When faced with an abundance of fresh Tahitian mountain apples, which aren’t really something you can freeze like mangoes — what is one to do?
People are funny about mountain apples. These days we welcome mangoes, lychee, avocadoes and ulu, even to the point of buying them. (And you know as soon as you do spend money on them, garans, somebody is going to gift you with a whole bag of same fruit or produce from their garden or farm.)
But mountain apples, not so much. There are few takers among my neighbors and friends. Some don’t like them or maybe they just raked up too many fallen ones as a kid.
Recipe: Pickled Mountain Apples
>> 20 mountain apples
>> 1 cup white vinegar
>> 1/2 cup Bragg apple cider vinegar
>> 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
>> 2 Hawaiian chili peppers (nioi), chopped
>> 1 tablespoon Hawaiian Pa‘akai salt
>> 2 teaspoons brown sugar
Wash mountain apples well in cool water. In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Thinly slice the apples and then add to the bowl. Mix well. Scoop into clean jars, evenly pouring leftover pickling juice into jars. (I used clean recycled jars from salsa, olives, etc. Or you can buy a case of Mason jars with nice sealing lids.) Cap jars and refrigerate. They came out pretty ono and lovely to look at in the jar. They will be gifts and side dishes for upcoming gatherings.
Mountain apples, or ohia ai (the ohia that you ai, or eat), are related to ohia lehua; both are in the Myrtaceae plant family. Syzygium malaccense is the Latin name that scientists use. Some call it the Malay apple as it is native to the Malay Peninsula and nearby areas, but it has long been cultivated and spread to other regions.
It is considered a Polynesian introduction or canoe plant, brought not only for the fruit but also for medicine and its beauty. My mom thinks the prettiest stage is when it is in flower. The magenta blossoms bloom on the tree and are reflected up from the ground below, due to the masses of fallen stamens.
The typical Hawaiian variety is kind of fat and round. There are also white-fruited varieties. The Tahitian variety is long and becomes deep red when ripe. This is not a common variety these days, so I’ve been carefully saving seeds from the biggest, nicest ones to share and plant.
Rich in vitamin C, when the mountain apples are freshly picked, then rinsed and chilled, they make a crisp and refreshing snack.
We recently had family in town to visit with my ailing father-in-law, and surprisingly to me, keiki and adults from the mainland were loving the fresh Tahitian mountain apples I was bringing out to his home.
My niece Jalene found an article about them, which included two recipes, one for pickles and one for applesauce with ginger. Both sound ono and not too complex.
One morning after coming back from a sunrise trip to the beach, she and I walked up the steep, hot hill to my neighbor Cindy’s to get a few ohia ai. We harvested several bags, went home and cleaned and ate some. As for the rest of them? We decided to make pickles.
Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable landscape consultant specializing in native, xeric and edible gardens. Reach her at heidibornhorst@gmail.com.
