This is another fruit introduction by Omigy. I have to say that no many people know about medlar fruits. But I think we should. It is one of those hidden type of fruits, which have a lot of health benefits for our bodies.
With the internet communication available to us, we have no excuse not to know it better.
What is medlar fruit?
Medlar (better known by scientists as Mespilus germanica) is a fruit that grows naturally. It is fat-free and sodium-free. It is also a cholesterol-free fruit. No wonders why it is a healthy choice for eating.
It contains several key vitamins that are very important to our health.
Though you may not know it, this fruit is used in many of our daily ingredients. For instance, it is used in liqueurs (not my daily product intake though).
I would say that medlar is a cross between an apple and a rosehip.
You need to know that even when they are ripe, they are still hard and greenish – grayish in color.
If you ask yourselves what is medlar in french, then it is called ‘neflier’. You need to know the french people have two types of neflier, so the picture I gave you above may sometime not be the medlar we know it. Be careful if you go to France then. Make sure it is the right type of neflier they give you.
What is medlar fruit good for?
There are a lot of benefits associated with medlar fruit. The main ingredient within the fruit is Thiamine. This substance aids your digestion system and therefore should form part of your healthy eating.
Ascorbic acid is another component you can find in medlar. It is a natural type of antioxidant that enhances your immune system. What ascorbic acid does is to boost your vitamin C and help your body to absorb iron. When you eat it in winter(say November time), the fruit helps in keeping cold away. That’s why a lot of people eat it within that season.
What are the other benefits of medlar?
But the fruit is not all that is beneficial within medlar. Many use the pulp within the fruit as a laxative agent. And you can also use the leaves to clean your mouth.
In many cases, the bark of medlar trees has been used as a replacement for quinine. This has been documented in the VanDusen Botanical Garden. In essence, the bark is a really good anti-inflammatory agent.
But what I find great with this fruit is that it tightens the mucosa. It is therefore recommended during mouth bleedings. Many times I use it to cure aphthae (mouth ulcers).
At the same time, if you have some saliva problems, you can eat it as it encourages the secretion of it.
If you want to know more, even the seeds have great curable effects on you. Usually, you can take the seeds and put in water. You need to wait for some time until they are soft. Then apply the water on your wounds. They should heal quickly.
When in water, medlar seeds free the healing properties needed to help your wounds to heal.
Finally, eating this fruit will speed up the work of your liver. It will also strengthen your kidneys and lowers the wrist and back pain.
Quite a lot to get through already.
Medlar – how to eat it?
There are a number of ways that you can eat medlar. First, you cannot eat this fruit the day you pick it up (some do though). The reason is that it is a little bit hard. So you need to let it aside for quite some time to soften up.
When it has softened up, then you can taste it. It is hard to describe how to eat it, so I provided you a video to visualize it. Here is how to eat medlar:
You eat medlar in a variety of ways. For instance, you can eat it raw with cheese as a dessert. The pulp can be made into cheese by combining it with eggs and butter. It has even been used in the making of wine
This fruit is also used for making jams and rakija.
Where to buy medlar?
There are many ways you can get them. You can buy them in a number of farmer’s markets. The best time is during the November season. You can also find them in small gardens. Many gardeners would be happy to sell them or donate them to you. They’ll also tell you their secret recipes.
But it is still quite difficult to find them only. Nevertheless, you can find medlar seeds and medlar trees for sale. Click on the below picture if you want to buy some medlar seeds.
Conclusion
Here I have introduced you to medlar. It is a fantastic fruit that can help you in many ways. If you often have bleeding in your mouth, then eat medlar. I even show you how to peel it and eat it.
It has a very nice texture, though some say it is ugly in shape.
I also show you where you can buy a medlar tree for you to plant it. It usually only takes one year for you to get some fruit. So why wait? Get a medlar tree, plant it and get all of its benefits, whether it is a digestive benefit, mouth benefit or general well-being benefit. You’ll definitely enjoy investing in this tree.
And do not forget, make sure that you trim it as it can grow as high as 7 meters.
Back to you
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See you soon in another Omigy post.