Do You Know This Fruit?

This fruit grows on a bush - that can be trimmed into a tree. So, technically, bush, tree, both are true statements.

I like to grow it as part of a fedge. 

Do you know what a fedge is?

It is short for food hedge. It is more or less a permaculture term when you are designing your landscape to have many uses. Every element should have at least 3 functions.

Let's look at the fedge.

1. It provides food for people
2. It provides food for critters
3. It provides a barrier - it could be used as a fence or as a division in the garden.
4. It provides habitat for critters - i.e. nesting space for birds.
5. If planted towards a street - it absorbs the dirt and pollution from cars (not the best for food)
6. If planted by a sidewalk - it provides food for people passing by.
7. If planted in an area with high deer population - plant and outside row with plants that provide food and also have thorns to prevent deer from breaking in.
8. Plant the inside with non-thorny food plants for you.
9. It can provide shade for plants that require that.

As you can see, the three function minimum is met.

Here is the fruit in my hand so you get an idea of the size of the fruit.

One bite taken. This is what the inside looks like.

It is a tropical fruit and the seeds can be planted right away to make a new bush/tree.

This is the only way to propagate this particular plant. 

The seeds produce a plant somewhat true to the mother plant, but not identical.

There is always a surprise.

Did you guess what it is? 

This is a Surinam cherry. Very, very delicious!

Fun fact. I met an online friend in San Diego who had traveled here for a conference. He and his friends were from Surinam and I knew where that is because I was familiar with the Surinam cherries. 

The things you can learn in the garden. Who would have thought...

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