4 minute read
BENEATH THE BIRD PLUM CANOPY
Scientific name: Berchemia discolor
Common name: Bird plum
The bird plum tree has a round crown and beautiful medium sized, smooth, dark green leaves with lateral veins. It flowers from late October to March. Just like any other species, varieties differ and some flower early, others a bit later. The fruits are small, oblong green drupes that gradually turn bright yellow as they ripen. Although they do not have much flesh, their sweetness is an appetising experience.
The fruits are collected as soon as they fall from the tree, which is the sign of ripeness. Even though the drupes are small, nothing can stop the usual “addicts” from collecting baskets full of them. The fruits are then sun-dried in baskets woven from makalani palm leaves or on materials such as bags, cut open to provide a larger surface. Once the fruits are dried they are stored for later consumption. Some people sell them as an extra source of income.
I remember my late maternal grandma storing the fruits in a clay pot and adding some ash, usually from the firewood of the mopane tree. After months of storage we used to dust off the fruits and eat them. One can, of course, choose to rather rinse them. You must be wondering, “why the ash?". Ash is an ancient preservative against pest infestation, and it equally preserves the quality of the fruits. This technique is still common, but more so with our crop seeds. Unlike the fruits, we do not wash the seeds before sowing but rather sow them as they are with ash dust and all.
I wouldn't say I was a troublesome child but I remember some pretty cheeky activities. Of course I took part in stealing some of grandma's stored fruits. My cousins and I would pound the fruits to make a sticky, mouthwatering paste. It tasted even better when it was left to rest overnight. That taste slapped you like a granola bar except that you had to spit out granules of the crushed seeds.
The beauty of indigenous harvests is their infinite uses, some discovered by the ancestors and others by recent innovators.
The most common value addition product of bird plum fruits is Ombike, made manually through the usual process of distillation. The taste is quite strong. It is one of the most original spirits out there.
With utmost delight I recently discovered that a local has embarked on the entrepreneurial journey of making jam from the bird plum fruits. Innovative, I say. This is inspiration for more product development possibilities such as drinks and snacks. Young Namibians who aspire to be part of the business world stand a chance when considering value addition of indigenous harvests instead of always resorting to exotic harvests. The market may not necessarily be local but the international market certainly appreciates organic produce. This is definitely a heads-up to the formulating enthusiasts.
I have sown bird plum seeds before. It is as easy as sun, soil and water. The seeds require consistent moisture in the beginning, but eventually, when they sprout, the seedlings adapt to being resilient survivors of our arid climate. Easy as sowing is, however, we should consider the years it takes to actually have mature trees that bear fruits. A habit I recently adopted is being attentive about the quality of the fruit a tree bears. The seeds I collect for my seed bank are strictly chosen for the quality of the tree species. It is one thing to just have trees and another to have quality trees – the latter definitely wins.
Kavukulamo, kavukulamo are familiar cries from the owners of the sweetest plums one would pick without permission. This literally translates to 'uproot it, uproot it’, which means that the owner is so angry they suggest you can just as well take the whole tree because you are disrespectful enough not to ask permission. So now the tree belongs to you, just go away with it.
