Home

Magnolias

©2006 Clove Garden

• Arrowhead - Sagittaria
• Drumstick Tree
• Ginkgo
• Ginseng
• Jujube
• Kiwi Fruit
• Mangosteen
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Pomegranet

Arrowhead - [kuwai (Japanese), ci gu (China), Sagittaria sagittifolia (Asian)] - [Duck Poatao, Indian Potato, Broadleaf Arrowhead, Wapato Sagittaria latifolia (North American)]
The Asian species of this acquatic plant is seasonably available in Asian markets in Los Angeles and elsewhere. The tubers can be eaten raw or cooked. They are bland and starchy much like potato but when cooked are somewhat crunchier than potato. The photo specimens were 2-1/4 inches diameter and weighed 3 ounces each. They do not keep well even refrigerated so should be cooked within a couple of days.

Boiled arrowhead tubers figure prominently in both Chinese and Japanese New Years celebrations. They can also be sliced and deep fried like potato chips.

The North American version is not sold commercially. It was at one time eaten by the North American Indians but today is eaten mainly by beavers, porcupines and muskrats.

Drumstick Tree - [Horseradish Tree, Malunggay (Philippines), Sajina (India) Moringa oleifera]
This tree from northern India has been planted worldwide because of it's many uses, only a few of which are as food. The name "Horseradish Tree" comes from the taste of the root when ground, but the main food use is for young leaf shoots (particularly in the Philippines) and the pods (particularly in India) which may be up over 18 inches long. Young leaves can be found in markets serving a Philippine community or brined in jars in Asian markets while the pods can be found in markets serving an Indian community - but not yet reliably even here in Southern California.

Eating the pods is problematic. When very young the whole pod is edible, but that's not the way they're sold around here. With a fairly mature pod the shell remains very hard and woody when cooked, This is not a problem in India recipes aren't too practical here - they eat everyting with their fingers(why soup isn't popular in India). Here you can treat them as you would Artichoke leaves, Cut into 3 to 4 inch lengths, boil 10 minutes or steam 15, split them open and scrape out the pulp and seeds by drawing across your teeth, then discard the woody shell. Taste is pleasant, a bit like green beans and zucchini but more complex.

Ginkgo - [Ginkgo biloba]
The Ginkgo tree has been with us for at least 270 million years and was widespread in the Jurassic an Cretaceous periods. While very enduring it is not a flowering tree and evolved very slowly if at all. It was displaced by the flowering magnolia and it's rapidly evolving offspring until only a minor population remained in China. It has now been planted worldwide as a popular decorative, but only male trees because the fruit contains butanoic acid which smells like very rancid butter. In China female trees are widely cultivated for the seeds, sold here as "White Nut" in Asian groceries.

Dietary supplements made from extract of ginkgo leaves are thought to improve memory but this is controversial. The suplements are approved for treatment of tinnitus (tintinitis - ringing in the ears) in Germany. I took them for that purpose when I contracted that problem from a certain brand of Australian wine, but I'm not sure if they helped or the problem went away on its own. What is known is that ginkgo improves circulation in small blood vesels and reduces clotting and contains strong antioxidants.

The seeds are used in a number of Asian dishes and highly esteemed there, but should not be eaten by themselves in quantity over a long period of time because they cause poisoning by MPN (4-methoxypyridoxine). In the quantities called for by recipes and with the frequency such recipes are likely to be used they are perfectly safe.

Ginseng - [Panax quinquefolius (American), Panax ginseng (Korean)]
Of the two major species of Ginseng, the American, farm grown in Wisconsin and Canada, is considered the best. Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) belongs to a different genus and has a different makeup of active ingredients. While considered inferior, it's put to much the same uses as the Panax species and is often deceptively sold as Panax. Given the reputation of American ginseng, much of the Korean variety is put up in red, white and blue packages and sold as "Wisconsin Ginseng", even by Asian markets here in the USA.

Ginseng is reputed to improve libido and sexual performance, improve blood circulation, response to stress and recovery from weakness. Side effects are reputed to be insomnia and change in blood pressure (up or down). The photo specimens, from a Korean market in Los Angeles, were 6-3/4 inches long and weighed 1-3/8 ounce (left) and 2 ounces (right).

Jujube - [Red Date, Chinese Date, Annab (Persia (dried)), Taejuja (Korea), Ziziphus zizyphus]

Jujube fruit trees were first domesticated in India about 11,0000 years ago. Their natural range is uncertain because of long cultivation but may have extended from Syria to southern China. They belong to the Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), a fairly large family but one yielding very few edibles.

The fruit is initially green but turns red when fully ripe and eventually shrivels. It is very light, almost foam like, moderately sweet. and apple-like in flavor. The photo shows fresh (top), dried (left) and candied (right). Fresh are about 1.7 inches long, 1.6 inches diameter and weigh just over 1 ounce.

Fresh and candied jujubes are eaten as snacks. Dried they are a flavoring ingredient for soups and stews. In China dried jujubes (hong zao) may be smoked (hei zao) and will then be black instead of red. They are also used for teas and beverages. Jujube teas are reputed to be a good treatment for colds and sore throat. Details and Cooking.

