Mansanitas

ByMaria

Mansanita, means little apple in the Philippines. It is a summer fruit, green in color when young and turning yellow when ripe. It tastes sweet and juicy with a little tartness. The fruit has one seed inside, which is hard and not edible. I can compare it to the omebushi (Japanese plum pickle). It is also known as Indian jujube which originated in China.

I remember climbing the mansanita tree when I was young, and I almost fell because the branch I was holding on to broke. The tree is not as strong as the guava tree. It is brittle, and the bark is quite rough.

The leaves are small, and the fruits can be harvested by shaking the tree. You need a net to catch them all without bruising the fruits. It is not a marketable fruit because of the shelf life that’s why you will seldom see these fruits in the market.

I miss the days when I could just gather the mansanitas and eat them fresh.

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