Do you know what is common between an apple and a mountain ash? Where does medlar grow? And which fruit contains more vitamin C - pear or quince? In our article, we will consider the commodity characteristics of pome fruits. We are sure that everyone will discover amazing facts about familiar plants.
Characteristics of pome fruits
Botanists call the fruit the modification of a flower. This structure consists of the pericarp and seeds. Depending on the structural features of these parts, several types of fruits are distinguished. They can be dry and juicy, single or multi-seeded.
Pome and stone fruits are especially popular. How are they similar? They are juicy and contain a lot of pulp, which is formed by an overgrown receptacle. Therefore, fruits of this type contain a large supply of water (up to 90%), nutrients, and especially polysaccharides (up to 15%). Of the dry matter, fiber (up to 1.5%) and organic acids (up to 1%) should also be mentioned.
But the pome fruit, which is also called an apple, is multi-seeded. In addition, it contains severalfilm cameras. They contain seeds. Examples of drupes are cherry, plum, peach. Inside they contain a single woody bone.
Apples
This pome fruit has long been a favorite of both children and adults. Among pome fruits, it is the most common. Just imagine that every second tree on the planet is an apple tree.
Grow this fruit everywhere. Now there are more than 10 thousand varieties of apple trees. Among them there are also highly winter-hardy ones that tolerate temperatures of -40 degrees. Such fruits have a good keeping quality - about five months.
The tallest crops reach 8 meters, and dwarf ones - two. Apples also differ in taste. They can be sour, sweet or dessert. According to the ripening time, summer, autumn and winter varieties are distinguished. The first are stored for up to a month. Autumn and winter have a denser peel, so they are stored longer and better transported.
The benefits of apples are determined by their chemical composition, which depends on the variety, place and growing conditions. They include water, fructose, sucrose, sorbitol, dietary fiber, vitamins B, C, E. Apples are not recommended to be peeled, since it is the peel that contains the oxidant flavonoid.
Surprisingly, small and wormy fruits are considered the most useful. They are environmentally friendly and rich in minerals. It is also known that green apples are the most low-calorie and hypoallergenic. Reds, on the other hand, contain more carbohydrates, while yellows contain more vitamin C.
Rowan
This fruit, depending on the species, has a yellowish, red or black color. The taste can be tart, bitter, insipid or sweet and sour. How to prove that mountain ash refers to pome fruits? According to the features of the structure. Each rowan fruit is a small apple with membranous chambers and seeds inside.
Use this product fresh, dried and canned, prepare tinctures and liqueurs. They are useful for the treatment of hypertension and the prevention of scurvy. Rowan fruits are rich in pectin, carotene, sorbitol, vitamins P and B, and especially iodine.
Pears
If we compare these pome fruits with apples, they are more thermophilic and sweet, they are transported and stored worse. Pears have a dense, and some even rough peel. A distinctive feature of this fetus is the presence of stony cells around membranous chambers.
But pears are no less useful product. The most valuable substances that this fruit contains are carbohydrates, folic acid and phenolic compounds. The fruit is rich in microelements: copper, zinc, manganese, iron, fluorine and iodine. This makes pears a valuable disinfectant, antipyretic, fixative and diuretic.
Quince
This representative is a real record holder for the duration of storage of pome fruits. It will delight you with its freshness for 8 months. The shape of the quince resembles a pear or an apple. Massively cultivated in Central Asia, Crimea, Moldova and the Caucasus. The surface is oftenribbed and tuberculate, dots or brown spots are noticeable on the skin. Quince pulp is very dense, low-juicy, and tastes sweet and sour, tart and astringent. Therefore, most often this fruit is consumed not fresh, but in the form of jam, marmalade, jelly, drying.
A characteristic feature is a noticeable pubescence of the fruit surface. Quince is famous for its fragrant smell. The fact is that its skin and the top layer of pulp contain many esters. Therefore, these parts of the fruit are also used to prepare various foods. Another record for quince is the content of vitamin C, which is twice as much as in apples.
Hawthorn
This pome fruit has been used medicinally since the 16th century. But initially, a person used it to fight diarrhea and purify the blood. But its fruitful effect on the cardiovascular system was discovered only by the 20th century.
Hawthorn grows mainly in the temperate climate zone of the northern hemisphere of our planet. The size of the fruits, which have a rounded shape, reaches a maximum of 4 cm. In September-October, their bright fruits, collected in inflorescences, are very clearly visible. The color of the hawthorn depends on the species and can be yellow, red, purple or orange.
These fruits keep well when dried. In this case, the hawthorn undergoes heat treatment in an oven or electric dryer, after which it is placed in containers. The temperature regime for such fruits should not exceed 18 degrees, and air humidity - 13%. It is also recommended to avoidexposure to direct sunlight. In this form, hawthorn is advised to store for two years. It is also possible to freeze valuable fruits, prepare juice and tinctures.
Irga
These pome fruits in our country are well known in the Crimea and the Caucasus. Here they ripen by mid-summer. Irga, or currant, can grow in two life forms. It may be a low tree or a deciduous shrub.
The fruit of the shadberry is small. Their size reaches a maximum of 1 cm. Depending on the type, the color of the fruit can be black, bluish, purple or bright red. Under the delicate skin is juicy pulp, which has a pleasant aroma and sweet taste.
The chemical composition of the shadberry is characterized by a high content of polysaccharides (up to 12%), ascorbic acid (40%), pectin substances (up to 4%). This composition makes it an indispensable remedy for sore throat and stomatitis.
Medlar
This plant first became widely known as an ornamental species. And now it is grown for the sake of juicy fruits that perfectly quench thirst. The main areas where medlar is cultivated in our country are the Crimea, the Caucasus and the Krasnodar Territory. This plant is also popular in Israel, Abkhazia, Italy and Spain.
Medlar is a winter-hardy crop. In September, it only begins to bloom, and bears fruit in the spring. If the winter turned out to be warm, then the first harvest can be obtained at this time of the year. The plant is unpretentious to the type of soil and light intensity.
Fruits onsame tree do not ripen at the same time. This process can last up to 1.5 months. Transportation of medlar is very problematic. Ripe fruits quickly deteriorate and are not stored for a long time, while green ones do not ripen.
Medlar apples collected in brushes, color - yellow. Each fruit contains 1 to 5 seeds. The pulp tastes like ripe pears and cherries. Unripe fruits are tart and firm. Their diameter is up to 50 mm.
An important property of these fruits is the ability to lower glucose levels. Therefore, teas for diabetics are prepared on the basis of medlar. Another valuable action is a diuretic. Therefore, these fruits are very popular in folk medicine. They use it in the form of jam, marmalade and jelly.
So, the pome fruits, the types of which we examined in our article, share common structural features. This is the presence of a peel, juicy pulp and membranous chambers, inside of which there are seeds. Seed fruits are of great practical importance. They are used as fruit crops, are used in the pharmacological industry and traditional medicine. The advantage of many of them is good transportability and keeping quality.