Kiwi Fruit - [Chinese Gooseberry, Yangtao, Actinidia deliciosa (standard Kiwi), Actinidia arguta (Hardy Kiwi, Baby Kiwi), Actinidia chinensis (Golden Kiwi)]
Native to northern China, this berry was taken to California in 1904 and New Zealand in 1906. Originally known as the Chinese Goosberry. The name "Kiwi" was selected as a marketing name when New Zealand growers started promoting the product ("Chinese" was considered not good during the Cold War). Italy is now the leading producer with New Zealand second and the two account for 75% of world production. A. deliciosa is now very common in the U.S. and the tiny A. arguta is gaining a market here as growers crank up production (yupies will pay more for "baby" anything). The yellow fleshed A. chinensis is still very seldom seen here.

Kiwi has soft green flesh with a taste that has been described as a mix of strawberry, banana, and pineapple. The seeds are edible and always eaten but fussy people peel the fuzzy skin. I don't bother - and get the advantage of the skin's high antioxidant content as a bonus.

Mangosteen - [Garcinia mangostana]
The Mangosteen is a rather picky tropical tree which only grows well in a few locations in Southeast Asia and Central Africa, though a few are grown in Hawaii. The photo specimens are previously frozen because it's illegal to import whole fresh fruit into the U.S. without heavy fumigation or deep freezing. A fresh mangosteen would look better with the pulpy fruit segments whiter and completely filling the shell.

Irradiation is now being studied as a way to allow fresh fruit to be imported without fear of Asian fruit fly infestation. The tree may grow to 80 feet under the right conditions but will be killed by temperatures above 100°F/38°C or below 40°F/4.5°C kill it and it's very fussy about soil as well.

The fruit is of excellent flavor, sweet and tangy, and is eaten fresh from the shell cut (or more properly broken) as shown in the photo. Segments may or may not include a seed and the seeds are edible after boiling or roasting. The number of petals on the flower end of the fruit will be the same as the number of segments within.

Canned mangosteen is easily available in the U.S. but not considered as good because the flavor is quickly degraded by canning heat.

The purplish fruit has a thin brittle shell and a thick fiberous rind which is very high in pectin. A jelly is made from it after bitter elements have been leached out with salt. The red juice of the rind is a dye that's nearly impossible to remove from fabric. Fruits may be between 1-1/2 and 2-1/2 inches in diameter. A 4.4 ounce 2-1/2 inch fruit yielded 0.7 ounces of edible flesh (28%). Fresh fruit would have a better yield but that would be from higher water content.

Mangosteen rind has long been used in China and Southeast Asia as an herbal medicine and now mangosteen juice (made from rind and pulp) is heavily promoted in the U.S. through sophisticated "Network Marketing" schemes. It sells for over US $1.00/ounce with implications it can relieve everything up to and including cancer. Claims for it's benefits are almost completely unconfirmed and it's extremely unlikely the juice can deliver anything like the benefits implied. It is, however, making a huge amount of money for its perpetrators (M2.

Papaya - [pawpaw, mamao, lechoza, Carica papaya]
The only notable member of the family Caricaceae, the Papaya is of Central American origin but now grown in tropical areas throughout the world. It is very, very distantly related to Cabbages, but is the plant a "branchless tree" or a giant herb? Technically it's an herb.

Papayas are used green in Thailand and Vietnam to make a very popular salad (Recipe) and worldwide as a meat tenderizer and digestive aid. Ripe papayas are eaten as fruit and made into various fruit drinks and concoctions. In the photo are a large and medium (cut) Mexican papaya, a Hawiian papaya (center) and green papayas whole and cut.

Ripe papaya seeds have a spicy taste similar to a mild black pepper and are sometimes used as a substitute for that spice or in India as an adulterant. Young papaya leaves are eaten like spinach in some tropical areas, but mature leaves have an effect on the heart similar to digitalis, though they can be cooked in several changes of water to remove this effect and their bitterness.

Pineapple [Ananas comosus]
Bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) are a large family of fleshy leaved tropical and subtropical plants all originating from South America (with one genus established on the west central coast of Africa). They are very popular decorative plants and are also important in South America for food and fiber.

The Pineapple is the only bromeliad familiar as food in North America. There are several patented varieties sold in the U.S. and plenty of lawsuits as to who owns what. Taken throughout the tropics by the Spanish and Portuguese, the largest production is now in China and Southeast Asia, though Hawaii and Costa Rica produce most sold fresh in the USA.

South American pineapples are green when ripe but some of the patented varieties, particularly from Hawaii, are green and gold when ripe. Appearance and smell are the indicators of ripeness, not thumping or pulling leaves, and they do not ripen more once picked. Pineapples sold here in Southern Calfiornia are about 4 to 5 pounds. The photo specimen, a 4-1/2 pound fruit, yielded about 2-1/2 pounds (56%) when trimmed and cored. Chopped it's about 7-1/2 ounces per cup.

Poppy [Papaveraceae family]
The poppy of culinary interest is the Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum the tiny seeds of which are used on baked goods in the U.S. and in curries and other dishes in India. Poppy seed oil is used for cooking in some parts of the world.

In Western cooking, black poppyseeds are presumed. In Indian cooking where they are used both for flavoring and as a thickener the white variety is presumed. Opium is harvested from the same seed pods but by time the seeds are mature there is negligeable opium in the pods - however, avoid poppy seed bagels before a drug test - you can be found positive.

Pictured is P. Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy which is supposed to have a mild opiate effect when the dried sap is smoked but is not supposed to be adictive. I haven't tried it so I can't confirm or deny. Seeds of the California Poppy have been used in cooking but the yield per pod is realtively small.

• O1 - Papaya Info. Purdue University.
• M1 - Mangosteen Info - Purdue University.
• M2 - Mangosteen & Health - Health & Beyond - Dr. Ralph Moss: A Friendly Skeptic Looks at Mangosteen.