Calamansi

Many Filipinos call it calamansi, others call it calamondin, others call it suter. This is citrofortunella microcarpa, a round greenish to yellow in color, 2 cm to 4.5 cm fruit which is normally found in the kitchen of Filipino homes since it does wonders of wonders as a sour flavoring to a variety of dishes from the sautéed rice noodles called bihon to pancit palabok; from the arroz caldo to beefsteak Filipino style.Calamansi is the secret ingredient to many mouthwatering Filipino delicacies. This writer remembers that the juice of the calamansi leaves are extracted and added to the leche plan to give it an exotic taste. How would the famous Leyte kinilaw taste without the secret ingredient called calamansi? What would dieters do without the calamansi to make the grapelike seeweeds called lato? And what is more refreshing than a glass of calamansi juice or iced tea laced with calamansi on a weather unusually unbearable because of global warming?The versatile calamansi is even use for personal hygiene as a deodorant and a whitening agent. Others use it as detergents, removing the grease from the hands, and as a cleansing scrub to pans and dirty or stained clothes. This writer even remembers that calamansi leaves are crumbled and are used by people to recover from dizzy spells.But how many calamansi growers have thought that calamansi can be processed into commercial food products such as ready-to-drink juice, juice concentrate, jelly, and jam, and marmalade to name a few? Indeed, there are many calamansi-based products which are potential sources of sustainable livelihood.The Department of Science and Technology Industrial Technology Development Institute has developed business concepts involving calamansi processing technologies particularly on Calamansi Concentrate, Calamansi Juice Drink, and Calamansi Jelly.

Bullace

Small compact common fruiting shrub long cultivated for it's edible fruit (plums), found over most of the U.K (rare in Scotland), South-East Europe, Northern and Central Asia. Hardy and disease resistant they grow in thickets, woods and hedges. Bush like shrubby habit sometimes developing into a small tree about 6M (15ft) high. Somewhat resembling the Blackthorn or Sloe (Prunus spinosa), but is less thorny having straighter branches with brown bark and some older branches terminating in spines. It has also larger finely toothed leaves than the Blackthorn, downy underneath, alternate, on short stalks. White flowers again rather like those of the Blackthorn, but with larger broader petals, borne in less crowded clusters not on the naked branches appear just after the leaves have begun to unfold. All parts of the plant can be uses for various purposes - fruit, wood and bark. Globular (round) fleshy fruit generally green and marked with a faint line, covered with a thin bluish bloom, about 2.5cm (1 in) across, drooping not erect as the Sloe.
An infusion of the flowers sweetened with sugar has been used as a mild purgative. In the U.K. the fruit is used to make "Bullace Wine", pies, puddings, jelly and jam (recipe below). There are several varieties of the Bullace in cultivation, sometimes referred to as "Damsons", both Bullace and Damson originate from P. domestica, Bullace has a round fruit and is generally green with, Damson being more oval and purple in colouration.There are three common Bullace forms -
White Bullace - small round fruit, pale yellowish-white, mottled red on the sunny side. Flesh is firm and juicy, adhering to the stone, becoming sweetish when quite ripe in end of October and beginning of November. Often sold as "White Damsons".
Essex Bullace - green fruit becoming yellowish as it ripens. Flesh is juicy and not so acid as the common Bullace. Fruit ripens end of October beginning of November. 2.5cm (1 inch) diameter, larger than the common White Bullace.
Royal Bullace - large fruit, 3cm (1.25 in) in diameter, bright green, mottled red on the sunny side becoming yellowish-green, with a thin grey bloom on the surface. Flesh green, separating from the stone. Ripe in early October.
A recipe for Bullace jam (makes approx. 2.2kg (5lb) of jam.)Ingredients - 1.1kg (2.5lb) of fruit, 1.36kg (3lb) sugar, 420-550ml of water.Remove the stalks and wash the fruit and put into a large pan with the water. Stew slowly until the fruit is well broken down, add the sugar and stir over a low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly, removing the stones as they rise to the surface, if you have one, use a stone basket clipped to the side of the pan, this allows the liquid to drip back into the pan. Continue boiling rapidly until the setting point is reached, testing for the set point after about 10min of boiling. When ready skim and pour into dry warm jars and cover. If reusing jars and "click" lids, ensure they are thoroughly washed first and "scalded" just before use. Run jars and lids through a dishwasher set to a hot rinse or soak in boiling water first.
To test for setting point - place a small clean dry plate into a refrigerator for 10mins, to test remove the plate from the refrigerator and put a teaspoonful of the jam onto the plate and leave for 5 mins. test by pushing the edge of the jam to see if the surface wrinkles, if it does it is ready, if not continue boiling for another 5-10 mins and test again. Alternatively with a jam thermometer the setting point is reached at 116-120 Deg celcius. We have found that as the setting point is reached the jam gradually turns a rich dark golden red colour.

