Suriname Cherry, Eugenia uniflora

Suriname cherry, simply known as “cherry” in Bermuda, is a shrub-like tree that produces a small fruit. The tree is used as a hedge and during the fruiting season it's commonplace for the edge of the road to turn red from fallen fruit. Cherries are easy to pick when ripe and will fall to the ground if brushed by a vehicle.

I've tasted cherries my entire life so how can I describe what they taste like without saying “they taste like cherries?” This is my attempt – cherries are tart, yet sweet. You can taste the high vitamin C content when you bite into the fruit, then a burst of sweet juice fills your mouth. The best cherries are eaten when they are fully ripe, bright red and plump. Attempts to eat orange cherries only lead to disappointment.

Cherries are small enough to be eaten in a single bite however the “2-bite taste test” is the best way to determine if a cherry bush has fruit worthy of eating. Take a bite of the fruit to taste it. If delicious, then eat the whole cherry, spitting out the pit, and pick more. If it tastes terrible, drop the cherry and find another bush. Leave those cherries for the birds.

Suriname cherries can have 2 fruiting seasons in Bermuda – Spring and Fall.

Try It Out

Cherries are so abundant, try experimenting with making homemade preserves.

Crush cherry leaves and apply to bare skin as an insect repellent.

General Benefits

• Reduces fever when leaves infused in hot water with lemongrass.
• Tea of the leaves can ease gastrointestinal distress, but eating too much of the fruit can cause it.

Properties

Vitamin C; Vitamin A; Potassium; Magnesium; Insect Repellent; Anti-inflammatory

#Fruit

Prickly Pear, Opuntia stricta

First things first, be careful. Prickly pear is covered with extremely sharp needles. You should be fully present and aware when obtaining the fruit from the cacti. If you are distracted, you will get pricked by the needles.

The fruit is what we are after and even though it appears non-threatening, it too has needles. The spiky needles on the leaf are obvious and easy to avoid if you pay attention. The needles on the fruit are a completely different matter. They are tiny and stick to everything, including tongues, skin, fabric, gloves, bags, etc. It will feel like a tiny splinter if a needle sticks to your mouth or skin, annoying you until it's pulled out. Tweezers are an easy way to remove the needles from skin but you will likely get stuck again because the needles stick to everything. Be aware that the fresh fruit will also stain skin, clothing, countertops, and more the color red.

You are likely wondering why bother with the fuss, and the appropriate answer is the fruit is worth it. Sweet, tangy, with a hint of salt if picked near the ocean, prickly pear fruit is simply delicious. It's full of seeds that can be spat out or swallowed like passion fruit seeds. The fruit is also on trend nowadays, so you may be able to find it in a grocery store, with the tiny splinter needles removed for your convenience.

Try It Out

Buy the fruit from a grocery store, wash, cut into pieces, and eat it.

Buy the fruit from a grocery store, squeeze it into a glass jar, and use the dye as the color red in a painting activity with children.

General Benefits

• Prevents oxidative stress
• Used by herbalists to manage Type 2 diabetes
• Reduces cholesterol
• Eases inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis
• Supports cardiovascular health
• Wound healing properties
• Leaf and fruit are food sources

Properties

Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Protein, Soluble fibers, Neuro-protective

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Peach, Prunus persica

After a long, bare Winter, the peach trees are flowering and beginning to produce fruit. The fruits will take another 3 months before they are palatable to eat. Until then we will nourish the tree to ensure a healthy bounty.

While we wait for the fruits to ripen on the tree, let's consider the leaves. Peach leaves have properties to cool and soothe, both internally and topically. When prepared as a sun tea or iced tea, the leaves evoke feelings of calm and relaxation.

Peach leaf tea is the perfect remedy for people who 'run hot' and find it difficult to settle their minds and bodies. Have this tea on hand when the heat of Summer exacerbates these symptoms. Serve this tea at a Summer picnic as a means to bring the adults into the present moment and settle the children.

Use peach leaf to ease inflammation from bug bites just as you would use plantain. Using both plants together provides a helpful remedy to reduce the associated heat and soreness that accompany bug bites.

Try It Out

Crush peach leaves in your hand then smell the scent.

Make an iced tea using a handful of peach leaves.

General Benefits

• Reduces morning sickness
• Soothes digestive troubles
• Calms eye irritation
• Reduces nervous tension

Properties

Anti-inflammatory, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron

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Loquat, eriobotrya japonica

Loquat season has arrived again, a marker of Spring in Bermuda. The fruits tempt us with the promise of a sweet, juicy snack. The golden-orange colored fruits are the sweetest, but waiting for them to fully ripen is risky – someone else may eat them first! A loquat tree full of fruit is 'open season' and it is not uncommon to see a car or motorbike parked on the roadside with the occupants eating loquats from a tree.

The fruits can grow at all levels of the tree's branches. Adults tend to pick what is accessible from ground level. Children climb the sturdy branches to pick the loquats in the middle. The lizards and birds enjoy the fruit at the top branches, which are also the sweetest.

Loquat leaves have a hairy underside and are rough. An infusion of the leaf is unpleasant and not recommended. Brown in color with a glossy sheen, the seeds are toxic if cracked and eaten. Spit the seeds out whole and enjoy the skin and flesh of the fruit.

The tree is abundant when it fruits and loquat jam, jelly, syrup, marmalade, pie, and liquor recipes abound. Loquats can be frozen for use beyond the fruiting season.

When considering the naturopathic approach of the Doctrine of Similars, we can observe that the fruit shape is similar to an eye and therefore may have properties beneficial to eyesight. The fruit does contain a high percentage of vitamin A which supports optimal eyesight. Going further, the similarities of the hairs on the loquat leaf and the cilia in lungs affirm the traditional use of loquat leaf in cold formulas.

Try It Out

Make a fruit salsa using de-seeded loquat fruit, onion, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, olive oil, and salt.

Grow a loquat tree by planting the seeds in a pot.

General Benefits

• Gentle detoxifier
• Attracts pollinators
• Accessible food source
• Medicinal syrups can counter common cold symptoms

Properties

Potassium, Calcium, Fiber, Folate, Vitamin-A, Vitamin-C, B-Vitamins, Iron, Copper

#Fruit