Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Roselle too early to do reseeding!

Roselle
or asam paya (local name)
Hibiscus sabdariffa



We have been picking roselle fruits which invariably ended as juice and jam. The first harvest was purely for juice, and we had them peeled, blended, strained and taken raw and fresh. For subsequent harvests we had them peeled and boiled. The juice collected was for the drink. The residue was further boiled with sugar for jam. We plan to go to Perak soon, visiting relatives with jars of roselle jam as gift from Putrajaya.



The way we plan it, one plant is reserved for seeds, therefore the fruits are left to mature. Then one fine day, I went in for a massive picking. I noticed one fruit with lovely little shoots appearing, reseeding in its own fruit!!... Such impatience ....













Giveaway blotanical way



So far we have collected about 100 seeds, I don't know what to do with so many of them. For those interested, I will mail a packet to you if you drop your address at this email; mylittlevegetablegarden@gmail.com     Everything will be confidential!....  First come first serve...




~bangchik and kakdah
Putrajaya, MALAYSIA

17 comments:

  1. There will be alot of seed saving going on around this time. It's so much more economical than buying more packets next year.

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  2. It's amazing - don't think I've seen a plant sprout like that!
    Katarina

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  3. The seed pods are beautiful and the compartments holding the seeds are too. It is a wonder that these pods hold the seeds to new life.

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  4. I read this in another blog, just share with you:

    upon its bloom the love began, hope has been born and beauty immortalize!!

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  5. I have never seen or tasted a Roselle ever. I am curious about it. I guess it doesn't thrive here in Houston. I am so curious that am going to check more about this plant. Your shots ate vivid! Well done!

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  6. My mouth is watering for the jam! I will plant mine soon so that it will be ready for our traditional Christmas drink.

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  7. Just curious as to how high they get. I was looking at viability for my climate and they woud grow but wouldn't have time to ripen unless I brought them indoors over winter. It looks like they were popular in Florida at one time.

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  8. The seedpods, seeds and the impatient fruit all are looking lovely. And as you mentioned the jam, mouth watering and tempting specially when we are going through the fast for Ramadan.

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  9. I think that looks like what they call 'sorrell' in the caribbean. They use the red flower heads and make a sweet drink with hot water, ginger and spices. I think it is a relative of the hibiscus. Do you think it is the same? if so, scientists say it has an enormous amount of vitamins and anti-oxidants.

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  10. Wow! I think your relatives would be so thrilled to receive those jams from you... from Putrajaya! Celebrating 'raya' at Perak? 'Balik kampung' soon? Selamat berbuka puasa later :-)

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  11. Jo, Roses and stuff, Mary Delle, Rainnie, Tes, Islandgal246, Jessica, Khabbab, Matron and Steph.

    Thanks for the visits and comments. Some plants have reached 6 feet... fairly tall but heavy fruits along the stems cause them to bend a little, so the effective height is just about 4 feet.

    I guess, love do come in as blooms open up... A sensational aspect of life, to set the next phase for later generations...

    A distant cousin of normal hibiscus. The part used for juice and jam is the calyxes. Yes, researchers has been telling about the vitamins and anti-oxidants.

    You are right Steph, about Jalan-jalan hari raya, with jars of jam!!

    Cheers everyone.
    ~bangchik

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  12. Interesting to read about the rosells plant. As I have just started to plant one, I get to learn more from your posting. I have emailed for some seeds. Hope they are still available. Lastly, wishing you and family Selamat Berpuasa and Selamat Hari Raya, in advance.

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  13. wow I just read this entry and am longing for a few seeds to grow my own roselle. Perhaps I can proudly blog it in the future that it is originated from Bangchik and Kakdah..what a far away dream..hope that you have some seeds left for me as for always am missing the bus and train hehe..emailed sent.

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  14. FJL... sure, lets the seeds fly over south china sea. Just wait.

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  15. The photos of roselle brought me back memories of my childhood!! The lovely jam that my Mum used to make!! Unfortunately we have no more of these growing now with no space available now, but I would be happy if I could get some seeds for my terrace garden

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  16. A friend gave me a roselle plant and now it had reseeded all around where it stood. But I noticed that the seedlings (they're not even a foot tall yet) are already blooming!! but the flowers are small. This isn't a good sign, is it, since they are not yet mature:-((
    I'd appreciate any input on this.

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