Page 13 - ARUBA TODAY

A13
Wednesday 17 January 2018

Fruit Loose & Veggie Boost

ORANJESTAD - Fresh fruits
make a tropical holiday’s
picture complete. Whether
you see the mango’s hang-
ing on the trees or the fresh
fruit cocktail on the side
table of your pool bed, the
link is made: you are in the
tropics. Aruba grows her
own fruits and veggies and
there are some pretty out-
of-space local species you
may never had heard of,
but really healthy and deli-
cious.

Mispel
This is a fruit with a charac- Kenepa Druif
ter (5-10 cm/2-4 inches). Ovoid green fruit that There is no chance you
It does not ripe until it is grows in bunches on trees did not bump into one of
picked or falls off the tree. up to 30m high. The fruit is the sea grape trees while
Mispel is hard with a sand- related to the lychee and spending your vacation on
paper like texture when have tight, thin but rigid Aruba. The sea grape plant
immature, soft and juicy skins. Inside the skin is the is often used in ocean-side
when ripe. It’s technically tart, tangy, or sweet pulp landscaping in sandy soil
a berry, but contains a skin of the fruit covering a large right on the beach and it Shimaruku has a wide variety of uses
similar to that of a kiwi. It’s seed. The pulp is usually produces clusters of fruit Maybe Aruba’s most popu- and applications, both for
grainy and sweet, with a cream or orange colored. that resemble grapes. Are lar wild fruit tree. You may medicinal and culinary pur-
light, musky flavor. The sap Kenepa strengthens the sea grapes edible? Yes, have noticed cars at the poses. It is a medium-sized
or gum from the tree is also immune system, and pre- they are. Animals enjoy sea side of the road and peo- bushy tree with evergreen
a source of ‘chicle’ the vents the reproduction of grapes and humans can ple picking those red ber- leaves and fruit that devel-
original ingredient used to bacteria and viruses in the eat them as well, and they ries. Well, that’s Shimaruku. ops in pods characterized
make chewing gum. Rich body. This fruit is highly rec- are used to make jam. They The local habit to stop for by long, brown shells. In-
in tannins, antioxidants ommended to treat lung contain very low calories these delicious fruits goes side is a sticky, fleshy, juicy
shown to contain anti-in- infections and urinary tract and sugar, enabling good from generation to genera- pulp, which is the Tamarind
flammatory compounds, infections. It also helps to bacterium to digest food tion. Its fruit’s degree of sour fruit. Both sweet and sour
and vitamin C, essential for cure insomnia and rejuve- and excrete waste quickly depends on the amount in taste, the fruit contains a
healthy immune function. nates the nervous system. which is effective in pre- of rain it gets. Red Shima- significant level of vitamin
Season: year- round. Season: the fruit typically venting constipation. Sea- rukus tend to taste better C, as well as vitamin E, B vi-
ripen during the summer. son: Sep-Oct. than orange. The fruit has tamins, calcium, iron, phos-
super power: a true vi- phorous, potassium, man-
tamin bomb. Adults only ganese, and dietary fiber.
need to eat 3-4 of these There are also a number of
berries to meet their daily organic compounds that
recommended amount of make tamarind a power-
Vitamin C. Season: Rainy ful antioxidant and anti-in-
months (Oct-Jan). flammatory agent. Season:
March.
Tamarind
A delicious, sweet fruit that Continued on Page 16