Delicious Cambodian Fruits

Delicious Cambodian Fruits

Mangosteens are a favorite for kids. These rich purple fruits break open to reveal juicy white flesh that can be eaten. Be careful when the children are eating this as the purple juice can stain hands and clothing.Durian is known as the King of fruits. This strong smelling fruit is banned on most subway systems in Asia. You either love this or hate it!
Sapodilla is one of my favorite fruits. Try this one if you can. It looks similar to a kiwi, with brown rough skin. Inside is a sweet brown pulp that tastes like brown sugar and molasses and large black seeds.
Rambutans are a small red hairy fruit similar to a lychee.

Dragon Fruits are one of the prettiest fruits with a bright pink skin. Inside is a mild flavored white pulp with small edible black seeds.
Mango are one of the most delicious fruits in the world. Enjoy a fresh mango by peeling the skin and eating the sweet meaty fruit inside.
Pomelo are a refreshing citrus fruit similar to a large grapefruit.
Saray tastes like a combination of an apple and pear. Crisp and juicy.[by family-travel-scoop]

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Pepper Plant in Cambodia

In Cambodia pepper has been planted since the first decade of the twentieth century. It is one of the main paid works for farmers and helped developing social economic of the country. The soil and climate condition of Cambodia are well-suited for the cultivation of pepper in several area in some provinces like, KampongCham (MeMut), Kampot (KampongTralach), KampongSom, Rattanakiri and Mondulkiri, where abundance of soil and rainfall create ideal condition for pepper cultivation.

The pepper plant is commonly known as a long-live woody vine, it grow by supporting trees, poles or trellises. The leaves are alternated, which look likes the betel leaf, greenish and beautiful. The flower is small with white color, produced as fruits on pendulous long spikes at the leaf nodes. Typically, pepper plant bear fruits for seven years; it starts from the fourth or fifth year after planted. On the harvest season, farmers collected pepper fruits before it mature by pick up spikes, and then spread out in the sun for stripped off pepper corns from the spikes after it dried.
Mr. Buth Samoeun, 57 years old who lived in AngkorChay 2 village, KampongTralach district, Kampot province, is a successful farmer on pepper plantation. He had got experience in 30 years with his parents on technical of cultivation as well as the formula to make peppercorn’s products. With about 1 hectare red soil farm, he planted hundred of clumps pepper which is growing greenish and produced the great pendulous spikes fruits. He continues that, typically it can bear fruit from the third year after planted. It started flowering from May to July, and bears fruits from December to February of the next year. So the harvest takes time from unripe fruit till it become mature. We can harvest three times per year within seven months.
As the demand of the market, Mr. Samoeun produced varieties of peppercorns products such as white pepper, red pepper, and black pepper by using the simple local formula.
White pepper is made from the fully ripe pepper, clean it with water after collected, then removed the black outer layer, and dried it in the sun for 3-4 days.
Red pepper is made by selected of ripe pepper for boiling in 5 minutes, then dried in the sun until it becomes red color.
Black pepper made from unripe drupes. Usually choose the dark green color pepper fruit, and dried it in the sun for several days, it will become great dark black color and have a good spicy flavor.
Related to the prices of pepper on local market, 1kg of black pepper costs about $ 10, red pepper is about $15 and white pepper is about $ 20. With his small pepper farm, Samoeun can earn from USD$3000-5000 per year.
Cambodia’s peppercorn is great with big seed and spicy. However, the exportation of Cambodia pepper product is still a challenge regarding their integration into global supply and value chain, even it is good of quantities of available product as well as of quality. Actually, it has been collected by merchants from Vietnam who required large amount of black pepper for the exportation to worldwide which made the pepper’s price inconstant. However, the extensively cultivated pepper is now the great change for some Cambodia farmers’ lifestyle which earns more money for their livelihood.[ by sroknuon]

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Growing wine grapes in Cambodia

Today growing wine grapes is well known as viticulture, has extensive worldwide from Europe to Southwest Asia countries, where most of area tend to have not adapted for the right climate and soil condition for grape growing. However, recently there are several areas in Cambodia starting practical on grapes plantation, especially in Mondulkiri and Battambang provinces.

