Bonita The Fruit Bat Counts to 10 by Bonnie Lee-Fruit Facts

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 Bonita The Fruit Bat Counts to Ten by Bonnie Lee

Guava

Guavas are plants in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) genus Psidium (meaning "pomegranate" in Latin) which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Guavas are now cultivated and naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics in Southeast Asia, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Florida and Africa.

Guavas are often included among superfruits, being rich in dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, folic acid, and the dietary minerals, potassium, copper and manganese. Having a generally broad, low-calorie profile of essential nutrients, a single common guava fruit contains about four times the amount of vitamin C as an orange

The guava is believed to have originated in an area extending from southern Mexico into Central America. Since 1526, it has been common throughout all warm areas of tropical America, the West Indies, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. It was introduced to Florida in 1847 and was brought from there to the East Indies and Guam. It is likely that it spread from those regions to Asia and Africa. It was introduced to Hawaii in the early 19th century and is now common throughout the Pacific islands.

 

Nectarines

Nectarines are essentially the same fruit as peaches.  The main difference is that nectarines have a smooth skin and a firm flesh and peaches are fuzzy.

The smooth skin that defines nectarines is a minor genetic variation, so it is not uncommon for a peach to produce a branch that bears nectarines, or vice versa.

As with peaches, nectarines can be white or yellow.  Yellow nectarines have higher sugar content than white nectarines, but white nectarines usually taste sweeter due to their lack of acid.

Nectarines are low in fat, free of saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol, and are a good source of Vitamins A and C.

California grows over 95% of all nectarines in the United States!

 

Date

A date fruit is the product of a date palm, a tree native to Northern Africa and the Middle East, although it is also cultivated in other parts of the world. In addition to being eaten fresh, the date fruit is dried and eaten whole as a snack or included in an assortment of desserts. Many regional Middle Eastern cuisines incorporate dates, as do Mediterranean cuisines like those of Italy and Greece.

The fruit is known as a date. The fruit's English name, as well as the Latin species name dactylifera, both come from the Greek word for "finger," dáktulos, because of the fruit's elongated shape. Dates are oval-cylindrical, 3–7 cm long, and 2–3 cm diameter, and when unripe, range from bright red to bright yellow in colour, depending on variety. Dates contain a single seed about 2–2.5 cm long and 6–8 mm thick.

The date palm is dioecious, having separate male and female plants. They can be easily grown from seed, but only 50% of seedlings will be female and hence fruit bearing, and dates from seedling plants are often smaller and of poorer quality. Most commercial plantations thus use cuttings of heavily cropping cultivars, mainly 'Medjool' as this cultivar produces particularly high yields of large, sweet fruit.

Dates ripen in four stages, which are known throughout the world by their Arabic names kimri (unripe), khalal (full-size, crunchy), rutab (ripe, soft), tamr (ripe, sun-dried). Since dates contain relatively little water, they do not become much more concentrated upon drying, although the vitamin C is lost in the process.

Date palms can take 4 to 7 years after planting before they will bear fruit, and produce viable yields for commercial harvest between 7 to 10 years. Mature date palms can produce 80–120 kilograms (176–264 lb) of dates per harvest season, although they do not all ripen at the same time so several harvests are required.

Dates contain fluorine, which is an essential mineral to slow down the process of early tooth decay. Fluorine is also known to keep plaque at bay by strengthening the tooth enamel.

Energy Booster: Dates are power packed with 29 grams of natural sugars (glucose, sucrose and fructose), 3 grams of dietary fiber and 31 grams of carbohydrates. Therefore, the tiny date fruit can be appropriately described as an energy boosting dry fruit.

 

Fig

The fig fruit is an inverted flower with both the male and female flower parts enclosed in stem tissue. The scientific name of fig is ficus carica.

Fig fruits are bell-shaped, with a wide, flat bottom narrowing to a pointed top. When the fruit ripens, the top may bend, forming a "neck." Figs can be brown, purple, green, yellow or black, and vary in size. The skin is slightly wrinkled and leathery.

Figs grow best in sunny climates. The fruit is small with colors ranging from green, crimson, and dark brown. The inside of the fruit is fleshy with numerous tiny seeds and is covered by a thin skin on the outside. Since it has got a very short shelf life, figs can only be stored through drying, but this doesn’t reduce its nutritional benefits in any way.

They are often dried for preservation, since the fresh fruits are highly perishable. The fig flowers develop inside the fruit and cannot be seen.

Figs are originally from small Asia and are one of the first fruits cultivated ever.

The Greek mention them and around 60 A.C. and Plato promoted the fig as being the nutrition for athletes. Dried figs contain a lot of sugar, about 60%. It is thought that that was the reason why Plato advised Greek athletes to eat many figs.  It is a very healthy fruit!  Figs are one of the highest plant sources of calcium and fiber. According to USDA data for the Mission variety, dried figs are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs.

There are hundreds of fig fruit varieties, however, the green and the purple are the varieties that are mostly available in the market. Green varieties are the ones which are normally used for drying.  Today there are more than 600 different fig types.

Fig trees can grow up to 50 feet (15 meters) tall and are very wide and sprawling. They will choke out any growth underneath them, so caution is advised when planting them.

A lot of fig plant races are used decoratively: like the rubberplant and the ficus benjamina.

Fig Fruit Benefits

• Lowers Cholesterol
• Controls Blood Pressure
• Helps in Weight Loss
• Prevents Constipation
• Increases Bone Density
• Prevents Cancer
• Boost the health of the liver
• Good for those Suffering from Anemia
• Prevents Asthma Attacks

Sore throats can be effectively healed with figs as it also has high mucilage content

Figs are also rich in phenol, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. These compounds are natural heart boosters and so figs can contribute towards reducing the risk of coronary heart diseases.

It is also believed that the fiber in figs absorb cancer causing substances, thus reducing the risk of various types of cancer. Figs are especially good in preventing colon and post-menopausal breast cancer.