Expert Advice On Edible Garden Treats (Part 2/3)

Garden of Refreshment
Quench your thirst with delicious beverages and desserts taken right off your little plot of green

By Wilson Wong | Photos by Koh Boon Wei | reprinted with permission from Home Concepts magazine
Thanks to Hortpark for the venue

Click here to read about the benefits of Passion Fruit and Dragon Fruit

The Aloe Vera
The medicinal aloe, botanically known as Aloe vera or A. barbadensis, is a species of succulent plant that we are all familiar with. A cultivar that is prevalently grown here is Aloe vera var. chinensis, which has numerous white spots on its leaves.

The medicinal aloe is a succulent with a rosette growth habit comprising stiff and fleshy leaves that are studded with white teeth. Mature specimens produce a tall flower spike with pendulous, yellow tubular flowers.

The translucent gel-like substance found inside the leaves of the medicinal aloe is used to treat various skin conditions and injuries. The juice obtained from them is traditionally taken internally to treat digestive problems.

Nowadays, finely cut bits of the gel can be found inside numerous drinks and desserts. The medicinal aloe grows best under direct sun and is a drought-tolerant plant that should be kept on the drier side and grown in well-drained soil.

Harvest the lower and more mature leaves. It is propagated from suckers that appear around the base of a mature plant and can be grown in containers.

Tiny bits of the translucent gel found inside the leaf of the medicinal aloe can now be found as an additive in many beverages right Grow the medicinal aloe plant in a sunny location with well-draining soil to reduce the likelihood of the plant rotting away!

Click here to read about the Roselle and other cool recipes

Source: Expert Advice On Edible Garden Treats (Part 2/3)