Tamarillo

Botanical Name: Solanum betaceum

Some other names: Tree tomato, Blood fruit, Sachatomate, Berenjena, Chilto

How to grow it:

Tamarillo is a fast growing, but short lived fruit tree which thrives in a subtropical environment. It bears lots of egg-shaped fruit throughout the warmer months, but not at the same time making it quite valuable as there’s usually something to pick. The fruit’s taste varies from quite tart (red variety) to quite sweet (yellow/orange varieties) so if you like the fruit it may be worth having more than 1 variety.

The plant itself can be a little bit sensitive – doesn’t like frost, drought, wet feet or strong winds so it’s recommended you give it a protected position with plenty of mulch. It clearly prefers full sun, but I’ve seen it grow in shady positions with less fruit set.

It’s quite a good plant for pots as it doesn’t get as root bound as other fruit trees, nor does it live for a long time.

Propogation is from seed collected from ripe fruits, and also by tip cuttings in the growing season.

Nutrition: Tamarillo has very high levels of vitamin C and is also high in vitamins A,B,E and iron. It is also noted for it’s low calories making it an excellent fruit for dieters.

Using it in the kitchen: Mostly, Tamarillo is eaten fresh in hand – simply scoop out the flesh and eat it just like that! They’ve earned the name “Tree tomato” but I don’t find much of a resemblance in the kitchen They can also be roasted, made into fresh salsas, and made into chutneys and relishes.