Atrip to many developing nations of the tropics can be very enlightening in some unexpected ways. Take the people and their health conditions, for example. It seems that city people are much like folks living in any big city. Many eat fast foods loaded with refined sugar, carbohydrates and fats.
Haiti is a good example. Most Americans think hunger and poverty are rampant, and if you only know the capital of Port-au-Prince you would see a city recovering from a horrible earthquake. The rural farming residents, on the other hand, appear to be much healthier. Poverty by our standards might be common, but it is surprising how healthy those who survive childhood diseases seem to be. Country folks might not have television and conveniences we take for granted, but physical activity is certainly a key to their health. Diet also is an important factor. Besides the everyday menu of starches and very little meat, country folks eat lots of fruit and vegetables instead of candy, pies and other sweets.
Many of these fruits and vegetables available with rural living are high in vitamins, minerals and energy. So, instead of popping vitamin pills every day, consider growing your own fruit. Those vitamin pills on your shelf, besides being expensive, are not nearly as palatable and eye appealing as fresh fruit — especially when it is grown in your own backyard.
Take vitamin A for instance. One papaya is supposed to contain 4,000 IU’s (international units) while 5,000 IU’s per day is listed as adequate. The many dozens of avocado varieties also are high in vitamin A. The type of fat in the fruit is considered healthy.
Some fruits famous for their contribution of vitamin C are guava, papaya, soursop, poha, cactus fruit, loquat, citrus and passion fruit.
One of the fruits highest in vitamin C is the acerola or Barbados cherry. The fruit is not a cherry but a member of the Malpighia family. The family is a fairly familiar ornamental shrub in many gardens and bears the highest known vitamin C content fruit. As a comparison, oranges average 49 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams of edible fruit (100 grams is about 3 1/2 ounces), while the Barbados cherry, picked as they are turning green to red, average more than 4,000 units per 100 grams.
Don’t forget the pineapple. Even though we see them commonly in the stores, it is fun to grow your own. The pineapple will produce several crops a year if you have a large number of plants. Varieties such as red Spanish, smooth cayenne, queen and abaca are found in our gardens. When grown in the home garden, they tend to be much sweeter than the commercial fruit found at the supermarket.
The many types of citrus are valuable additions to any garden. These include oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangerine, kumquat, calamondin and interspecies hybrids and varieties. Be sure you buy virus-free plants. These are available at most local nurseries.
In addition, there are dozens of lesser-known fruits, such as the mountain apple relatives, that make outstanding ornamental shrubs and trees as well as fruit producers. The mountain apple is native to India and Malaya, even though we think of it as Hawaiian. Jaboticaba, pitanga and Brazilian plum also are very attractive with delicious fruits. The common Surinam cherry, also in this family, has fruit that vary from tasty to terrible depending on seedlings. It also can be used as an attractively trimmed hedge.
Another favorite in its homeland is the sapodilla, chicle or chewing gum tree from Central America. It is an attractive shade tree that grows to about 30 feet. The dark brown fruit is about the size of an orange and tastes like a combination of brown sugar and butter. It will tolerate wet or dry conditions and grow at elevations from sea level to 2,000 feet.
You also can plant breadfruit, banana and jackfruit to supply the starch needed in any balanced diet. Mango, lychee, mangosteen and even durian can be grown and shared with friends and neighbors. Durian is a fruit loved by some and despised by others. It definitely is a matter of taste, but it can be used to make a delicious ice cream. Those who crave durian will pay as much as $20 per fruit.
Before you plant, remember, the adaptability of a fruit tree to moisture, temperature and wind conditions will be important factors determining selection. For example, West Indian avocado would have a chance of success in warmer, lower areas, but would be a definite gamble in high, wet inland locations. By the same token, Mexican strains are desirable in the higher, cooler areas. Wherever you grow avocado trees, they must have good drainage. Wet feet will kill the roots and ultimately the tree.
In addition to adaptability to temperature conditions, there are other factors to consider in selecting fruit trees.
Fruits for home use should be selected on the basis of eating quality rather than for their market appearance or shipping endurance. Pollination requirements must not be overlooked in selecting fruits. Solo papaya need no pollinators, but avocado varieties should be chosen with regard to assuring proper pollination.
Pest resistance as a factor in selecting fruit trees is more important to the homeowner than to the commercial grower because the commercial grower has equipment for pest control while the homeowner might not. The less pesticides required, the better.
Selection of fruits for the home grounds should assure a long season of available fruit by use of a series of varieties of early, midseason and late production within the range for the species.
There are hundreds of fruits that can be grown in Hawaii gardens. If you need help selecting fruit trees, contact your local nursery or garden store for assistance. Sunset’s “New Western Garden Book” is a readily available reference as are master gardeners and agricultural extension agents in Hilo and Kona.
