Someone Else Also Loves Fresh Guavas

Do you love guavas? Specially the pink variety? Yes I do. I love to pluck it from the tree and eat. As fresh as it can be.

This morning, I found someone else with an equal craze for garden fresh guavas! Not another human being but a feathered friend! Whom did I find on our guava tree? Any guesses?

A parakeet? No.

A bulbul? No.

Then what?

It was a Pale-billed Flowerpecker! A bird so tiny that it can hide inside a guava! See the picture below.

It went about doing its morning breakfast in stages. Probably, its nest was close by and it kept feeding the chicks while making rounds. From the size of the guava, the bird could feast for days. But there must be other birds sharing the guava because the next morning the fruit was gone!

Special thanks to Yella Prakash Rao for bird ID.

Benefits of Guava

In an earlier story, we had brought out the nutritional value of guavas. You may click the following link to browse the complete picture story. An extract about the fruit is also reproduced below.

Guava - A Powerhouse of Nutrients Guava is also called 'super fruit' like super cars and super bikes! It contains 4 times more vitamin C than orange, 3 times more proteins and 4 times more fiber than pineapple, 2 times more lycopene than tomato and slightly more potassium than a banana. Guava is used in treatment of high blood pressure, constipation, respiratory disorders and hypercholesterolemia. Readers may browse the LinkedIn article for further details.

Do share the observations of similar visitors to your home garden or neighbourhood. Isn't it fascinating to see Nature's myriad ways and creations?

Like the flowerpeckers, eat guava and stay healthy!

Thanks for browsing.

     -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Secunderabad/ 14th December 2023

#guava #superfruit #nutrients #antioxidants #vitaminc #protein #dietaryfibre #homegardening #palebilledflowerpecker #freshfruits #secunderabad #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Drumstick Flowers- This Time of the Year

Who doesn't love Sambhar? And Sambhar without drumstick pieces? Don't you relish squeezing the drumstick piece from your sambhar and chewing the seeds?

Yes, drumstick is one vegetable whose pods, seeds, leaves, flowers and even roots are eaten! Those who have a drumstick tree in their garden or neighbourhood would have seen it flowering in September in Telangana region. See the picture below.

Drumstick or Moringa Oleifera is a nutritious vegetable (actually it is a fruit). Its flowers are a delicacy as it wilts fast. Plucked fresh, it makes a nice vegetable. Readers may browse the link for more details and its benefits for people with diabetes, hypertension etc.

So this time of the year, look around for a drumstick tree which is native to Indian sub-continent. Its white-creamish flowers will catch your eye.

Feel like eating a drumstick in your sambhar or otherwise? Go ahead and enjoy!

Thanks for browsing.

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Secunderabad/ 2nd September 2023

#drumstick #moringaoleifera #sambhar #delicacy #indincuisine #secunderabad #homegardening #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Guava A Powerhouse of Nutrients

We all love Guava except those with cavities and gaps in their teeth where guava seeds get stuck! Even the birds love guava. In fact the birds announce that the fruit is ripened.

We have two guava trees in our garden. One each with pink and white pulp variety. It is a tropical tree. It is a treat to pluck the fruit and then sit together to eat it with a dash of salt and chili powder. Mouth already watering for some of you?

Guava has been called 'a powerhouse of nutrients'. According to LinkedIn "This humble fruit is extraordinarily rich in vitamin C, lycopene and antioxidants that are beneficial for skin. Guavas are also rich in manganese which helps the body to absorb other key nutrients from the food that we eat." 

Guava is also called 'super fruit' like super cars and super bikes! It contains 4 times more vitamin C than orange, 3 times more proteins and 4 times more fiber than pineapple, 2 times more lycopene than tomato and slightly more potassium than a banana. Guava is used in treatment of high blood pressure, constipation, respiratory disorders and hypercholesterolemia. Readers may browse the LinkedIn article for further details. 

Here is an earlier picture of the pink pulp guavas plucked from our tree in July-18.

Eat guavas and stay healthy!

Thanks for browsing.

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/2nd Oct 2018
#guava #nutrition #nature #fruits #heart #skin #health #antioxidants #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh