I am not really into fruits – most of the time, I’d just go for the common ones like bananas and papayas, none of those (expensive) imported ones that my girl loves very much.
In my younger days, we would look forward to the end of the year when those seasonal fruits would make their appearance and we would feast on those…and the doctors, not only the fruit sellers, would be the ones laughing all the way to the bank as the clinics would be packed with people coming down with coughs, sniffles, fever and all kinds of ailments. That would be the landas season, the time when the rain would come, bringing the flood…and we sure enjoyed ourselves swimming and playing in the water all day till we ended up all wrinkled like a dried prune. Those were the days – the times of our lives!
These days, I do not go for the durians…
*Phil’s photo on Facebook*
…anymore as after eating a lot, I would feel flushed or feverish. They say we can fill the shell with water and drink after eating the fruit and that would get rid of the “heatiness” though I have never tried…and yes, it does seem that they are no longer seasonal, not like before.
We just had a bountiful harvest around the end of last year right through to the new year though the fruits that time around were not all that good and the flesh was hard in places – they said it was because there was a flood and some said it was because of the prolonged haze. I would eat if somebody buys and gives to me but I would not go out to get my own (though my missus did go and buy some to make tempoyak, fermented durian – as there were so many and they were quite cheap around that time). I do enjoy the buah pakan/pakon, the wild variety…
*Archive photo*
…though. They say this…
*Archive photo*
…comes out after the season for the regular durians is over and true enough, we had a lot after the previous durian season. My missus loves these so she would go out and buy a lot and I would eat – I think it is not as “heaty” so I do not feel sick after feasting on these.
Too bad we did not get to see any durian flowers being sold or we would have bought some to cook…
*Archive photo*
…and enjoy! I love those!
Dabais or what we call or kana (black olives) in Hokkien…
…used to be seasonal too but like the durian, after its round around the end of last year, we see a lot making their appearance at the market again going for RM18.00 a kg or RM20 for some bigger ones. There are cheaper ones as well but I guess those would not be so nice. I only like these if they are very fleshy and very lemak (rich, this being an oily fruit) and yes, the ones my missus bought the other day were very good.
She also bought some lenggeng, the yellow variety…
…at RM10.00 a kg. Some people prefer these as they say they are more fragrant than the green ones…
…but I prefer the latter as they are fleshier and not as sweet. These are also called mata kuching (cat’s eyes) and it belongs to the longan family, if I am not wrong and like the rambutans as well, they are also “heaty” so one should refrain from eating too much in one sitting.
I don’t think these jambu air or chui jambu in Hokkien…
*Phil’s photo on Facebook*
…are seasonal – there are people around here planting some hybrids of the fruit and we seem to get them all year round. I am not a fan of those and especially at those prices that they are selling them for these days, I would not bother buying, not at all.
When I was young, we had a tree in our garden. I never did like them nor those hard-as-a-rock green guavas, the smaller local variety with the pink flesh inside and a lot of seeds and the much bigger what-they-called the Jee pun jambu (Japanese jambu) that my mum also grew. We would eat these jambu air with those serng boi (preserved sour plums) or asamboi…
…or we would make our own dip of soy sauce, belacan (dried prawn paste), sugar and chili. We also had a tree of another variety of the jambu – the round red ones that looked like apples or what they call the jambu bol or Malay apple – I quite enjoyed those.
These are seasonal too – the buah engkala or what we call bua’ terbulus…
…but I don’t think it has made its appearance this time around after the fruit season around the end of last year. I do enjoy these and I sure would want to buy if there are any good ones at the market.
Well, with our economy in pretty bad shape, I guess it is good that these fruits, including the wild ones, are available for sale – it sure would help those people tide over these troubled times in the hope of better days ahead:
For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:25-27)
Truly, God is merciful…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Oohh. Like the new colour of your blog. Better than the shocking red. Lol.
I agreed with you that most fruits that used to be seasonal are no longer seasonal. Haha. My hubby was telling me that he wish to own a big land in rural area and plant some fruit trees, like black olive. Promoting our local fruit. 🙂 Maybe I am going to be a farmer’s wife some day.
Great plan for retirement – at the prices of those fruits these days, you would be very very rich! Hehehehehe!!!!
Ya, I like this “50 shades of Grey” a lot more than the red, no choice – had to use that temporarily for Chinese New Year. 😀
I normally buy apples, bananas and papayas only too.. Pears, well, sometimes.. And I buy those pre-packed ones, like 6 for RM10, hehe 😛
Eh the durian flesh looks like nangka, so yellow and sweet looking..
No, nothing like nangka – I don’t like those, not a fan of the smell. Not a fan of cempedak either, choking.
Make sure you peel the apples before eating – they spray some chemicals before packing for export so it is best not to eat the skin. I don’t eat apples, so I’m fine.
Oh that cempedak-alike durian lol, not bad for novelty but too expensive to have it here
You have it there? A hybrid? I sure would not like it if it is anything like cempedak. 😦 This one is wild – RM10, you can get 3 or 4 or 5, depending on the size. The thorns are not as sharp, can open by just stepping on it. A whole lot cheaper than the regular durians.
I love fruits. but sadly i never experienced trying the durian flower. never knew how it taste although many claim for it to be so sensational
It’s crunchy, like midin and has a mild taste of its own – the taste of the dish would depend on the sambal or whichever way one chooses to cook it. I hear many Chinese here cook curry with it.
Am a durian queen, so topping my list is durian. I also like papaya, banana, jambu air, guava & lenggang. I eat jambu air with chilli, soy sauce plus sugar dippings…yummy!!!!…how’s the taste of buah engkala? Never tasted before.
