Sour....Sourer........Sourest.... Bilimbi Bonanza.

Just one tree and a million Bilimbi’s.  This amazing little fruit also known as tree sorrel, Irumban/Chemmeen Puli or Bimbul  grows in abundance in almost every backyard in this region. 

 

The lush evergreen tree sprouts tiny red flowers right on the trunk itself.

 

 And within a few weeks,  bunches of shiny bilimbis are visible. 

 

 You can use them as long as they are bright green and crunchy, but the minute they start yellowing, they turn mushy and inedible.   

 

And no, they cannot be refrigerated/ transported, their shelf-life is just a day.  So what can I do with so much of it?  I tried sun-drying the slices and they turned out nice. The sambar gets a perfect tang and I can do without the store-bought tamarind.

 

And I churn out  a few bottles of Bilimbi pickles.

 

 The aroma of home ground spices and the tart, crunchy bilimbis make a great combo in these pickles.

 

Varan-bhat and pickles any one?