Bael

The bael fruit has been cultivated in India for over 4,000 years and is highly valued for its perceived medicinal qualities. The flavor of the fruit, unfortunately, leaves something to be desired, like many plants with healing properties, but all parts of the tree are used in a variety of applications, including perfumes, detergent, and furniture production. The bael fruit is an important part of Ayurvedic practice and is used to treat many digestive conditions.
Bael fruit is round and roughly the size of a baseball. The fruit starts out gray-green and turns a pale yellow when it matures. When split open, the fruit will reveal pale orange pulp separated by thick, dark orange walls. The fruit is also studded with resinous hairy seeds, enclosed in an envelope of mucilage. The odor of the fruit can be off putting to some.
The bael fruit tree grows 40 to 50 feet (12 to 15 meters) tall and has dark green leaves with mildly serrated edges. The trunk of the bael fruit tree is covered in a pale scaly bark and spreads into dropping branches that are often spined. When injured, the tree emits a gummy sap that ultimately solidifies. The flowers are green on the outside and yellow on the inside, and they have a pleasing fragrance that is frequently used in perfume.
The bael fruit can eaten raw or cooked, and is often utilized in an unripe stage. When unripe, the fruit can be used to treat diarrhea, while the ripened fruit is a laxative. When used unripe, the fruit should be boiled and pulped. Some practitioners use the young shoots as well, for the treatment of ulcer and respiratory complaints.
When ripe, the pulp of the bael fruit can be scooped out and eaten plain, or dressed with milk and sugar to make a creamy drink. Bael fruit can also be used to make jams and jellies, which are used by those recovering from intestinal complaints. In general, the fruit is not eaten as much for its flavor as for its medical and purgative properties.
In addition, other products of the tree are used for making ornamental carvings, religious offerings, detergent, and glue. The tree is also rich in limonene oil, which is used to dress hair and scent wooden furniture. The bael fruit tree is highly versatile and useful, although unlikely to become popular outside of India due to its disagreeable flavor and scent.

Ambarella

The tree is rapid-growing, attaining a height of 60 ft (18 m) in its homeland; generally not more than 30 or 40 ft (9-12 m) in other areas. Upright and rather rigid and symmetrical, it is a stately ornamental with deciduous, handsome, pinnate leaves, 8 to 24 in (20-60 cm) in length, composed of 9 to 25 glossy, elliptic or obovate-oblong leaflets 2 1/2 to 4 in (6.25-10 cm) long, finely toothed toward the apex. At the beginning of the dry, cool season, the leaves turn bright-yellow and fall, but the tree with its nearly smooth, light gray-brown bark and graceful, rounded branches is not unattractive during the few weeks that it remains bare. Small, inconspicuous, whitish flowers are borne in large terminal panicles. They are assorted, male, female and perfect in each cluster. Long-stalked fruits dangle in bunches of a dozen or more; oval or somewhat irregular or knobby, and 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 in (6.25-9 cm) long, with thin but tough skin, often russetted. While still green and hard, the fruits fall to the ground, a few at a time, over a period of several weeks. As they ripen, the skin and flesh turn golden-yellow. While the fruit is still firm, the flesh is crisp, juicy and subacid, and has a somewhat pineapple-like fragrance and flavor. If allowed to soften, the aroma and flavor become musky and the flesh difficult to slice because of conspicuous and tough fibers extending from the rough ridges of the 5-celled, woody core containing 1 to 5 flat seeds. Some fruits in the South Sea Islands weigh over 1 lb (0.45 kg) each.