Food Forest

Food Forest

We were very surprised when we headed into the Food Forest because there were so many tasty, edible and healthy grown fruits and plants. We found it very fun to be able to walk around and get to pick our own food, especially knowing that the fruits and plants were local, organic and fresh. Some surprising facts included that many of the leaves were edible, healthy and high in protein,, many plants are local with very few being imported from Mexico and other regions of the Tropics and that the Food Forest is open to all FGCU students for their grabs. Being able to learn, see and experience all of the wild, native and local plants that the Food Forest has to offer gave us the encouragement to eat more local foods, more organic foods and plants in which are considered more than "fruit and vegetables." 

Jujube Fruit Tree

At the Food Forest I got to try a new fruit that I've never heard of before called the Jujube or better known as, the Chinese Apple. I was excited to try it because I love apples and their crisp taste, however, Jujube tasted a bit different then just an apple. It had a bit less flavor and was much more tart than any apple or other fruit I have ever tried. The Jujube was also very small in size to eat as a singular fruit, but if served with the right food, such as a fruit salad or a baked tart, I would really enjoy it.

Bananas

The banana trees that are planted in the Food Forest produce dwarf bananas, but when we visited, they were not ready to picking just yet. These bananas are much smaller than what you might find at a grocery store, and in fact are ancestors of the more common grocery store bananas. These locally grown bananas are not only fresh and local, but organically grown here on campus at FGCU. The dwarf bananas grow nearly year round in Florida, and they have a fast growth rate as well but once they bloom are picked, they die off and another branch begins to grow more bananas for its next season. 

Chaya

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the names of many of the leaves I tried in the food forest, but the wide variety of them really opened my eyes to how many healthy alternatives that are out there.  One of the first plants we looked at had leaves that were perfect for using for a wrap.  The leaves were much healthier than tortilla wraps and didn’t rip as easy as lettuce wraps.  I enjoy working out and am often looking for high sources of protein which I previously believed could only be found in meats.  Little did I know that many of the plants in the food forest are high in protein.  One of which, Chaya (Mexican spinach) was very high in protein and all parts of it could be used, although it did have a pretty harsh aftertaste.  I really enjoyed this field trip to the food forest because I am always looking for healthy substitutes, but never realized not only that there were so many options but also that the plants don’t taste as bad as I thought they would.  I also learned that many plants have benefits other than just for nutrients.  Some of them have great fragrances such as the one that smelled like Christmas, while others have healing properties such as the plant that could be used to help with ant bites.

Papaya and Jackfruit

Tree

 Being able to see all the varies sizes and age groups of the local papaya trees, got us all excited that January was their blooming season and there were more than 30 up for grabs! The only trouble we had was getting to all those delicious papaya fruits, so instead of climbing the tree, we decided to shake it and down those fruits came down. Our instructor was able to differentiate how to ripen a papaya and which was faster; keeping it on the tree, or keeping it on the counter? Well, we decided to take the shorter route and pick them off the ground ourselves and ripen them on our kitchen tables. The two I was able to take home, one is still ripening, but the other one(in which was only the size of my fist) did not do so well and had to be thrown away. But no worries, in just a few days, I will be able to have a fresh papaya that was locally grown at FGCU at its Food Forest and for it being my first time there, its pretty exciting!

Now this was the most interesting tree of all, the Jackfruit tree. The Jackfruit comes from the fig family and though it is sweet, it is also starchy and full of fiber, a nice alternative to just eating is as a fruit. As our instructor explained to us, the Jackfruit can be eaten raw with other fruit, but, Jackfruit is mostly used in vegan and vegetarian options such as vegan pulled pork, vegan crab cakes and a vegan take on a simple salad. With all these varies options this little fruit can do, we all learned there are more ways to eat healthy but eco friendly too without any meats(and in the harm of animals).