The last two weeks has been very busy, clearing my potted garden. Most of my plants are not growing well, have to get rid of them and start anew. My belimbing tree has not been spared too. It has gone from lush to 'botak'! Not to worry, it will grow soon enough, maybe in six months time, it will be lush again with new branches and leaves. It is getting too high, almost touching the telephone cable lines at the top, and also almost touching my neighbour's roof!
This tree has given me lots of belimbing fruits these few months! The grounds were covered with fallen fruits, when I came back from my short holiday. Harvested all of the fruits last week and gave away to several people. The makcik selling nasi lemak in the market was very happy!
These are all that's left! Picture was taken this morning. This little bunch is enough for my sambal tumis. Got to wait for at least 8 to 10 months for next batch of fruits!
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Went to Sg. Buloh two weeks ago, and bought a few plants. If you have read my post on Acerola Cherry, you might remember that I cut some stems from a tree in Ipoh and took them back to propagate. The roots did not sprout. Well, I bought a small plant from Sg. Buloh and it only cost RM5.00!! I have no idea it is that cheap!
There are even a few cherries on the plant, but they are all green. Now one has ripen.
The flower of acerola
Beautiful, striking ripe red acerola cherry. I'm waiting for it to turn a slightly darker red, which will taste sweeter!
Waiting patiently for it to ripen!
Spotted some new flowers today! Not many, but quite a few scattered here and there! I was thinking that I should have bought 2 or 3 plants instead! Maybe on my next visit ...
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This is another plant which I bought from Sg. Buloh. The miracle berry plant. Bangchik from My Little Vegetable Garden has mentioned about this berry in his blog. I bought this for RM8.00. According to the seller from the nursery, there has been quite a huge demand for this plant.
Interesting info on miracle berry, excerpt taken from http://www.miraclefruitusa.com/ :
Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum), sometimes known as the Miracle Berry, is a plant native to West Africa. The berry has a mildly sweet flavor; however, the fruit is treasured not for its own taste, but for the fruit’s unique effect on the taste buds.
Miracle Fruit contains a glycoprotein called miraculin, which binds to the tongue’s taste buds when the fruit is consumed. Miraculin acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids, causing bitter and sour foods to taste sweet, temporarily. This effect usually lasts between 30 minutes and 2 hours.
Miracle Fruit is available in three forms: The actual berries (which are usually frozen due to their high perishability), freeze-dried fruit granules, and miracle fruit tablets.
Experiencing Miracle Fruit
- Berries : Put one berry in your mouth and gently scrape the fleshy part off the seed. Swirl this around your mouth for 2 minutes before swallowing.
- Freeze-Dried Granules : Place approximately 1 gram of the granules in your mouth and let them slowly dissolve on and around your tongue. Wait at least one minute before swallowing.
- Tablets : Place one tablet in your mouth and gently swirl it around with your tongue until dissolved.
Miracle Berry is suitable for growing in a pot! This is great, seeing that I do not have ground space! Waiting patiently (well, almost!) for it to flower. According to the info from the web, it will start to flower when it reaches 1-1/2 feet in height and will start to fruit when it reaches 2 feet. This is a great plant to have in the garden, as this is recommended to be grown in a pot. I should have bought one more! Have to wait for next visit to Sg. Buloh! Are you planning to get one (or two) for your garden?
Happy Gardening !
Once your miracle berry plant starts fruiting, you can eat one, and then you can proceed with 2 kilo of sour belimbing..., sweet all the way through. haha.... Happy gardening and pruning! ~bangchik
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking that if I eat miracle berry then afterward eat sour fruit like limau or belimbing buloh until kenyang, maybe I can drop off some kilos...LOL. I have to ask my mom to plant this for me since my parents are living in Sungai Buloh. You have many kind of exciting fruit in your garden.
ReplyDeleteHi Bangchik,
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea! I can at least elimanate wastage of belimbing! He! He!
Hi Diana,
That is another great idea! I should loose some weight too! Will keep this in mind! Thanks for the sugggestion! He! He!
Hi, I was just showing your plants to my mom. She said she will look for it when she go back. She also terkejut seeing your belimbing buloh so botak. She won't get to prune it too much cause papa will membebel endlessly.
ReplyDeleteHi Diana,
ReplyDeleteMy sister terkejut too when she saw my belimbing tree! She asked me, with eyes terbeliak "your hati tak sakit-kah?, my hati pulak sakit!" This is not the first time I cut it botak, a few times already, about every 18 months or so! Will keep posted on the progress of the new growth. I don't blame your papa, I guess he sayang the pokok too much! The first time I cut it, I was worried about the growth, but it always grow back lush and healhty! I can now enjoy for a few months without having to sweep the fallen leaves and fruits, which always leave me with a backache!
You Belimbing tree looks so bald!
ReplyDeleteMiracle berry and then Belimbing! Cool idea!
I thought I commented here before but it's gone. Maybe I didn't get the word verification right or maybe I commented in my mind only. Can't remember. So many days already! :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, now that I'm reading the other comments, it all clicks. I think miracle berry may be what some people have been telling me about. I should be growing this too. Very interesting.
Hi Malar,
ReplyDeleteMy belimbing tree already have some small new shoots growing!
Hi One,
That happens to me quite a number of times! Miracle berry is indeed a very interesting plant with very unique properties! Waiting for it to flower, now not quite 2 feet yet!
Hi, I hope you will post your belimbing tree new shoots someday. I am really curious. Yes, my mom still here, she might stay until end of next month. Coriander needs the same environment as carrot cause there are adik-beradik. I remember you sow some carrot before and it germinate. So I think compare the coriander with carrot for how long it will pop out but I think it is much faster then carrot. So 2~4weeks time depend on the weather there. I have self-seeds coriander in summer now. BUt coriander grow much faster them carrot. I think you can already cut some coriander leaves after a month the seed germinate.
ReplyDeleteMay i know which sungai buloh nursery got selling this miracle fruit true?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteI'm so sorry that I do not have the details of the nursery! You could try the address below, I've bought some herb plants from this nursery before and noticed that they do have fruit plants too. Good luck!
Delima Tani (M) Sdn Bhd
Lot 49 & 50, Jalan Subang
Sg. Buloh, 47000 Selangor
PTC : Albert Goh Seng Kok
Tel No : 012-2034211
Naturehydro specializes in providing various planting container, including berrypots, Dutch buckets, bato buckets, hanging pots, blueberry grow bag size etc.
ReplyDelete