Appreciation and Review from Canada

Hi Keerthi,

I reviewed your blog- a great effort, well executed. Your love for what you write about is very evident. Keep up the great effort in promoting people's interest in all things 'natural'.

-Rmagine, Ontario, Canada L5V 2M2

Kala Jamun

Courtesy: Hundekar Home Garden,Bengaluru.



Jamun is indigenous to India. Its tree is tall and evergreen. Therefore It is generally grown as avenue tree or as wind break. Though the fruits are liked by all and sell at a high price, but it is still not grown as an orchard tree. Jamun is found all over India.

Jamun fruits are a good source of iron and are said to be useful in the troubles of heart and liver. The seeds of jamun are an effective medicine against diabetes and their powder is widely used in India to control diabetes.

Jamun fruits are highly perishable.

Fruits are normally packed in bamboo baskets and transported to local markers. In the market, fruits are sold on green leaves or on pieces of newspaper. The fruits prepacked in leaf cup covered with perforated polythene bags have little or no damage, during handling. Handling of fruits during transit from market to home is also easier in this container.

Jamun fruits can be processed into excellent quality fermented beverages such as vinegar and cider , and non-fermented ready-to-serve beverages and squashes. A good quality jelly can also be prepared from its fruits. The seeds can be processed into powder which is very useful to cure diabetes. These have a ready market.

Harvesting and postharvest management

Seedling trees start bearing at the age of 9-10 years, whereas budded ones take 5-6years. Flowering starts during March and continues up April in north Indian conditions. Fruits ripen during June- July or with the onset of rains. It takes about 3-5 months to ripen after full bloom. Fruits change their colour from green to deep red or bluish black. This is a non climacteric fruit hence it des not ripen after harvesting. Fully ripe fruits are harvested daily by hand picking or by shaking the branches and collecting the fruits on a polythene sheet. Jamun trees need a number of pickings, since all fruits do not ripen at a time. The average yield of fully grown budded and seedling trees is 50-70 kg and 80-100 kg /plant /year.

Yelakki Banana

FROM FLOWER-RAW FRUIT-READY TO PLUCK

Courtesy: Hundekar Home Garden,Bengaluru.

To know How to grow Bananas , please visit

http://www.banana-tree.com/GrowingBananas.html

Avocado

AVOCADO FRUIT( RAW)

Courtesy: Hundekar Home Garden,Bengaluru.

AVOCADO SPROUT FROM THE SEED

AVOCADO FRUIT AND SEED

AVOCADO TREE                  

Basic information on avocado

Scientific name:	Persea americana
English:	Avocado Avocado pear Butter pear Alligator pear Midshipman's butter
Dutch:	Avocado
Spanish:	Aguacate
French:	Avocat
German:	Avocado
Italian:	Avocado
Family:	Lauraceae
Origin:	Southern Mexico and Central America
Distribution:	Important in Central America as a food crop. In most tropical countries avocados are now grown either for home consumption or for local markets.
Evergreen or deciduous:	Evergreen
Flowers:	The small greenish-yellow flowers are 5 to 10 mm wide.
Leaves:	Avocado leaves are 12-25 cm long.
Fruits:	Avocado fruits are egg-shaped or pear-shaped.
Climate and weather:	Avocado requires a tropical or subtropical climates. The tree needs a climate without frost. It cannot tolerate strong winds.
Pollination:	Pollination is by insects, usually by bees.
Height:	Avocado trees are up to 20 meters tall.
Type of soil:	Can be grown on different types of soils but prefers deep well aerated soils. Avocado cannot stand waterlogging so it requires good drainage. If there is a danger of waterlogging the trees should be planted on mounds.
Light:	Prefers full sun.
Spacing (close range)	4 meter
Spacing (wide range)	10 meter
Propagation:	Avocados can be grown from seed but vegetative propagation by grafting is needed, as cultivars are very heterozygotous.
Insect pests:	Not many insect pests, but scale insects, mealybugs and mites may cause some problems.
Diseases:	Root rot (Phytophtora)
Harvesting:	The avocado fruit does get ripe on the tree. It can be picked in a hard, "green" but mature condition. After that it will ripen quickly in a few days time.
Chemical composition:	Avocados are very nutritious fruits with the highest energy value of all fruits. The flesh contains sugar, proteins and highly digestible oil which is very similar to olive oil. Avocados contain vitamins A, B and E.
Uses:	Ripe fruits are eaten fresh or used in salads. Avocado fruits are not sweet, but have a fatty flavor, and a smooth creamy texture. They have a higher fat content than other fruits. An unripe fruit is hard, but when ripe it will feel a bit soft when pressed in the palm of the hand. The flesh of ripe fruits has a typical greenish yellow to golden yellow color.

                                

LEMON SEASON-Is Lemon a Fruit or Vegetable?

LEMON(LIME) IS A FRUIT.

Courtesy: Hundekar Home Garden , Bengaluru.

LEMON TREE SAPLING                                                               LEMON TREE

Family : lemon, (Citrus limon), small tree or spreading bush of the rue family (Rutaceae) and its edible fruit. The lemon forms a spreading bush or a small tree, 3–6 m (10–.

20 feet )high if not pruned.

Origin: The lemon was probably unknown to the ancient Greeks and Romans, but it was introduced into Spain and North Africa some time between the years ad 1000 and 1200.  The United States and Italy are major producers of lemons. Other producing countries include Spain, Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Lebanon, Chile, Brazil, Israel, Australia, Tunisia, South Africa, Algeria, Cyprus, and Portugal. About half of the lemon crop is usually shipped to the fresh-fruit market.  

Flowers: The flowers have a sweet odour and are rather large, solitary or in small clusters in the axils of the leaves.

    

Fruit: The fruit is oval with a broad, low, apical nipple and 8 to 10 segments. The outer rind, or peel, yellow when ripe and rather thick in some varieties, is prominently glandular-dotted.

Varieties :The chief varieties of lemons were formerly the Lisbon, a variety introduced from Australia, and the Eureka, a variety that originated from a seedling tree grown in California.

Seeds:The seeds are small, ovoid, and pointed; occasionally, fruits are seedless. The pulp is decidedly acid. The predominant acid present is citric acid, which may amount to 5 percent or more by weight of the lemon’s juice.Seedlings of these species are superior to lemon seedlings as rootstocks because they are more uniform and less susceptible to the various crown- and foot-rot diseases.

Climate:The relatively cool, equable climatic zones of coastal Italy and California are especially favourable for lemon cultivation. The trees are commonly grown in orchards, spaced 5–8 m (16–26 feet) apart. Lemon trees usually bloom throughout the year, and the fruit is picked 6 to 10 times a year. Full-sized fruit for commercial purposes is about 50 mm (2 inches) in diameter. The fruit is usually picked while still green and, after curing, may be kept three months or more in storage.

Juice: Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C and contains smaller amounts of the B vitamins, particularly B1, B2, and niacin. Juice of the lemon is a characteristic ingredient in many pastries and desserts, such as tarts and the traditional American lemon meringue pie. The astringent, distinctive flavour of the fruit is also used to enhance many poultry, fish, and vegetable dishes worldwide. Lemonade, made with lemon, sugar, and water, is a popular warm-weather beverage, and the juice itself is commonly added to tea.

Byproducts: Among the important by-products of lemons are citric acid, citrate of lime, lemon oil, and pectin. Preparation of the oil, used in perfumes, soap, and flavouring extract, is an important industry in Sicily. Citric acid is used in beverage manufacturing.

LEMON  GROWN IN BONSAI CULTURE