I have visited a wine grapes farm in Banon district, Battambang province, to learn about grape growing in Cambodia.  Mr. Chan Thai Chhoeung and his wife Mrs. Leng ChanThu, the farm owners, who is the first successful couple in wine grapes cultivation for over ten years on their soil that used to grow other tropic plants.

Fresh wine grapes for producing wine

Walking past the aisles of grape tree hanging with great colored of dark red, light and white wine grapes, you might wanted to find out what are the conditions that wine grapes can grow well in Cambodia?
Mrs. Leng ChanThu, the owner of wine grape farm proud to say that, their farm started since 1997-1998, but during that time they growing wine grapes was only for testing, by planted in a small area of land. During that time, many peoples interested in planting orange fruit, which the competition in the market become challenging. So they decided to grow wine grape to replace their orange tree farm.

A charming Khmer lady is cultivating wine grapes

The successful of established wine grapes farm on that area which the climate and soil condition used to cultivate of rice and other tropical plants is a very hard work and take risk. However, they spent one year for searching and practice step by step in varieties of grape, until they found the one that can adapt and grow well on their land. They were supported and encouraged by their relatives in France, who provided good spices of wine grapes and planting techniques.
They said that, their farm is extending on three hectare of slope area nearby Sangke river where the ideal place for wine grapes grows, with easy to irrigate of prevent standing water, and full-fledged of sunlight. The wine grape need enough of water pouring to grow and bear fruits for the numerous yield harvesting. Through many years experienced, they selected the great wine grape spices with short time yield, and best in producing wine.

Grape Wine produced in Battambang

In 2004-2005, to be grape wine producer, they had invested on small equipment to produce grape wine. Experienced different grapes to produce different flavor of grape wine. They planted some wine grape spices and makes three different flavors of grape wine, including Brandy, Roger, and Ripe. Prices of their products is expensive than others in the local market (from 12$-20$ per bottle), but its great flavors of original  ingredient from natural plantation.
Their product is very popular by foreign visitors and also local people. It had been shown on national exhibition and others trade show as a special product. Moreover, they also planted vine grapes for eating  to sell in local market, and grafted vine tree with the purpose to wide growing vine grapes in others areas of Cambodia.
Pay a visit to Mrs. Chanthu wine grapes farm whenever you have a chance to be in Battambang to experience fresh grape as well as to taste the grape wine made in Cambodia.[by sroknuon]

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Dragon fruit in Cambodia

Dragon fruit cactus is the tropical plant, native to Mexico and America. It also cultivated in many tropical countries including Indonesia, Sri lanka, Malaysia, Philippine, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Bangladesh, in several areas of Australia, Japan, Hawaii, and recently Cambodia is the latest country in the region which is also interested on dragon fruit cactus plantation. After practical planting in several years, we found that dragon fruit cactus is suitable with the soil and the climate condition of the country, it become very popular among Cambodian farmers. They are cultivated it in farm, also in the garden as a flowering vine, and an indoor plantation.
Dragon fruit cactus is called in Khmer,  Sroka-Neark which is mean Dragon’s scale fruit. It grows well in most area of the whole country, especially in Northern provinces such as SiemReap, Battambang, Bantea Mean Chey, Pailin, where the ideal location is suited soil condition and great climate which is hot, shinny and rainy. However, most farms are still small, their harvests just enough to supply for the local market.

Dragon Fruit Tree

Commonly, Cambodia people planted purple and white dragon fruit cactus, and harvest their fruits product which the most great tasty and delicious than others imported from other countries. In the picture is the small family dragon fruit cactus farm of one farmer who lives in Thmor Kol district, Battambang province. Ms. Ly Kimphun, the farm owner said that dragon fruit farming as practiced here is less of maintenance fee. It is grown entirely organic; no chemicals of any kind have been used. That’s why its fruits are sweetest than ever. Planting dragon fruit cactus is spending less investment.

Ready for harvesting dragon fruit cactus

How to plant the dragon fruit cactus? She continues that: To beginning, she took a few segment of dragon fruit cactus from a farm ( she took from Banteasrey Farm in Siem Reap province), it is in about 20-40cm long. To prepare planting, she cut the lower half of its segment, and place it into small plastic pot soil (or can place directly into soil where you choose for growing).

