Garlic

Garlic is a shallow-rooted plant with the bulbs forming close to the soils surface. The plant responds favorably to short-day lights,particularly during the growing stage. Growing stops when long day lights any high temperature set in followed by the rapid maturity of the bulbs.

Medicinal Value of Garlic

* It lowers the blood pressure.

* It can reduce fever.

* It rids the stomach and intestines of intestinal worms and parasites.

* It eliminates gas formed in alimentary canal.

* It eliminates excess mucus.

* It eliminates excess water in the body flow of urine.

* A preparation of garlic cloves cures backaches.

Economic and Nutritive Value of Garlic

* It is the most popular and often used of all the species.

* It is used for flavoring many kinds of dishes.

* It contains all the major vitamins except Vitamin D.

* It is high in potassium and phosphorus.

Before planting, garlic cloves are prepared with extra care so as not to injure or damage them. Cloves are prepared in the afternoon before the day of planting and are so asked in a solution of Malathion ( 3 table spoon for every 5 gallons of water) for 2 minutes to kill the microscopic mites that cause " Tangle Top." Plant garlic at the end of the rainy season, from October to November. If you plant on time, you will be able to harvest more and bigger bulbs.

Malunggay

The malunggay is a small vegetable tree which grows to height of about 8 meters, more or less. The leaves which are pinnate in form, the white flowers and the long pendulous young pods and seeds are edible.

Nutrient Contents of Malunggay:

Just 1/3 cup of cooked malunggay leaves gives children their daily requirements for:

Iron - to build maintain the blood supply and prevent anemia;

Calcium - for healthy bones and teeth;

Vitamin A - to give good vision, healthy skin,proper growth and resistance to infections;

Vitamin B - to stimulate growth and appetite; to prevent skin troubles, beri-beri and anemia;

Vitamin C - to help develop health tissues, teeth and gums.

Malunggay tree may be propagated by stem cuttings or by seeds. Propagation by mature stem cuttings is preferable to propagation by seeds because the planted stems grow much faster.

Cashew ( Kasoy)

The cashew plant is a small to medium-sized tree. The trunk is gnarled and usually crooked.There are three types of cashew fruits;a group with big apples and small nuts;a group with small apples and big nuts; and a group with big apples and big nuts.

Medicinal Value of Kasoy

* For Diarrhea and Diabetes - Boil the bark;cool and drain solution before drinking.
* For ulcerations in the mouth - Boil the bark;cool and drain solution before using as mouth wash.
* For Dysentery - Pour boiling water on the leaves of kasoy placed in a container. Cool and drain before drinking.

Economic And Nutritive Values Of Cashew

* The juicy cashew apple,receptacle may be eaten when ripe and is used for sweet preserves.
* Wine, alcohol and vinegar can be made from the cashew apple.
* The meat of the cashew nuts are used in the preparation of confectionery and in the preparation of cakes, pastries,ice cream and candies.

The fruits are ready for harvest when the color of the cashew apples has became cream yellow and when the nuts are already hard and light brown in color.

Guayabano (Sour Sop)

Guayabano or sour sop is a small tree which was introduced into the Philippines from West Indies. It grows to about seven meters high.
It is grown for its fruit. The fruit is ovate is shape and weighs about 2 to 4 kilos. The skin of the fruit is covered with flexible green prickles.The pulp of the fruit is white, fibrous and contains several black seeds.It is soft,juicy, and has a sweet acid flavor when ripe.

Economic And Nutritive Values of Sour Sop

* The mature green fruit is used as a vegetable.
* The ripe fruit is eaten off hand or for dessert.
* The fruit juice is used for flavoring ice cream and sherbets and for the preparation of drinks.
* The ripe fruit is fair in Vitamin C content and has traces of Vitamin A.

Medicinal Value of Sour Sop

* The unripe fruit is prepared as remedy for dysentery.
* The above solution also relieves muscular pains or cramp.
* The ripe fruit is a good remedy for scurvy.
* The heated liquid extract from the leaves or flowers is used to induce sweating.

The Sour Sop tree is propagated by seeds. The seeds are sown in seedbeds.The seedlings should be set in the field 5 to 7 meters apart. The Sour Sop trees grow fast and attains a height of 4 to 7 meters. The bear fruit in about three years after planting.

Caimito (Star Apple)

The caimito or star apple is an attractive tree reaching a height of about fifteen meters. It is a native of the American tropics and suited to low and medium altitudes but grows well in the Philippines even where the dry season is pronounced.
The star apple fruit is light-green, smooth and shiny. There are three types of caimito fruits. One type is rounded; the second, is an oblong; and the third, is top-shaped with the larger portion towards the base.
The star apple fruit has a thin skin which covers a whitish, edible pulp. When ripe, this pulp is soft and contains a small amount of milky juice. There are five to six, sometimes nine seeds found in one fruit. The color of the seeds are very dark brown, almost black. The seed has a mild, pleasant taste.

Economic Value of Star Apple Fruit

• The ripe caimito fruit is eaten as a dessert. Its flavour may be enhanced by mixing the white pulp with milk and sugar.
Medicinal Value of Star Apple
• The ripe fruit is a remedy for diabetes.
• The solution formed by boiling the bark of the trunk in water is a remedy for dysentery.
• The fresh latex from the fruits is good for abscesses.
• The dried latex when applied expels intestinal worms.

Caimito bears fruits after five or six years when planted as seedling. Budded plants bear fruits much earlier.
Twig, borer, carpenter moth, grey mealybug , toy beetle and fruit fly, the destructive insect pests which attack the atis tree and fruits, can be controlled by regular spraying of such insecticides as Roger L-20, Daygun, Malathion 57% E.C. and Dimecron 50% E.C.