Remember Eating These As A Kid? Here's What They Really Are
Sweet childhood memories.
By Tamara Jayne
As a kid, you might remember playing at parks, learning about different plants and fruits, and even being taught that you can eat some of them
I recall being fascinated as a child the first time my mum showed me how 'touch-me-not' plants would close immediately after you've touched them. Being a kid was fun!
One small fruit that you might have snacked on growing up is this little yellow guy
Hunting for these fruits was like hunting for gold. Once you found a ripe one, removing it from its little 'plant cage', rinsing it, and popping it into your mouth was satisfying.
The sweetness from the fruit only made the hunt for it even more worth it.
But what are they exactly?
They're called 'Stinking passion fruits' and they grow on climbing vines that are sometimes seen as a weed or invasive plant.
The vine can grow up to 9m high and is covered in soft, sometimes sticky hairs.
If you've ever eaten one of its fruits before, you might remember them looking like tiny passion fruits and tasting like a sweeter version.
Distinguished by its 'bad smell', the flower's stems are thin, wiry, and carry fruits that are usually green or yellow when ripe.
Although the leaves and unripe green fruit are toxic, the ripe yellow fruit is edible.
Another small fruit you might recognise is the Jamaican cherry also known as Muntingia calabura or kerukup siam
They're small, juicy, sweeter than the traditional cherry, and slightly translucent when ripe.
You might recall their crunchy texture with several tiny seeds inside.
They can be eaten raw or are often used in jam. And its leaves can be used in tea.
Although not a fruit, you'll definitely remember sucking nectar out of these flowers as a child
Ixoras are these clusters of bright red flowers that love the sun and are usually found growing in warm temperatures.
How many of you used to pull the stamen out to retrieve precious drops of nectar? You'll be lucky if you even got one drop!
Or maybe you made pretty garlands out of the flowers! Ah, good times.
