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local Monday 24 July 2023
Fruit Loose & Veggie Boost: Aruban fruits and vegetables

Fresh fruits make a tropical holi- Druif Tamarind tamin B5, and vitamin B7 (biotin).
day’s picture complete. Whether B vitamins are known to help ease
you see the mangoes hanging in feelings of anxiety and buffer some
the trees or the fresh fruit cocktail of the damaging effects of stress.
on the side table of your pool bed, Additionally this veggie is rich in
the link is there: you are in the trop- two of the most basic elements
ics. Aruba grows her own fruits and needed for healthy digestion: wa-
veggies and there are some pretty ter and fiber. Season: year- round.
out-of-space local species you
may never had heard of, but really Yambo
healthy and delicious. Family of Okra, also known as ‘la-
dy’s fingers’: a green flowering
Mispel plant. Okra belongs to the same
This is a fruit with a character (5- plant family as hibiscus and cot-
10 cm/2-4 inches). It does not ripe ton. A classic favorite dish in Aruba
until it is picked or falls off the tree. is Sopi di yambo. It has long been
Mispel is hard with a sandpaper like favored as a food for the health-
texture when immature, soft and conscious. It contains potassium,
juicy when ripe. It's technically a vitamin B, vitamin C, folic acid, and
berry, but contains a skin similar to There is no chance you did not A delicious, sweet fruit that has a calcium. It’s low in calories and has
that of a kiwi. It's grainy and sweet, bump into one of the sea grape wide variety of uses and applica- a high dietary fiber content. Re-
with a light, musky flavor. The sap trees while spending your vaca- tions, both for medicinal and culi- cently, a new benefit of including
or gum from the tree is also a tion on Aruba. The sea grape plant nary purposes. It is a medium-sized okra in your diet is being consid-
source of 'chicle' the original ingre- is often used in ocean-side land- bushy tree with evergreen leaves ered. Okra has been suggested to
dient used to make chewing gum. scaping in sandy soil right on the and fruit that develops in pods help manage blood sugar in cases
Rich in tannins, antioxidants shown beach and it produces clusters of characterized by long, brown of type 1, type 2, and gestational
to contain anti-inflammatory com- fruit that resemble grapes. Are sea shells. Inside is a sticky, fleshy, juicy diabetes. Season: year- round.
pounds, and vitamin C, essential grapes edible? Yes, they are. Ani- pulp, which is the Tamarind fruit.
for healthy immune function. Sea- mals enjoy sea grapes and humans Both sweet and sour in taste, the Bonch’i Cunucu
son: year- round. can eat them as well, and they are fruit contains a significant level of A long, small bean, boiled for a
used to make jam. They contain vitamin C, as well as vitamin E, B side dish or snack. Long beans
Kenepa very low calories and sugar, en- vitamins, calcium, iron, phospho- have a chewy, crunchy texture–
abling good bacterium to digest rous, potassium, manganese, and more so than snap beans–and a
food and excrete waste quickly dietary fiber. There are also a num- flavor reminiscent of the dry navy
which is effective in preventing ber of organic compounds that bean or asparagus. Besides stir-fry,
constipation. Season: Sep-Oct. make tamarind a powerful antioxi- soups and salads, the long bean is
dant and anti-inflammatory agent. a good choice for stewing, braising
Shimarucu Season: March. (to remain chewy and firm), sauté-
ing, shallow frying, and deep fry-
When it comes to veggies the is- ing. With cooking, the long bean’s
land certainly offers a home-grown bean flavor intensifies. Long beans
selection. They taste delicious and are low in calories, about 45 calo-
have their specific talents to boost ries per cup, and rich in vitamin A
your immune system. Start the day and also contain vitamin C and
with a ‘batida’ (smoothie) en- potassium. Season: year-round.
riched with a local veggie touch
or select your restaurant that offers Pampuna
local vegetable dishes to get the
real pure taste of it.

Comcomber chiquito

In the endless summer of Caribbe-
Ovoid green fruit that grows in an living we only have to concern
bunches on trees up to 30m high. ourselves with a wet season and
The fruit is related to the lychee Maybe Aruba’s most popular wild a dry season. Still we do indulge
and have tight, thin but rigid skins. fruit tree. You may have noticed heavily in the pleasures of pump-
Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, or cars at the side of the road and kin and enjoy Caribbean pumpkin
sweet pulp of the fruit covering people picking those red berries. recipes year round. A popular dish
a large seed. The pulp is usually Well, that’s Shimarucu. The local This is a sort of local squash, but in Aruban restaurants is Sopa Di
cream or orange colored. Kenepa habit to stop for these delicious looks like a cucumber with prickly Pompuna, don’t miss it. This dish is
strengthens the immune system, fruits goes from generation to gen- skin. The taste however is bitterer made of pumpkin soup, and pars-
and prevents the reproduction of eration. Its fruit’s degree of sour than the cucumber and the veg- ley. Pumpkins are rich in flavonoid
bacteria and viruses in the body. depends on the amount of rain it etable is smaller in size but bigger polyphenolic antioxidants such as
This fruit is highly recommended gets. Red Shimarucus tend to taste in width. Inside is a soft, fleshy pulp xanthin, lutein and carotenes and
to treat lung infections and urinary better than orange. The fruit has and seeds, just like the cucumber. also contain vitamins. Pumpkin
tract infections. It also helps to cure super power: a true vitamin bomb. Comcomber chiquito is grown in seeds are a good source of ome-
insomnia and rejuvenates the ner- Adults only need to eat 3-4 of these the island and used in salads and ga-3 fatty acids, vitamins, miner-
vous system. Season: the fruit typi- berries to meet their daily recom- ‘stoba’ (stew) or on its own in vin- als and proteins. Pumpkins are
cally ripen during the summer. mended amount of Vitamin C. egar. The veggie contains multiple used to make desserts, breads and
Season: Rainy months (Oct-Jan). B vitamins, including vitamin B1, vi- soups.q