In Nigeria the garden egg is deeply rooted in cultural traditions and cuisines with an important significance in every aspect of life, representing for all tribes fertility, friendship, respect and welcome; so much so that very often share and given as special gifts at social events and gatherings. Garden eggs which is known world wide as egg plants is called Gauta in Hausa, for the Yoruba it is known as Igba and the Igbo called it Anyara; the garden egg leaf is called in Hausa Ganyen Gauta, Yoruba is Efo Igba and referred to as Akwukwo Anyara in Igbo. A visit to most Nigerian markets the commonly seen garden eggs are the green bitter garden eggs popularly refer to as “Gauta” in Hausa, others includes the largest yellow types called “Yalo” in Hausa, the small tear drop white to pale variety often refer to as “Jilo” or “Yalon Bello” in Hausa northern Nigeria, the second types are the white with green stripes that changes under the sun or when it matures into the red color which is mostly the the color of all the matured garden eggs generally almost all varieties will turn into a different color from the original color such as yellow or scarlet as it ages.
The garden egg to the Ndigbo represent many things and they value it as a symbol of fertility and blessings significantly presented to important guest to show love, respect and welcome. Which to them must be served during meetings of the elders and royalties, also served during traditional marriage rites for the new in-laws, families and friends; as a sacred and respected fruit presented to mourners at burial ceremonies and for some tribes it accompany major festivals as a delicacy. The roasted groundnuts-peanuts is considered the best choice to be served along with the garden egg either crushed, creamy paste dip, or left whole for a bitter-sweet, crunchy and chewy delight.
The garden egg in northern Nigeria is a part of daily diet eaten as snacks, incorporated in various traditional meals, chew when the kola nut is not available or affordable the garden egg then replaces it; and a part of food items presented in many raffia baskets to a bride-to-be. While the Yoruba of western Nigeria relish the “Igba” a name given to the garden egg, generally farmers roast it along with the freshly harvested yams on their farms to eat as lunch by taking a bite of the yam with a piece of the roasted garden egg together; the mild flavor of the yam and the bitter taste of the garden egg is an absolutely delicious taste experience, giving the taste-buds an after taste of sweet delight.
The beauty of the garden egg from its leaf to the fruits are a beautiful sight to behold with the fruits stunning in the various colors of the rainbow having each color representing its unique healthy nutrients. Medicinally, it has been proven that a meal prepared with the garden egg has healthy benefits for patients suffering from heart related diseases, kidney problems, glaucoma and brain health. The egg plant is a beautiful vegetables with vibrant rich and beautiful multi-color, the garden egg skin is taut and glossy smooth that gleams in the sunlight and under the shades. The garden eggs leaves are oval shaped lobed with a wavy margin having hairy sides at times with prickles and it flowers are white with a tinged yellow middle. The garden egg fruits are colored green, ivory, white, scarlet or purple with some having dark stripes while the ripen fruits turns yellow, brown or scarlet. A crunchy and chewy fruits with a distinctly bitter taste that becomes much more bitter as it ripens and turn sweet after drinking a glass of water. The inner flesh is juicy, tender, and spongy with a white, ivory to pale yellow color which encases a lot of small flat seeds conspicuously covering all the flesh, its taste is bitter with a mild flavor, and a chewy crunchy texture. It is found in different shapes and sizes ranging from the egg-shaped thus the name eggplant or garden egg while some are tear-drop shaped, round, oblong, oval, or pumpkin-like shaped but a smaller version of it.
The garden egg are found in so many varieties such as the purple aubergine-eggplant of Asia, the deep purple colored eggplants are rich in “Nasunin” an Anthocyanin a purple pigment of the flavonoids; a powerful antioxidant great for brain health and helps prevents cancer. The green found in the bitter green garden eggs contains loads of chlorophyll that is healthily liver friendly while the white garden eggs varieties are much more easily digestible; garden eggs are also fantastic for ulcer patient due to its alkaline loads. The fruit and leaf are natural blood pumping vegetables when eaten fresh and raw with a lot of amazing essential nutrients that serve as natural medicine for certain ailments. The leaf of the garden eggs contains Vitamins B, C, Potassium and Calcium. While the young tender leaf are often used in vegetable soups with spinach or other vegetable of choice, and it can be juiced for a health remedy detox drink.
