Natal Plums !!!!!Carissa grand flora



Natal Plums are often used in landscaping

 

Natal Plum copes well with salty winds, making it a good choice for coastal areas. It grows in mounds two to seven high and as wide. It’s tolerant of various lighting conditions and is a popular landscaping plant. Because of its double spines —a good identification characteristic —it makes a popular security hedge.

Natal Plums have shiny, deep green leaves and snowy white flowers. Their scent intensifies at night and they bloom for months at a time. The fruit appears in summer and fall, or fall and winter in warmer climates, and at the same time as it blooms. In moderate climates the fruits can appear throughout the year.There are  6 to 16 seeds in each fruit and each is about the size of one flat instant Quaker oat.

 

Natal Plum seeds!!!!!!A ripe fruit is one that is plum red and slightly soft to the touch. No peeling is necessary. Halved or quartered and seeded, it is suitable for fruit salads, gelatins and as topping for cakes, puddings and ice cream.

 

 

Natal Plums are often used in landscaping!!!!Natal Plums have shiny, deep green leaves and snowy white flowers. Their scent intensifies at night and they bloom for months at a time. The fruit appears in summer and fall, or fall and winter in warmer climates, and at the same time as it blooms

 

TIME OF YEAR: In the right climate, it blooms and fruits all year. Heaviest fruiting in spring and summer.
ENVIRONMENT: Drought tolerant, can endure salty soil, salty winds and heat. Likes full sun but can tolerate some shade. Because of these qualities it is used — despite it spines and toxic foliage — as a landscaping plant, most often for businesses.
METHOD OF PREPARATION:  Only the ripe fruit is edible, raw or cooked. The rest of the plant is very toxic. Watch out for the spines.



 

 

                                                                

 

             

           

There are two main varieties of lemons acid and sweet. The acid lemons include: Lisbon and Eureka. The sweet lemons include: Meyer and Ponderosa. Commercially grown lemon trees can reach heights of up to 20 feet. Lemons are very sensitive to cold and must be grown in areas that are not prone to frost. They also require full sunlight.

Lemons are not very particular in the type of... soil that they are grown in. Many lemon trees are actually built on the sour orange root stock to make them hardier. Typically a lemon tree is not grown from seed in the home garden instead a tree will be bought from a nursery. Lemons may be grown in containers as well as in the ground. Lemon trees do not require pruning other than if cold damage is present.

Nutritional Values of Lemons

Serving size 1/2 cup, sectioned, peeled (106g)
Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 30
... Calories from Fat 5g
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 5mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Sugars 3g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 90%
Calcium 2%
Iron 4%
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Lemons
When choosing a lemon it is important to look for fruits which are firm and bright in color. Lemons that have a fine texture and feel heavy for their size typically produce the most juice.

A medium sized lemon produces approximately 3 tablespoons of juice and 3 tablespoons of grated zest. Both of which can be frozen for future use. In order to get the most juice from your lemons microwave them for about 15 seconds or roll it against a hard surface before juicing.

A fresh lemon should last about 2 weeks at room temperature; however, when stored in a plastic bag in the crisper of the refrigerator a lemon can last up to 6 weeks.

Lemons have a multitude of purposes. They are a great flavoring agent. They are beautiful to use as an edible garnish. They also are useful as natural cleaning purposes.

Lemon Concerns and Cautions

Because of the exceptionally high content of Vitamin C in lemons it is important to monitor your daily consumption of Vitamin C in order to avoid intestinal discomfort and diarrhea

 Does the Lemonade Diet Work?

The Lemonade Diet, also known as the Lemonade Detox Diet, has been around for quite some time, and is among the first diets to actually be termed a “cleanse” since the goal of the system is to both get rid of toxins in your body, as well as help you lose weight. Even though the Lemonade Diet has been around for years, it hasn’t become popular until relatively recently.  The key to making the system work involves the special blend of Lemonade Diet ingredients. The diet restricts what you can eat to just a few things: fresh lemon juice, organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and filtered water.

How Maple Syrup Plays a Role with the Lemonade Diet

Using a special blend of Grade B maple syrup is necessary when you are on the Lemonade Diet because your body still needs vitamins and minerals even as it detoxifies itself. Since Grade B maple syrup goes through a different process once it comes out of the tree from collection to bottling, it is suited better for a cleansing diet than regular Grade A syrup. The nice part of about the maple syrup is that it help control the feeling of being hungry in your stomach. Often, the feeling of being hungry can grow to such an extreme level that you might start feeling intense pain. With the maple syrup in the mix, your body is still able to get a decent amount of the vitamins and minerals it needs on a daily basis, while at the same time it contains enough sugar to satisfy your stomach’s biological need for food.

 

 

Beauty of Spring in the Summer – Botanical Garden

Working in a garden is an all-round health booster. Some people, especially women, love taking care of their gardens and are passionate about gardening as a personal interest/hobby. Gardening is not only for nature lovers but it can also help improve your health and induce a therapy for your stressed-out mind. Additionally, when a gardener grows fruits and vegetables etc in their garden, they are more likely to eat them as they have invested their time, money and hard work in them. Understandably, these vegetables and fruits help us gives life to our brain cells and protects one from aging.

Gardening is the Best Health-Booster!

 

Following are the ways in which you may be able to use gardening as a stress reliever and health-booster:

1. Gardening gives you a break from the general rush of life. This not only benefits your general well-being but specifically enhances your strength and flexibility. Moreover, weeding, raking, digging, and lifting serve to increase stamina and build muscle tone. Such activities not only improve your physical fitness but also help reduce depression and anxiety.
2. Greenery in a garden helps ease your muscles and lowers your blood pressure. Generally speaking, green is a cool color which has a calming and serene effect on your mental health and state of mind.
3. Gardening gives you an excellent opportunity to grow vegetables and Fruits which have a high nutrition value and also taste a lot better than the ones available in the market. It is observed that gardeners tend to eat more fruits and vegetables than others and consider their healthy eating patterns to be one of the rewards. A few easily grown vegetables and fruits in your house garden are cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, mangoes, carrots etc.
4. An hours of moderate gardening will result in 300 calories burnt, on average. Essentially, gardening acts as a natural gym for a gardener and helps you exert off unwanted calories. So, gardening also helps reduce your weight and saves you from diseases related to obesity.
5. Gardening also provides various items which can make your skin look healthy. A good example is Aloe Vera which helps heal chronic skin disorders like acne skin and minor burns etc. Herbal medicines can also be extracted and processed from your own garden if you have the time and knowledge.
6. When you work in your Garden, you absorb the light and heat of the sun which helps produce Vitamin D in your body. Vitamin D helps prevent from 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancers etc
Hope you find these tips interesting enough to adopt gardening as an active hobby. Stay good, stay fit=)