THIRD DELIVERY OF SHEETS

They are prepared based on information search and especially personal experience.

1 – A ground-cover herb: the tetragonia or New Zealand spinach or creeping spinach.

2 – A multifunctional climber: the dolichos lablab or Japanese or Egyptian bean.

3 – A semi-perennial shrub with fruit: the aguaymanto or Peruvian cherry.

4 – A native medium-stratum fruit tree: the guava of the country.

SUMMER CREEPING SPINACH OR NEW ZEALAND SPINACH

Scientific name: tetragonia tetragonoides or expansa.

Considered a plant relic that was already consumed by the Māori, it was used during Captain Cook's voyage to combat scurvy among the crew.

It is recorded as native not only in New Zealand and Australia but also in South America, especially in Chile and Argentina. In our country, it has been found as spontaneous, especially along the coast of Rocha. Characteristics Annual herb, prostrate or creeping, up to 2 m long with fleshy leaves.

Very rustic, it withstands drought and saline coastal environments, but it thrives better in humid or semi-shaded sites, producing more abundant and tender foliage.

Frosts can harm it, but if it grows in a protected area, it can become perennial. Self-perpetuating, it reseeds itself whenever it seeds in the area.

A great biomass producer, a living soil cover, and a barrier against grasses due to the intense shade of its foliage. It stabilizes coastal dunes and protects against erosion.

I have used it as forage for birds and dairy cows during droughts. As human food, it successfully replaces common spinach, raw or cooked, for all types of preparations. In very dry summers, it is often the only vegetable in the garden.

It provides vitamins A and C, fiber, and calcium (in Cuba, it was used during the dairy crisis). Cultivation.

Muy sencillo. La 1ª. vez remojar las gruesas semillas por 3 hs. en agua caliente o 12 en agua fría y enterrar de 3 a 5 cm. cuando pasan las heladas. Se pueden trasplantar pero no se desarrollan tan bien.Crece en todo tipo de suelos.

No requiere cuidado ni tiene enfermedades o plagas, está bien adaptada a nuestro clima. Si la queman las heladas quedan en la tierra cientos de semillas que aseguran su permanencia y germinan con los primeros calores.

DOLICHOS LABLAB O CHAUCHA JAPONESA

También llamada frijol de egipto o zarandaja, es una planta herbácea reptante o trepadora de la flia.de las fabáceas, que alcanza hasta 6 m de altura si tiene un buen soporte y da unas vainas anchas de un verde grisáceo.Al secarse deja unos granos oscuros con un semiborde blanco que he observado que si caen en luga

It is well-protected and germinates spontaneously among the leaf litter in the following season.

It is self-perpetuating. It has a taproot and fixes atmospheric N in nodules. Soil improver. Provides abundant biomass. Green manure. Adds P to the soil. Ground cover, protects against erosion.

It withstands prolonged droughts of up to 6 months while remaining green. It re-sprouts from the stump, allowing it to be cut or mowed for use as organic matter or as a soil cover. It re-sprouts with the first rains.

In Brazil and Central America, it is used as animal forage; it is highly palatable, and the whole plant provides 15% to 20% protein. It is sown alongside corn to improve the quality of the corn stubble.

Very suitable for food forests. Sow after the last frosts in wind and cold-protected sites, facing north.

It has a very fragrant flowering 120 days after sowing. At 5 months, it reaches maximum soil coverage.

Consumption

Tender pods are used, and the cooking water is discarded to eliminate the glucosides. Traditionally, in the interior of the country, they were used for salads or battered and fried. I always prefer to chop them finely and use them in pascualinas. Delicious.

AGUAIMANTO OR PERUVIAN CHERRY

Also known as uchuva or capulí, its scientific name is physalis peruviana, and it belongs to the nightshade family. Consumed since the Inca times, its consumption has spread to many countries.

A perennial shrubby herb at its origin, reaching up to 1m in height, very branched, and in our country, it behaves as an annual due to its sensitivity to frost.

It produces cherry-like fruits that are yellowish, surrounded by a dry bract.

They have a sweet and sour taste and are extremely rich in vitamins A and C, with a high content of citric acid.

They are diuretic, sedative, and anti-rheumatic. They contain a substance similar to insulin, making them suitable for diabetics.

The fruits are highly prized by chickens and turkeys; if they are within their reach, you will never eat a fruit. They won’t even let them ripen.

Cultivation.

Very simple; each little fruit contains hundreds of seeds that germinate easily in the spring when sheltered.

It also multiplies by cuttings or by root sprouts. It performs well in all types of soils, both in the hills and in coastal areas.

When sheltered, it fruits all year round, but in the field, it suffers a lot from frost that burns the foliage. However, the roots remain alive and re-sprout with the first warmth, producing numerous shoots.

Consumption To take advantage of the vitamins, I prefer them fresh, after removing the bracts, as a snack while I work in the garden. I have tried drying them in the solar dryer; they behave very well.

In Peru, they dry and macerate them in alcohol or alcoholic beverages. They are commonly used in sweet and sour sauces called capulí sauce to accompany poultry meats.

GUAYABO DEL PAÍS

A native low-growing tree, no more than 4 or 5 m tall, its scientific name is *feijoa sellowiana* or *acca sellowiana*, belonging to the myrtle family like the arrayán and pitanga.

It has very attractive foliage with shiny leaves and a greasy underside.

It grows well in well-drained soils in full sun. It prefers sheltered places from cold winds, located facing north, protected by native forest.

It is also sensitive to dryness and high temperatures, benefiting from integration into the forest.

Very attractive flowering occurs in October/November. Pollinated by birds and especially bees. It fruits at the end of summer and autumn.

It provides oblong fruits with green skin that vary greatly in size, flavor, and thickness and consistency of the fleshy part.

It propagates well by seed, but the results in the fruits are very random.

For sale, they try to reproduce it from cuttings in a well-protected medium from desiccation, using rooting hormones.

Personally, since I want them for personal consumption, I propagate them from seeds. Moreover, sometimes the most insignificant fruits by size are the tastiest.

The fruits, improved in New Zealand, have become famous in Europe and the USA for their high vitamin C content, commonly known as guava. And it is native to our region!!!

They are also used in jams and compotes, but there is a significant loss of nutrients, and we would continue with the addition of refined sugar. I prefer them fresh…

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