The garden egg is never out of stock at the fresh vegetable markets, along the custom’s road at the Gamboru market in Maiduguri; sold on almost every street corners all over Nigeria. A heaped of the garden eggs are found sold along the major road sides, displayed on table tops. seen push around in loaded wheelbarrows by tired looking men trotting on foot, under the sunny skies looking for buyers before the sun goes down, once in a while resting along the way under the shades of the Neem tree; and to replenish loss energy reaches out to pick some to eat. The lucky few hawkers often are sighted by buyers who rush over to make a quick purchase, served with spicy chili pepper wrapped in tiny polythene sachets.Â
The garden egg is referred to as the evergreen plant which is a very tolerant plant in any soil conditions, and thriving best in fertile and humus-rich conditions; the cultivation and commerce of the garden egg for the rural woman in Nigeria is a life-saver; it is a thriving business in the villages where many are striving to survive with their families. Thereby making most rural women to grow, harvest and sell their produce in markets close to their homes often seen along the village paths in their dozens, carrying basket loads of the freshly picked garden eggs on their heads which they place on wrap-up clothing materials to ease the weight, many of such women due to lack of funds for transportation walk all the way from the farms or gardens to nearby villages on every market days, hawking their produce along the way with hungry crying babies on their back who exhaustively sleep off when ignored.
Traditional Wedding in northern Nigeria have a place for the garden eggs in various cuisines and cultural customs, aside from the use in delicious native soups of “miyan gauta”, it is also a must in the popular porridge of “gwaten gauta” served during traditional gatherings with a cultural taste of home. The garden eggs for some cultures are used during the night before the wedding day when the bride-to-be is being culturally, physically and psychologically groomed for her new life; a native calabash filled to brim with fresh organic cow milk is brought before the Hausa-Fulani bride-to-be which for the native Fulani’s the calabash and milk is a must and the groom-to-be being a native of the Biu origin known all over Nigeria for their love of the garden eggs presents several baskets of the green bitter garden eggs to the family of the bride. As a union of the two tribes, the green bitter garden eggs are drop into the the creamy white milk to give a beautiful contrasting colors of the green and white which symbolizes the union of the Fulani’s for the love of milk called “madara or nono” in Hausa and the Bura for the garden eggs known as gauta in northern Nigeria.
All over Nigeria on daily basis the garden eggs are consumed and most Nigerians relish the garden eggs for its sweet bitter taste, healthy, in-expensive, and delicious chewy meat substitute; some varieties are distinctly bitter while others are sweet and so so juicy. Often eaten raw or prepared into various recipes and served with other delicacies as a side dish such as the Ose-Oji which is always available during special cultural events that is traditionally prepared and served with a special native recipes of groundnut paste that has been mixed with local spices for that aromatic, yummy and spicy dip to go with the garden egg. The following are some of the must try garden egg recipes, some creamy soft, uniquely flavored, and yummy. Absolutely a different twist to the various uses of the garden eggs in recipes, a delicious and tasty blend of the sweet, sour, savory and spicy; simply superb:-
Garden Egg Stir-fry:
Serve with fried eggs, yams, Irish potatoes, rice or any choice meal.
Recipe Ingredients:
Garden eggs, Onions, dried red chili pepper, crushed garlic, grated ginger, cloves, alligator-black pepper, curry, thyme, any spices of choice, sugar, salt to taste and water.
Recipe Steps:
The first step is to steam, blanch or grill the garden eggs. Cool slightly and chop roughly into pieces.
Place a clean sauce pan on low heat and add any vegetable oil of choice but preferably the palm oil.
Add in the chopped onions, and spices. Sauté and stir-fry, stirring constantly to avoid sticking to pan.