Segment of Dragon Fruit Cactus

To take good care of young dragon fruit cactus seedling from a cut segment of an old dragon fruit cactus, she pours water one time per 2 weeks, in condition of hot weather on dry season, but it no need ideal standing water during raining season. Unlike others tree, dragon fruit cactus is growing fast. When the fully grown dragon fruit cactus plant is about 20 cm, it the right time to put a pole for dragon fruit cactus seedling climbing up. A pole can be made from wood or made concrete pole and plain concrete wall, the dragon fruit cactus can great climbs up and grows well. And then put a ring or wheel made from wood or from the old tire wheel on the top of dragon fruit plants cactus for supporting pole. It allows the dragon fruit cactus to grow outside as well as grow inside the supporting ring. Typically, the high of a supporting pole maximum from 2-3 meters is good for harvest.

Dragon Fruit Cactus growing in lines

The great location for planting dragon fruit cactus should be in plain sun, out of the shadow of the house or tree. It experienced that the more hot sunny is the more great fruit bearing. For instant, in Vietnam, there are many farms have great experienced to light more lamps at night on the top of dragon fruit cactus, to keep shining them for 24 hours every day. It is effected to flower blossoms and bear numerous yield of fruits. By this way some farms can produce 30 tons of fruit per hectare every year.
Talking about dragon fruit cactus blossoms, we found that it flowers blossoms only at night, and when the sun is rising, their blossoms completely closed. Most of dragon fruit flowers is large in white colored with distinctive fragrant. Because of its beauty, dragon fruit cactus flower was called the Moon flower or Queen of the night. Dragon fruit cactus flowered in 30-50 days after planted, so it can be harvested many times per year.

Dragon Fruit is displaying in the market

Dragon fruit typically is sour and refreshing with juicier flesh. However dragon fruit growing in Cambodia is slightly sour and sweeter. The ideal harvest dragon fruit for exotic tasty should be into hot sunny season as well as for eating at day time is tasty then at night time. Now you can find the Cambodia tasty dragon fruit on local market in every seasonal. One kilo of dragon fruit cost about two US dollars only.  Moreover, you can visit dragon fruit cactus farm in some provinces on your holidays.[by sroknoun]

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Longan Fruit in Cambodia

The longan fruit or longyan in English well known as a tropical tree native of south east Asia.  The large plantation is mostly in many countries such as China, Thailand, Philippine, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sirilanka, and Vietnam. It found also in Cambodia in many farms of Pailin province.

Since long time ago there is not much people whose know that longan is a fruit tree of Cambodia. But recently on a mission to Pailin province, my working group visited a longan farm. It was the first time for me to see the longan tree closely. Normally, it looks like a Mean fruit, the same kind of longan, but its seed is bigger than longan’s seed. It made our team feel surprise and wondering how is the longan tree can grow in Cambodia?

Longan in Syrup

-It can and gives good harvest. Si San, the farm owner said.
- Where do you bring the tree from? Vietnam or Thailand? I continue asking him to explore the real story.
- Not at all, it extend here in Pailin since long time. When I was a child, my grandpa also planted it around his house, but did not plant as a farm. There are also many longan tree around my neighborhood. The local people know well the longan fruit as a kind of Mean which is very popular and they called it Ta Ngeng.
-Really? It means that Ta ngeng fruit is a tree of Cambodia.
-Of course! I think so.
-And what does it means of naming Ta Ngeng tree?
-Sorry sir, I cannot clarify about it, but this called from time to time until now.
-Well, and what does make you create the Ta ngeng’s tree farm?

Longan Tree

Si San try to explain me with his strongly opinion. He said:
-As you know the agriculture of Cambodia is slower on technical of cultivation than others neighbor countries, especially on fruit tree. In fact, there are some places of Cambodia is very good land with the great fertilized soil which is available for planting many valuable fruit tree. When I explored this secrete, it forced me starting immediately a plan to establish Ta Ngeng farm. And the reason why I was selected Ta ngeng tree to plant, because it’s very popular in local area and also world wild exported for canned with syrup. After many years planting, my product had been exported to Vietnam, Thailand and sometimes selling at local market with the price about 2$-2.50$ per kg.
Relating to the technical of plantation he said that:
-Before making farm he spend much time to search and study on books. By his experience, now he can clone many spices’ longan tree from outside with the old one of local to make a new fit in Cambodia environment which it required sandy soil and high temperature. It will offer good harvest if the tree is pouring often.
Typically, the Ta ngeng fruit gives twice harvests per year after it planted from 3 to 4 years. Pailin is the right place for longan tree or Ta ngeng tree plantation.  Now there are more farmers creating bigger and bigger longan farms in Cambodia.
The longan or Ta Ngeng fruit is sweet, juicy, and succulent. It can eat freshly and dried. People in East Asia liked to eat fresh, and use to make soups, snacks, and desserts. Especially making canned with syrup is the extremely taste.[by sroknuon]

