Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-25
PHILIPPINE EDIBLEs
PALATABLE AND WHOLESOME
VEGETABLES ON THE ISLANDS.
Many Americans Lack Discrimination
in Rejecting Native Plants as
Food-Strange Beans.
From the Manila Bulletin.

From the Manila Bulletin.
Whether as consumer as producer,
the American resdent of the Philippines
knows far too little about the merits and
excellence of the native garden truck that
daily comes into our great markets.
The oriental in his vegetable foods has
pronounced liking for both bitters and
acids, characters which, when strongly
marked, are distasteful to the average
western palate Many of our people of an
investigating turn have, at the beginning,
unluckily fallen upon such bitters as Am
pelaya," "Amargosas,' even for dessert
an exceptionally astringent 'Lucban," or
by accident, have had a taste of such un-
compromising sours as "Balambin'' or
"Carambolas," and from such experiences
have retreated in dismay to the omnipres-
ent timed legumes, or to such American
varieties as they can occasionally find in
the market; and the further mention of the
words native vegetables" is sufficient
cause for domestic emeute.
From the producers point of view the
only hopeful field is that dedicated to native
vegetables. This holds equally true of a
1OO-square meter garden patch in his back
yard or of a twenty hectare truck farm.
Many exotic vegetables grow and produce
crops here. very few come to superla-
tive excellence. In nearly all cases the
care labor, and necessary outlay attendant
upon success with foreign vegetables is
enough to make them an expensive luxury
to the consumer That connected with
growing the native products is relatively
nil.
The native cucurbt. i. e. the melon, wat
ermelon, cucumber, squash or pumpkin,
goes right along and does business a
| care free basis Given little attention and
| 1t repays a hundredfold. Let the ubiqu-
| tous little yellow squash bug attack the
native cucurbit (and it always does, and
| the plant by virtue of its wonderfully ro-
bust habit outstrips in growth the
worst ravages of the enemy.
When it attacks the American or Euro
pean cucurbit (and it always does), let the
grower stand by with poison squirt gun
| from morning till night or, in a few days,
cucumbers and squashes will be numbered
| among the might have beens.'
Exotic vegetables are generally supersen-
| sitive about such matters excessive
| drought or protracted inundation-matters
| that the native vegetable mostly submit to
/ with equanimity, and to which the stranger,
| when exposed, generally resents by prompt
| ly dying.
| The gross results are, that to produce the
| exotic vegetable must seek favored sit
| uations, consult the almanac understand
| ingly, and strenuously combat the countless
| insect enemies or plant diseases to which
| they are subject.
Easy to Raise.
| On the other hand the natives will give
!
| any old place. If accorded one-fourln of
the care usually given to the stranger they
| will respond with a copious yield of their
delicious fruits Some of the varieties most
| highly appreciated by Americans who have
| used them are here briefly reviewed
Segidillas. A rapid-growing, twining,
| leguminous plant, extensively cult
waited in Australia under the name AS
paragus Pea" The fruit is a green angu-
| lar pod that should be taken when four to
| six inches long and while very young and
tender These pods are boiled and eaten
! hot with butter, pepper and salt; or, when
cold, are served as a salad with mayonnaise.
| The flavor is combination of asparagus
and peas, whence the name. iPlants will
bear pods three months after sowing the
seed. The root is perennial and during the
rainy season will spring anew, producing
| much larger crop than the newly planted
seedlings yield. II
Lima Beans
Patani. This is a variety of our lima
bean that has none of the dement's of our
garden lima, and most of its advantages.
1t is not subject to sudden invasion by mil
dew, and a necessary recourse to sulphur
| ing, otherwise the immediate failure of
the crop. 1t is productive beyond measure.
A school teacher from Batangas province
reports a single vine of "Patanf' that
produced good mess of beans for him
self and family of three other persons on
alternate days for a period extending over
| five months 1t is only thus largely pro-.
ductive when grown with ample trellis room
upon which to attain to its full develop
ment. The plants begin to fruit in about
three months and continue to bear for
about twelve, after which they should be
renewed OF excellent flavor. the native
Patani has the single defect that the tegu-
men or outer coat of the bean seed is slight
| ly thicker and tougher than the improved
American varieties.
Marautong. The bean family, of which
| Is loft
more abunoantly in the tropical east than
| any other. long list might be named
| here, but we shall! only refer to two of the
best, one of which is ''marautong
This, though producing a much broader
and longer pod, takes the places of our
SNAP" bush or string bean as known
| in various parts of the United States The
pods are fit for use in from nine to ten
weeks from date of planting and though
producing fewer number of fruits, in
| tual weight the yield exceeds that of any
of domestic varieties.
Cooked when quite young, though of large
size, they are stringless. remarkably ten
der and of a better flavor than any known
exotic variety.
1t is quite certain that, when this bean
| is more generally known, it will supplant
the present demand for snap beans.
Camcampilan. This is another mainly
differing from the 'marautong" in its larger
pod and In having strong vining habit
requiring poles, bamboo brush, or trellis
upon which to perfect its fruit.
perfectly ripe and well cooked and prepared
in the same manner ripe shelled beans
are prepared in American kitchens, are
very nutritious.
Candol. A citron melon from a single
plant of which we have taken sixty fruits
of an average weight of six pounds:
This melon is used for making a syrupy
preserve. Its best use, however, is as a
glace fruit. The melon Is cut into longtud-
inal strips one-half inch or less in thick
ness These strips are stepped over night
in strong lime water, and the next day
boiled in rich sugar syrup until tender The
pieces are then sun-dried upon thin bam-
boo Stats after which they may be packed
away in jars or crooks for a long time
When properly prepared ''candol is hard
ly surpassed by the finest imported glace
fruits.
N In common with nearly all Philippine ma
tive cururbits, the vigor and productivity
of this plant Is greatly enhanced If enabled
to climb over a trells or other support.
How "Lemon" Began,
From the New York Globe.