Food Self-Sufficiency: Fruit

Fruit
Fresh fruit has essential vitamins and minerals needed for strong bones and blood cells, antioxidants, and fiber. Absolutely required for good health, yet we don't eat much as a USA nation. I read somewhere that fruit should be eaten at times when you don't eat vegetables, so that they don't compete for digestion. Whether that's true or not, because of the sugar content of most fruits, I usually serve fruit during lunch, and veggies during dinner. Fruit is also a good snack in between meals, especially when served with a protein like cheese or nuts/seeds.

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Here's a list of fruits with Nutritional Values, from: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49478.asp - not complete by any means. I mean, where's the avocado?

 

(Concerns are in parenthesis, but if you grow them yourselves and/or limit usage, you should be ok.)

 

Apples - flavonoids, fiber, C (pesticides, wax coating) Dried, canned chunks/applesauce, canned apple butter, frozen, juice, cider, vinegar
Apricots - carotenoids, A, C, fiber (preservatives) Dried, canned jam
Bananas - B6, C, potassium (glycemic) Dried, frozen
Blackberries - flavonoids, fiber, C, K, manganese Dried, frozen, canned jam
Blueberries - flavonoids, C, manganese, fiber Dried, frozen, canned jam
Cantaloupe - carotenoids, C, A, potassium Frozen
Cherries - flavonoids (pesticides) Dried, frozen, jam, pie-filling
Cranberries - flavonoids, fiber, C, manganese Dried, frozen
Dates- (glycemic) ??
Elderberries - C, very high in antioxidants (glycemic) Dried, jam, cold/flu syrup

Figs - (preservatives) ??
Fruit juices - (glycemic)
Grapefruit - carotenoids in pink, flavonoids, C Frozen, Juice
Grapes - flavonoids, manganese (pesticides) Dried into raisins, Jelly, Frozen, Juice, Wine
Guava - carotenoids, fiber, C ??
Kiwifruit - C, fiber (glycemic) ??
Lemons - flavonoids, C (wax coating) Zest Dried, Frozen
Limes - flavonoids, C (wax coating) Zest Dried, Frozen
Mangoes - carotenoids, A, C (glycemic) Dried, ??
Melons - carotenoids, C, A, B6 (glycemic) Dried, frozen

Nectarines - carotenoids, C (glycemic, pesticides) Frozen
Oranges - carotenoids, flavonoids, C, fiber (glycemic) Canned jam?, Zest dried, juice, frozen
Papayas - carotenoids, C, folate, potassium Dried, ??
Peaches - carotenoids, C (pesticides) Dried, frozen, jam
Pears - flavonoids (pesticides) Dried, Canned as Pear-sauce, Frozen
Persimmons - C (glycemic) Dried
Pineapple - C, manganese (glycemic) Dried
Plums - carotenoids, C Dry into prunes, frozen
Raspberries - flavonoids, fiber, manganese, C Dried, canned jam, frozen
Raisins - (glycemic, pesticides, preservatives) Kept dried
Strawberries - carotenoids, flavonoids, C, fiber (pesticides) Dried, canned jam, frozen
Tangerines - carotenoids, A, C (glycemic) Canned jam?, juice, frozen
Watermelon - carotenoids, C, A, B6 (glycemic) Dried, frozen

Remember: When you eat a dehydrated/dried food, you need to drink a liquid, preferably water, to prevent constipation.

 

Plan

So ... what kinds of fruits can I realistically grow on my 10x10 patio, on the windowsill in my bathroom, and in the corner of my living room?  Here's what I HOPE to try this year in my little Backyard Grocery Garden:

-five-in-1 fruit tree

-yellow apple miniature tree

-blueberry bush (miniature)

-strawberries

 

...and if at all possible ... elderberries!!

 

 

Give it some thought ... how much space do you have to grow things, and what is the basic minimum fruit you could grow?