Fruit: Loquat
Loquat, eriobotrya japonica
Loquat season has arrived again, a marker of Spring in Bermuda. The fruits tempt us with the promise of a sweet, juicy snack. The golden-orange colored fruits are the sweetest, but waiting for them to fully ripen is risky – someone else may eat them first! A loquat tree full of fruit is 'open season' and it is not uncommon to see a car or motorbike parked on the roadside with the occupants eating loquats from a tree.
The fruits can grow at all levels of the tree's branches. Adults tend to pick what is accessible from ground level. Children climb the sturdy branches to pick the loquats in the middle. The lizards and birds enjoy the fruit at the top branches, which are also the sweetest.
Loquat leaves have a hairy underside and are rough. An infusion of the leaf is unpleasant and not recommended. Brown in color with a glossy sheen, the seeds are toxic if cracked and eaten. Spit the seeds out whole and enjoy the skin and flesh of the fruit.
The tree is abundant when it fruits and loquat jam, jelly, syrup, marmalade, pie, and liquor recipes abound. Loquats can be frozen for use beyond the fruiting season.
When considering the naturopathic approach of the Doctrine of Similars, we can observe that the fruit shape is similar to an eye and therefore may have properties beneficial to eyesight. The fruit does contain a high percentage of vitamin A which supports optimal eyesight. Going further, the similarities of the hairs on the loquat leaf and the cilia in lungs affirm the traditional use of loquat leaf in cold formulas.
Try It Out
Make a fruit salsa using de-seeded loquat fruit, onion, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, olive oil, and salt.
Grow a loquat tree by planting the seeds in a pot.
General Benefits
- Gentle detoxifier
- Attracts pollinators
- Accessible food source
- Medicinal syrups can counter common cold symptoms
Properties
Potassium, Calcium, Fiber, Folate, Vitamin-A, Vitamin-C, B-Vitamins, Iron, Copper