On Wed, 16 Apr 2003 17:31:16 +0100, "Sue & Bob Hobden"
wrote:


Hussein wrote in message
Are the fruits edible or something then?

I've not seen one get but they are purported to be like dark
sausages.

From PFAF:

Fruit - raw[2, 105, 177]. Sweet but insipid[3]. The fruit has a
delicate flavour and a soft, juicy texture[K]. Lemon juice is
sometimes added to the fruit to enhance the flavour[183]. The bitter
skin of the fruit is fried and eaten[183]. The fruit is 5 - 10cm long
and up to 4m wide[200, 266].
Soft young shoots are used in salads or pickled[183].
The leaves are used as a tea substitute[105, 177, 183].

Also:
Plants are probably self-sterile[11, 182], if possible at least 2
plants should be grown, each from a different source.

(Those numbers in brackets refer to the publications which PFAF have
referenced).

They are so easy to propagate vegetatively but because of the
advice above, I recently got from another source an additional A.
quinata. Funny though. I don't know whether it's because it's
pubescent, but the leaves on the new one are not quinate bit trilobe
(is that a word?). Perhaps they inadvertently sent me one of the other
species.


So have you (or anyone else) tried to eat one of these fruits yet? I always
reserve judgement on fruit from descriptions in books etc, until I speak to
someone who has tasted it.

No, but I look forward to trying them - if they materialise. I could
in the meantime add a few of the tender shoots to a salad. Aw shucks,
may as well have a nibble straight off the plant and see if they are
worth the vinaigrette.

Anyway the fruits add another period of interest to the plant - which,
to my view, is anyway not shown to advantage growing against a dark
support but really set off by a light coloured one. Can't wait to
unleash it from the brick plinth of the building so it sprawls over
the white painted rendering. The serial bully who lives behind those
walls and hates plants is just going to have to lump it I'm afraid. He
may have a fit if he sees a tendril appear over his window ledge
however. All the other residents are plant lovers fortunately.

Huss
(feeling less tetchy tonight)

Grow a little garden

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