Monteverde Dis-Frutable

A community extension project of the Monteverde Institute (MVI) in the pandemic scenery

- June 2020-

Monteverde Dis-Frutable, the project

At the beginning, the idea of this project was to deliver fruit trees to the Monteverde community. However, it took a different approach, and the name we gave of Monteverde Dis-Frutable, represented very well to what it became. The program provided enjoyment, for both collaborators of the Monteverde Institute and members of the community. More than an activity with fruit trees, it became a project of social cohesion, solidarity, sharing resources and a sense of belonging.

Monteverde Dis-Frutable seeks, among other things, to contribute to the Food and Nutrition Security of the Monteverde community, by diversifying home gardens and farms in the area with fruit species.

The Monteverde Institute (MVI) encouraged the barter of fruit species between people of the area. Donations of different varieties and cultivars of bananas and plantains were received at the Institute, which were later delivered to people in the community. As an exchange for these donations, the MVI gave fruit trees to the donors for planting in their homes.

In this way, and thanks to the positive response that the project had in the area, it was possible to have a lot of bananas and plantains to donate. Volunteers and collaborators later went house to house in different sectors of Monteverde delivering and planting the bananas, and some fruit trees as well.

Photo 3: Volunteers (Liam Bosques and Jackson Smith) planting bananas at people’s houses in Monteverde

Delivered and shared species

Around 400 fruit trees were delivered (not including the donated bananas). Of these, 150 trees were cas (Psidium friedrichsthalianum) and 150 malay apple (Syzygium malaccense), which were donated by the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE- acronyms in Spanish-). The cas and the malay apple are seasonal species, highly consumed by Costa Ricans. In addition, thanks to a GoFundMe campaign the MVI bought and gave to the community as part of the bartering; 100 grafted trees of different citrus species (such as oranges, lemons and limes and tangerine).

Overview of some of the shared species

The cas (Psidium friedrichsthalianum):

Cas is native to Costa Rica and is consumed fresh with salt, it is also commonly used in drinks, jams, jellies, preserves and ice cream. Cas is known for its antioxidant properties, high content of vitamin C, and the fruits also have astringent properties. While extracts of leaves and bark have shown antimicrobial activity against some bacteria (such as Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus) in laboratory tests (Cruz et al., 2012).

Photo 6: Recipe shared by the MVI (in spanish) using cas Click the image to download. — Photo 6: Recipe shared by the MVI (in spanish) using cas
Click the image to download.

The Malay Apple (Syzygium malaccense):

As for the malay apple, it is now in production, since the trees produce fruit between June and August. It is native to Malaysia, but has adapted very well to Costa Rica. Although the fruit is eaten mainly fresh, it can also be made into jam, preserves, desserts, and can even be used to make wines. In addition to the high content of water and sugars in the malay apple, the presence of calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotenoids and vitamin C is important in its composition, as well as its antioxidant properties (Batista et al., 2017).

Bananas and similar varieties:

More than 25 families from the Monteverde area approached the MVI to donate and exchange bananas plants of different varieties and species, for fruit trees. The bananas and similar varieties, which were later delivered and planted in different homes, belong to a plant family called Musaceae. This group of plants, in which there are hundreds of banana forms and cultivars worldwide (Zuchowski, 2007), generally produce throughout the year, which makes it a good food resource for the family, which can also contribute to the resilience of home gardens and farms.

Photo 8: Sarah Stuckey and her daughter participate in the exchange of bananas for fruit trees.

Since the banana fruits lack seeds (except for some wild species, where bats are the most likely pollinator for the ancestor of the typically cultivated bananas), propagation is done vegetatively, by planting suckers with a part of the corm (Zuchowski, 2007), which are called in Costa Rica “hijos de banano”.

Photo 9: Jessica Arias (collaborator of the IMV) collecting the donation of banana plants from Eugenio Vargas

The human use of musaceae species goes beyond the food (fresh, in desserts, smoothies, breads, ceviches-or cocktails-, vinegars, alcoholic drinks, flours, chips ...). Its leaves are used as food wrap, and in Costa Rica the typical dish of “Christmas tamales”’ would not exist without the leaves of these plants that are used to wrap the corn dough, the meat and the vegetables that make up the tamales. Even fibers and paper are obtained from these plants. Banana plants are also used as cattle food in summer time, due to the amount of water contained in the stem.

The MVI, has another project called Desde Nustras Raices (From our Roots), which seeks to recover traditional recipes and has produced a series of videos with simple and easy recipes based on bananas. The recipes are just delicious! You can see the videos of the recipes in the links that appear at the end of this blog.

Finally, along with fruit trees and bananas, people were given some recipes to do at home with those fruits and flayers with the basic care of the species were also delivered. We hope that in a few years, Monteverde will have more fruit trees and banana plants producing food and beautifying our home gardens.

The MVI thanks all the people who made this initiative possible!

Due to the success of the project, the positive aceptance and the current interest on it, we will be carrying out similar activities in the future. Follow us on our social media to be informed about our future actions as part of Monteverde Dis-Frutable.

Any comments or questions can be sent to Jessica Arias at jarias@mvinstitute.org

Watch here this video of Monteverde Dis-Frutable (in Spanish)

Videos (in Spanish) of recipes based on bananas and plantains produced by the IMV and members of the community:

Plantain picadillo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzdA4ef9liY
Banana ceviche : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j12BsBx88WE
Baked plantains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc4x_CSebuw
Banana crepes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEYuqmYNl1c
Banana Pancakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgeT_fSjQ6Y

References

Batista, Â. G., da Silva, J. K., Betim Cazarin, C. B., Biasoto, A. C. T., Sawaya, A. C. H. F., Prado, M. A., & Maróstica Júnior, M. R. (2017). Red-jambo (Syzygium malaccense): Bioactive compounds in fruits and leaves. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 76, 284-291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2016.05.013

Cruz, E. M., Moreno, J. E., Hidalgo, D. C. N., Nez, J. R. V. Z. M., & Vez, M. de J. s A. C. (2012). Actividad antimicrobiana de extractos de Psidium friedrichsthalianum L., Pterocarpus hayesii L., Tynanthus guatemalensis L. y Spondias purpurea L. Boletín Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Plantas Medicinales y Aromáticas.

Zuchowski, W. (2007). Tropical Plants of Costa Rica: A Guide to Native and Exotic Flora (Primera). Cornell University Press.

Monteverde Dis-Frutable (english version)

Monteverde Dis-Frutable, the project