Can you eat Kei Apples?
The wild apricot (D. Kei apple fruit is edible with a texture both juicy and floury – much like an apricot. It is often added to fruit salad, makes a good jam and is used in cakes or made into fruit drinks. Often considered too acidic to eat as is – the Kei apple is best cut and sprinkled with sugar before eating.
What do Kei apples taste like?
Kei Apple’s highly aromatic golden plum-like fruit vary in flavor from extremely acidic to sweet-tart with tangy with fruity notes reminiscent of mango, starfruit, and apricot and has a high juice content.
What were apples originally used for?
Apples were used for making cider, baking, drying, eating out of hand—even as livestock feed.
Is Kei Apple self pollinating?
Although a subtropical species, the Kei apple is able to survive temperatures as low as −6 °C. Gardeners who want fruit require a female plant; a fertile female plant and a fertile male plant is ideal. Kei apples are propagated by seed. Plants will bear about four years later.
How big does kei apple grow?
6 m tall
Kei apple is an evergreen fruit tree, or spiny shrub of South Africa. It grows up to 6 m tall in dry types of woodland in contrast to 8 m to 9 m in the moister types of open woodlands.
Can Kei Apple grow from cuttings?
The Kei-apple can also be propagated from hardwood cuttings as long as they are treated with root-stimulating hormone before planting. It also has a good growth rate of about 600 mm per year.
How do you germinate a kei apple seed?
The Kei-apple is easily propagated from seed. The fruits must be ripe before they are collected. The seed must be cleaned and dried in a shady spot before planting. They should then be sown in seedling trays filled with river sand or seedling mix.
What are 5 health benefits of apples?
What are the 5 top health benefits of apples?
- May lower cholesterol. Apples contain pectin, a natural fibre found in plants.
- May protect against diabetes. Apples are low on the glycaemic index (GI) thanks to their fibre content.
- May prevent obesity.
- May protect against heart disease.
- May be beneficial for bone health.
How long does kei apple fence take to grow?
It takes around 3 to 4 years for the Kei Apple hedge to reach 6 feet. For the best results, it’s recommended that you plant it in intertwined rows….
How long does it take for Kei Apple to bear fruit?
about four to five years
The seeds must be pressed down into the sand until they are level with the surface of the sand and they must be covered with a layer of fine sand and kept moist. Plants bear fruit at about four to five years after planting.
What are the benefits of a kei apple plant?
The Kei apple plant also is known to produce a biochemical that can inhibit the growth of other nearby plants, an occurrence known as allelopathy, while this is beneficial for weed abatement, care should be taken not to plant it too close to other fruit or vegetable-bearing plants. Ripe fruit has a pleasant flavor and is rich in vitamin C.
Is the fruit of the Kei apple edible?
These little fruits are edible however most people are not aware of this. The thorns could be to blame as the fruits can be hard to reach to not to mention see in the first place. The Kei Apple fruit which is nearly round in shape with a tough skin, is juicy and acidic. This makes them quite tasty and refreshing.
What can Kei apple be used for in Kenya?
In Kenya, it is mostly used for live fences and hedges. Plants have dense spiny shoots that make an impermeable barrier. If the fruit is soaked in water and allowed to ferment, the liquid drained off has herbicidal properties.
Where did the Kei apple tree get its name?
The Kei Apple or “Kayaba” as locally known, is a shrub and fruit tree commonly planted as a hedge (fence) due to its thorny branches. The plant is native to Southern Africa and get its name from the Kei River in South Africa.