seen removing them from their pockets and cracking the outer casing to eat the green seed inside. You can eat the husks too, as they are normally salted, but you shouldn’t, apparently. Often they are mixed with sunflower seeds and roasted chickpeas. The green pumpkin oil is extracted from the seeds and this makes a healthy cooking oil and salad dressing.

  Native Americans used pumpkin seeds to get rid of internal parasites and dispel kidney stones. They are still used to prevent stones and gravel forming in the kidneys and gall bladder, but there is no medical evidence to support these treatments.

   Pumpkin seeds are high in magnesium and ¼ cup of them is 87% of the recommended dose of magnesium for an adult per day. They also contain other minerals such as potassium, manganese, protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamins A, B, and K. Zinc can help prevent osteoporosis. The Omega fatty acids they contain are natural anti-inflammatories and so are good for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. The phytosterols they contain help lower cholesterol levels too. Phytosterols can replace cholesterol, so reducing its levels in the blood.

  They are useful in helping to keep testosterone from inflicting damage on the prostate and so help reduce the risk of prostate cancer in males. They also help with discharging urine by inhibiting the enzyme associated with the enlargement of the prostate. The extract obtained from pumpkin seeds can also help incontinence in males with prostate problems as they help to strengthen the pelvic muscles and increase testosterone levels. Because of this they also help men’s general sexual health.

  The oil obtained from pumpkin seeds is rich in essential fatty acids, which help maintain the nerves and blood vessels and help to lubricate the body tissues. They are also useful for the eyes reducing the growth of cataracts. They help stimulate the T-cells in the body and so boost the immune system, helping it stave off infections. The oil is good for counteracting the free radicals in the body which are responsible for cancer.

  You can add pumpkin seeds (remove the outer shell first) to soups to give them a nutty flavour and to salads or sauté them and mix with broccoli and other vegetables. They are good roasted or dry fried too.