No engkala/terbulus in Kuching but I hear you may stumble upon it if you are lucky. Same with dabai – none in Kuching before but now, you can get it already. In the 70s, I gave to a friend in Kuching and she boiled it – the longer she boiled, the harder it got. 😀 😀 😀
Try adding a bit of belacan for your jambu air dip – will bring the taste to a whole new level. Great if you eat with rojak sauce too – now easily avaialble in bottles, ready mix.
Hey, you changed template again! Following your topic.. seasons in the sun…. now CNY is over, it is back to a normal year throughout till Christmas again… I have yet to change mine, it is the same for a number of years now, come to think of it, this is my 8th year of blogging! Talking about fruits, now I am waiting for May month where durians will be abundant again.. my sister came back wrong time, she was yearning for the king of the fruits but couldn’t find any in Ipoh…
Just changed the colour & the header photo like I said I would. Sometimes when free, I would browse through the templates and see if there is any that I like. Some do not come free though, would have to pay to use.
Should have come to Sibu – the durian season seems never ending. I thought it is the same over there? I did hear however that those would be from the farms or plantations, cultivated ones, not wild/natural/organic.
Usually, nowadays, i buy guava or papaya, and eat in the morning before having my breakfast, to help me in my toilet business…
I take bananas and papayas for that purpose. Engkala/terbulus is very good for that too – eat the skin not just the creamy ice cream-like inside and your bowel movement woes are over!
Beautiful fruit. One thing I must have is a daily banana at least.
I take that regularly too.
Everything looks delightful. The only thing I have tried, from the above photos, are the black olives. I love them! My daughter enjoys them also.
As yourself, I much prefer savory; however, my daughter loves fruits! One of her favorite meals is a “fruit pudding” that I prepare. It’s just a combination of fruit blended in a food processor. It’s simple, but my sweet daughter is in heaven when consuming that. Simple but delicious!
You have black olives there? My cousin’s nubby from the Uk tried and he said these here were different from the olives back home.
The only fruit pudding I know would be what you would know as the Christmas pudding, steamed cake with lots of raisins and cherries and other dried fruit…soaked in a lot of brandy or rum but we do not serve it with brandy sauce, just eat like that. My auntie, an uncle’s wife, makes very nice ones – old family recipe and she gives me regluarly. Served that during Chinese New Year along with all the other cakes and the cookies.
I’m a fruit person and like to eat every fruits mostly, especially durians, yea! But take it too much, if not later sore throat.
Try the fill the shell with water and drink thing – they say it works, no sore throat after eating durian. You fill the shell with water, wash your fingers after eating – no lingering smell. I’ve tried it! It worked! Amazing but true!!!
I’m also not into fruits except when it is peeled, sliced and placed in front of me hah..hah..hah… But I do like bananas and mangoes. And yes, durians 😀
I don’t mind peeling at all but I am not crazy about fruits with seeds like watermelon and oranges. Can’t stand spitting them out…ptui…ptui…ptui… Gross!!! Don’t mind mandarins though – after all, it is only once a year.
Not a fan of mango unless it is with pulut and santan…and the same with durian. Makes very nice Thai dessert, the durian…nicer than mango!
Wow I miss tropical fruits specially rambutans. Funny enough when I was in Malaysia I hated durians but when I lived here and tried it again I started to love it, now even if its expensive sometimes we buy them.
They’re very expensive here too unless there is a glut, too many at one time – that is one reason why I hardly ever buy it. Wouldn’t die from not eating it so the sellers can hike up the prices as they wish, I don’t care. Good luck to all the willing victims with a lot of money to throw. I would rather spend all that money on other things.
wow! you named all my fav fruits.. except durian.. I don’t eat those.. ewww! Used to when I was a teenager till I ODed and fell sick. Was chundering durian for a week! hahaha.. So now, never again 😛
Used to enjoy them too when I was young – my maternal grandma had fruit orchards – durians, dabai, mangosteens, langsats…all those and we used to feast on them like there was no tomorrow. Started to fall sick too after eating durian as I grew older so I stopped eating too much of the fruit – will eat a bit if someone gives, no more like before.
Some fruits are new to me, don’t think can be found here..
The lenggeng looks interesting!
Should be the same family as the mata kucing or the longan. Tastes almost like that, just the skin, outer appearance is quite different.
I like “red prawn” durians, that is what they call it in Hokkien, the flesh are reddish yellow colour and very sweet, I like
I dunno if that is what it is called – in Hokkien, we just call it sua lu lian here, wild durian. There is another wild variety that is red in colour – different from this one, buah isu, I think it is called locally, reddish and has an odd smell – to me, like kerosene…so needless to say, I don’t like it. That one, the thorns are extra sharp, sharper than the regular durian.
I like the last verse you included in this post though I am not a Christian, this verse can apply to Buddhists also, cos Buddhists believe there is impermanence in life and life is about birth, age, sickness and death so life is much more than food, clothings and being rich
Yes, believe. Faith, hope and love will find a way.
I would think health is much more important
I seldom eat fruits, but I like durian and mango, because they are sweet
If I am not wrong, the sugar in fruits is different from processed granulated sugar? I would avoid durians and mango too because of the heatiness and anyway, I am not all that fond of the two except in desserts.
Same as Hayley, some of the fruits here are new to me, have not eaten them before
Some are not available in other parts of the state even, only in central Sarawak, around here…or at least, they were not. Now that we have better road and transport connections, they may be available in the east (Miri) or the west (Kuching).
what??? Dont eat durian anymore? How can….. Durian so so so yummy leh….. Claire baru wanna go makan durian in Sibu leh
Come, come! Hurry, hurry! Before they run out, this season.