Comments on: Balimbing Tree in Bloom…

By: gerry gersin

gerry gersin — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:12:48 +0000

We had a balimbing tree at our backyard some 20 something years ago and the fruit are the biggest balimbing fruits I’ve seen until now. It bear fruit all year round, I don’t know why? The fruits varied in colors from green, to yellow green, to somewhat red-orange and yellow-orange. Such a sight to see. Too bad we had to cut it down when we had our house extension. I remember taking 2 of it’s fruits every afternoon from school and match it with guinamos, it was a real treat for me, sometimes I dip it in sugar. Those were the days…

By: sakura kinumoto

sakura kinumoto — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:41:57 +0000

We have a balimbing tree too!!!!!!!
And…yupzee! Balimbing is so yummy! I remember it calling a wishing star apple when i was 7 years old, and i keep wishing on it every time i bite it. And yes! It’s yummier when it is dipped in salt!
hope you’ll still continue posting balimbing images.
favor… could you include mansanitas?
hehehehek… TENXu!!!!!!!!

By: wilby cariaga

wilby cariaga — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:27:24 +0000

We have a balimbing tree before in our backyard in Vigan, I remember calling it starapple/starfruit as a kid. .. hehe, and I dont remember tasting the fruit yet, I think I’m not really that adventurous in exotic fruits (well now, trying to be), I dont eat much chico and caymito too. . . Balimbing, I only use it as stamp for artworks when i was a kid, it always looks nice to have that star shaped things on your art projects. . .hehe

By: bedazzle

bedazzle — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:24:18 +0000

I am reminded of the balimbing tree in my lola’s house in Tarlac. Her house is surrounded by other fruit bearing trees, starapple, guava, duhat and that balimbing tree that I can see from the room we sleep in whenever we visit. The fruit is kind of tart which we offset with rock salt. Oh those beautiful childhood memories of days gone by.

By: Homebuddy

Homebuddy — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:36:29 +0000

MM, I think the scientific name for mansanitas is jujube. The fruit they say is an expectorant to relieve coughs. The leaves is an astringent in dysentery and diarrhea according to rural folks.

By: kasseopeia

kasseopeia — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:18:38 +0000

I agree! A post on fruit/vegetable-linked decsriptions would be a good read! I personally still use “nagmumurang kamatis” or “nagmumurang kamias” to describe a certain actress who is already mature but dresses like a teenager, “amoy chico” to desccribe my friends who guzzle a cheap brand of brandy/rum, “balimbing” for an ex-officemate who sides with whomever is in power (can you spell politician? hehe), and “mala-chesa” for something that is disgusting no matter what you do to it (kind of like “a wolf in sheep’s clothing is still a wolf”).

By: teth

teth — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:51:36 +0000

me, climbing like a monkey just to get balimbing fruit at my lolo’s backyard, yes childhood memories! That was 25 years ago cguro…

By: Quillene

Quillene — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:03:56 +0000

Yeah, MM, about the idiomatic expressions related to fruit and veg… maybe with inputs from readers, we can all collectively have a compendium of these expressions… That would make for an interesting read and to see really if these expressions are still being used in Urban Manila or elsewhere or already relegated to myth-like status…

Cheers!

By: Quillene

Quillene — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:00:23 +0000

Good morning everyone! I just noticed how much this tree seems to have really rooted (pardon the pun) itself to childhood memories of more than 1 commenter.

Balimbings and ancestral backyards seem to be a natural pairing… hehehe!!!

Have a good one today!

By: Ted

Ted — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:55:18 +0000

My lolo’s front and backyard in Bulacan are sorrounded by fruit bearing trees, including balimbing, duhat, santol, langka, guava, indian mango, suha, kamias, atis, chico, and he even had a grape vine bearing grapes as sweet as kamias ;-) So come summer we get to taste all their sweet fruits. And everytime we ask why they are sweet, he always says, it’s been watered from our lola’s arinola,,,,hahaha.