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Mango tree in Cambodia

In Cambodia, mango tree have been cultivated for hundreds and hundreds of years ago. It is a great fruit which very popular consumption in daily life of Cambodia people. Especially, it has been treated as a high level of fruit, which never miss in the basket of fruit gift in special occasions and religious ceremonies.

Mango tree is well-suited with Cambodia soil and the climate condition which is cool and dry. So mango is widely planted in the the whole country. Commonly it is planted in the home garden, which grows nearby house. We can see mostly of the Cambodia houses would have at least one tree of mango in front of the houses, or at the back, or at the side.
Mango can be serve as vegetable and also as dessert. Its fruit and leaves preferable used in cuisine, the unripe mango used as sour spice of Khmer sour soup which called Samlo-machu, the young mango leaves serve as great vegetable for Teuk kreung and Prohok (fish paste), the special daily Khmer food. We also can make mango salad using unripe or green mango mixing with shrimp, pork, chicken flesh, or dried fish. Khmer people like unripe mango, typically they used in pickles, side dishes. Especially, teenagers like eating green mango with salt, chili or soy sauce.
With the great flavor in green and ripe, mango tree in Cambodia is planting by selected in variety of species. There are many local species mango that people loves and called it with great name. Refer to Cambodia’s name mango; it shows the valuable of its fruit in the country since long time ago. It was linked with Khmer cultural with special calling that always starting by the “Keo” word, the sweetest and very nice of Khmer girl’s name. For example, there are many mango’s named that called by Keo-chen or Keo-khatis, Keo-sary, Keo-lamut, Keo-leak, Keo-samlei, Keo-yeah, Keo-krohum, Keo-lameat, Keo-srua, and Keo-mon…ect. Each name of mango was set is depend on its fruit shape and also its flavor. Some are nice to serve unripe and some are nice to serve when ripe only. Some are use as vegetables and can make as some kind of foods.
Recently, mango tree is not the fruit tree for family garden, but it is planted in large area of farm land. There are more and more mango farms cultivated in the whole country. It is growing well on the soil field, on the plateau as well as on abounded soil of the mountain where they used the great of technical cultivated and grated the latest species from others counties. Even though, it just enough supported for local market, and has a limited exported to Vietnam as well as to worldwide. Cambodia mango fruit was keeping in localizes even its greatest in the region.

Ripe Keo-Chen Mango

Indeed, the ripe mango Keo-chen is the most wonderful flavor of yellow-orange pigmentation, great taste and texture of flesh, sweetest and aromatic. It’s the most popular and expensive kind among mango. It suited growing on the area near the river, and given the good harvest on seasonal from November to late of April. Typically, it costs more than ten dollars per dozen from the early of harvest time, but its lower when fully on seasonal. The famous Keo-chen mango are from the Rokakong district, in Kandal province, and several islands in Kampongcham province where the areas are surrounded by Mekong river.
The Keo-lamiet is also the great mango which the flesh is crisp and sweet for eating raw in green with salt, chili and soy sauce, and great ingredient in mango salad with other flesh and vegetable. It is the most popular plantation in big farm for supported demand of local market, and exported to other countries. Keo-lamiet mango farm in Cambodia can earn a lot of money, one fruit at least cost o.25 dollars. And the Keo-lamiet mango tree bear many many fruits, compare to other kinds of mango.
Most visitors whose has been in Cambodia would likes Cambodia mangoes, and served it as the fascinated fruits. If you have a chance to Cambodia, don’t miss to try the Cambodia mangoes which will make you fresh with its taste of sweetest and aromatic.[by sroknuon]

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