Here in Central Portugal we have an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit, there are fruit trees everywhere. In summer its a joy to be driving down a country lane, feel a little hungry and to be able to stop at any fig tree and pick a few figs! A luxury coming from California where figs cost at least $6 for about 10 figs! I go to the market every Friday to buy all the fresh fruit and veggies I need for the week. Its all local produce grown by local farmers, so its seasonal and you won't see nectarines or peaches from Chile in the winter. We have lots of fruit trees on our land and right now in May, its Nespera (loquat) season. I had never tried nespera/loquat before and I have to say, its divine. I will be creating a recipe or two soon with it. I just did a little research about nespera/loquat and its is packed with vitamin A which is great for eye health, bone growth, reproduction and the immune system. It is also very high in potassium which is great for blood pressure, heart and kidney disorders and also helps with anxiety and stress. You can make a tea from the leaves and it is said to help with bone density loss, its also said to help regulate insulin and glucose levels. If you make the tea make sure to use in moderation, as if over used can have some adverse effects like muscle aches.
I will be posting new recipes very soon and I look forward to sharing these with you all.
Wow I'm very surprised to hear you never tried loquat before. The trees are everywhere in San Francisco and I (being an arborist) come across the fruit in the summer. I love it too and I always bring as much as I can home to eat and share.
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