Garden Edibles

 

Kenny is growing a few edibles this year in the garden…..

variegated lemon…..

Calamondin…..(yeah I didn’t know what it was either).  Here you go…..

The Calamondin bears a small citrus fruit that is used to flavor foods and drinks.

Despite its outer appearance and its aroma, the taste of the fruit itself is quite sour,

although the peel is sweet. Eating a whole fruit has a surprise with the combination of sweet and sour.

Calamondin marmalade can be made in the same way as orangemarmalade.

Like other citrus fruits, the calamondin is high in vitamin C.^[4]

The fruit can be frozen whole and used as ice cubes in beverages such as tea, soft drinks,

water, and cocktails. The juice is extracted by crushing the whole fruit, and makes a

flavorful drink similar to lemonade. A liqueur can be made from the whole fruits,

in combination with vodka and sugar. In Asian cuisines, the juice is used to season fish,

 fowl, and pork. It is commonly used as a condiment in Filipino dishes like pancit.^[4]

Calamondin halves or quarters may be served with iced tea, seafood and meats,

the acid juice is often employed like lime or lemon juice to make gelatin salads or desserts,

custard pie or chiffon pie. In the Philippines, the extracted juice, with the addition of

gum tragacanth as an emulsifier, is pasteurized and bottled commercially.

The fruit is used in local recipes in northern Indonesia, especially around the

North Sulawesi region. Fish are spritzed with the juice prior to cooking to eliminate

the "fishy" smell. Kuah asang ("sour soup") is a regional clear fish broth made with calamondin juice.

In Florida, the fruit is used in its fully ripe form with a more mature flavor profile than

the unripe version. Tasters note elements of apricot, tangerine, lemon, pineapple and guava.

The peel is so thin, each fruit must be hand snipped from the tree to avoid tearing.

The entire fruit minus the stems and seeds can be used. It is hand processed and

pureed or juiced and used in various products such as Calamondin cake, coulis and jam.

The peels can be dehydrated and used as gourmet flavoring with salt and sugar.

The fruit was popular with Floridian home bakers in cake form from the 1920s to 1950s.

Once women joined the workforce, the labor-intensive nature of processing the fruit

caused its diminished use. Now that commercially made products and fruit are available,

it is experiencing a resurgence.

Floridians who have a Calamondin in the yard often use the juice in a summer variation

of lemonade or limeade, as mentioned above, and, left a bit sour, it cuts thirst with

the distinctive calamondin flavor. Also it can be used on fish and seafood,

or wherever any other sour citrus would be used.

More than you ever wanted to know, huh?

Cherry tomatoes…..these plants just make GOBS of

cherry tomatoes….raw or roasted or in salsa,

they are the best!!

Kenny is also growing a papaya tree this year….

you can just now see it’s tiny fruit coming to life.

Also, ornamental dwarf peach…..guessing these are not edible….

Last but not least, the banana tree! It’s huge!!

It has a huge impressive bloom!!

Growing bananas in Missouri….who knew?!