DQ Farm (est. 1991)

One of my favourite fruits is the Nam Nam, or katak puru (toad).

It’s a short shrubby tree, and really quite pleasing to the eye. I can picture it potted in a large pot and acting as a centre piece in a home garden.

The fruits grow on the tree trunk itself; how's that for a conversation piece!

All you need to do is stoop down and pluck off ripe ones.

A cluster of fruits

 A ripe fruit

The inside of the fruit. 

I like to munch it raw with skin intact.  It is tart, sour, sweet, fragrant and crunchy when freshly plucked from the tree.  Wait a day, and it looses its crunchiness.  Kampung (village) folks say both the fruits, and the leaves made into a tea,  aids in relieving kidney stones, diabetes and high blood pressure.

It is easily marcotted / air layered, and almost always survives planting. Nam Nam grown from seeds takes up to 6 years to fruit.  I believe marcotted ones should take about a couple of years.  We shall see.

Finally the kapok tree have fruits and the workers are looking forward to fresh stuffing for their pillows.

Up the kapok tree shaking the pods (fruits) down.

 

Fallen pods (actually fruits)

 

Close up of pods, the fluffy kapok fibre,  and leaves.

 

The fibre that will be used to stuff the pillows.

Isn't it time to reintroduce these fibres?  They were replaced by cheap material made from petrochemicals. It may be the time now to start bringing these fibres back using modern technology to treat them to last longer etc. A kapok tree can remain productive for 500 years; how's that for sustainability!.

At the farm, we are constantly looking for material found in nature to use and to reuse.