Wood apple – fruit garden

wood apple fruit also known as Bael, elephant fruit, Monkey fruit, curd fruit or limonia acidissima is yet another miraculous produce by our mother earth. Their shells are tough, and the inside is brownish pulp and small white seeds. The pulp can be eaten raw, but it is popularly scooped out and frozen, or made into jam. It can also be mixed with coconut milk for a delicious, health beverage, or frozen into ice cream. Native to the Indian sub-continent and part of east China this fruit belongs to genus Limonia. The name wood apple comes from the appearance of the fruit, it has a woody shell within which lies the pulpy fruit. The fruit contains beta carotene, vitamins A and B, riboflavin and thiamine. A 100gms of the fruit contains about 140 Kcal.

Uses of Wood apple:

• The fruit is very beneficial in curing digestive disorders. It is helps to destroy worms, recommended to treat peptic ulcer, helps to avoid constipation. The antifungal and anti-parasitic properties of the fruit promotes digestive health.
• The fruit when consumed as a beverage has detoxing properties and helps in purifying blood and therefore promotes kidney and liver health.
• The nutrients found in the fruit boost organ activity and metabolism. The proteins found in the food help in healing body faster and repairs muscles.
• It is effective in the treatment of aches.
• The vitamin C content in the fruit can cure scurvy.
• Rich in laxatives the fruit is used to control blood sugar levels and energizes the pancreases that aids in production of insulin.
• Wood apple should be avoided during pregnancy and too much consumption of it leads to flatulence, stomach upsets and constipation.

Scientific Name: Limonia acidissima
Common Name: wood apple and elephant apple

How to grow and maintain Wood apple:

Atmosphere:
The tree grows up to a rise of 1,500 ft (450 m) in the western Himalayas. It is said to require a rainstorm atmosphere with a particular dry season.

Soil:
All through its range there is a differing qualities of soil sorts, yet it is best adjusted to light soils.

Proliferation:
The wood-apple is by and large developed from seeds however seedlings won’t prove to be fruitful until no less than 15 years of age. Augmentation may likewise be by root cuttings, air-layers, or by maturing onto self-seedlings to incite predominating and giftedness.

Season:
In Malaya, the leaves are shed in January, blooming happens in February and March, and the organic product develops in October and November. In India, the natural product ages from early October through March.

Harvesting:
The fruit is tested for maturity by dropping onto a hard surface from a height of 1 ft (30 cm). Immature fruits bounce, while mature fruits do not. After harvest, the fruit is kept in the sun for 2 weeks to fully ripen.