02 Apr Fri 2010
The lost and found art of Indigenous Tropical Food Plants.Say no to unproductive ornamentals and YES to the INCREDIBLE TROPICAL EDIBLES!
I have lived and worked for the last twenty years in the Tropics .I have met a lot of indigenous people whose families lived for generations in Florida .Among those I met and learned from are Native Floridians, Native Americans from the Seminole and Mikosoki Nations in addition to many people from the Caribbean region. To the new comers who like to explore the taste of indigenous edible plants of the Tropics, a word of wisdom is: Start growing your own and excavating your neighborhood and backyard vegetations.
One of my favorite indigenous herbs is: CERRASSE.
It is a native vine mostly known to the indigenous peoples of the Carribean.It grows usually during the hot and warm seasons of the summer, fall and spring. Up to the start of the first cold waves of the winter here in S.Florida.
The ancient Chinese TCM herbalists knew about this precious herb thousands of years ago and used it in TCM to treat the LIVER, GALLBLADER and KIDNEY. It is a bitter herb, usually the the leaf is dried and used as a tea. Also the vine produces a fruit that the peoples of SOUTH ASIA, especially INDIA, used it extensively in AYEURVEDIC MEDICINE .They called it KERALA.
Fortunately this herb grows through out our tropical S.Florida region and only few people take notice of its amazing benefits. We have a lot of visitors from other parts of the USA who when in Florida keep their habits of eating and drinking as they used to UO NORTH. So they miss on the therapeutic benefits of the THERMAL and COOLANT properties of the TROPICAL REGION by omitting the locally grown indigenous food plants like the above.
Another different indigenous vegetable that grows in the wild in the Tropics is: KALALOO.It is a different form of SPINACH. Very rich in minerals especially IRON. The Jamaicans and the peoples of the Caribbean islands include it more frequently in their cuisine. The green leaf of Kalaloo is sweater than the ordinary spinach we usually know. It also has an edible stem that can be cooked, juiced and used in salads raw. Women of the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean region eat a lot of Kalaloo as it is a good source for minerals especially IRONS! It purifies and fortifies the blood humors as it is known in the folklore medicine here. It is mostly cultivated in the wild and some natives domesticate its growing in their backyard. It needs a rich soil that is not prone to flooding.
Cuban Oregano:
This herb was voted the HERB OF THE YEAR 2005.It can be propagated by cutting the leaf and planting it in the local soil that is sandy and well drained.It is a hardy plant that survives hurricanes and draughts. It is usually taken as in tea or salad for middle ear infections, flu, head aches, backackes and much more…
There are more tropical indigenous herbs to mention...Best thing come and join our local members as we meet each Saturday to discuss and learn more aboyt ORGANIC GARDENING TOPICS OF THE TROPICS.
Join us at our Saturday Ongoing ORGANIC GARDENING CLASSES EVERY SATURDAY -AT- 3:30PM
More details at our calender of events listings @:
localharvest.org/farms/M20618