Add into it the chopped up garden eggs and a little water, reduce the heat further and gently bring it to a simmer.
Cover and cook until all water is reduced by half and the garden egg is soften.
Put off the heat and allow to cool. Divide into 3 equal parts, then blend or puree one third of the cooked mixture.
Mix the pureed and the two third of the mixture together.
Scoop into a clean jar or containers.
Store for use in the refrigerator.
Garden Egg And Ose-Oji is the Spicy Peanut Dip:
The garden eggs for the Igbo of southern Nigeria is believed to symbolize fertility and blessings, the Igbo love and relish it a lot and are known to traditionally welcome visitors to their homes by offering a tray with varieties of garden egg fruits served with a cute dish of spicy and creamy peanut-groundnut paste dip known as “Ose-oji” and along with the kola nuts and the alligator pepper seeds. A traditional Igbo snack for welcoming important guests during important functions, events and gatherings such as meetings, weddings and festivals. The presentation of the kola nuts starts off every gatherings, then the “Iwa Oji” which is the breaking of the kola nuts follows; a platter of delicacy often refferred to as the “Anyara Na Ose- Oji” serve also with other fruits such as the Pears, Apples, Carrots and Cucumber.
Recipe Ingredients:
A sweet and spicy groundnut creamy paste that goes very well with the native salad, prepared with roasted peanuts-groundnuts, vegetable oil, crayfish, local spices of dried chili pepper, Alligator-black pepper, cloves, ginger and nutmeg, salt and other seasonings of choice.
Recipe Steps:
The main ingredients is the peanut, if raw roast on the stove top or toast in the oven. The best method is with the use of the traditional mortar and pestle to pound the roasted peanuts for a crunchy feel, the blender or food processor can be use as long as the paste is not too smooth which also depends on choice.
Traditionally the Ose-Oji is prepared by pounding the roasted groundnut until creamy smooth, the native spices and grinded separately. Then added gradually with salt as to taste, seasoning cubes, and the grinded crayfish.
Check for taste all native spices, salt and seasonings then adjust accordingly. Mix in well and blend all into a creamy paste if too thick then soften the paste with added vegetable oil and mix the dip until the desire consistency.
Stored in air-tight jar with label, ingredients and dates.
Garden Egg Okro Soup:
A slimy soup popularly called “draw soup” in Nigeria, great for swallows making it so easy to swallow morsel. A versatile soup, perfect with other sauces as a mixed.
Recipe Ingredients:
Smoked fish or meat, palm oil is optional, Green bitter garden egg fruits, Fresh raw okro, chili pepper, or scotch bonnet, onions, locust beans refer to as daddawa in Hausa, seasoning cubes, and salt.
Recipe Steps:
Wash and cut-up meat if included in the recipe, then put to boil. Season with spices, add the washed and de-boned smoked fish, ground pepper, chopped onions, locust beans called daddawa and salt. It is an all green soup but if prefer add palm oil and cook until meat is tender and all ingredients blended in very well. Rinse and slice into quarter the garden egg fruits.
Wash the fresh raw okro, then grate or chopped up into tiny pieces.
Add the garden egg to soup first and allow it for one boil, before adding in the grated raw okro with a tiny piece of potash.
Watch soup closely to avoid it boiling over and stir constantly too.
Serve with tuwon masara, semolina or dawa prepared from the guinea corn flour.
Garden Egg Mixed Vegetable Soup:
A very nourishing soup, prepared according to taste and choice of vegetables, absolutely versatile but the addition of the garden egg fruits and tender leaf is a must, for that unique bitter-taste.
Recipe Ingredients:
Meat, smoked fish, crayfish, spinach or pumpkin leaf called ugu, Garden egg fruits and it’s tender leaf, pumpkin fruit known as kabewa and locust beans called daddawa in Hausa, palm oil, onions, Tomatoes, scotch bonnets, bell pepper, seasoning cubes, salt.
Recipe Steps:
Wash meat and cut into prefer sizes, place into a pot, pour in some water enough to cook the meat, add to it chopped onions, salt to taste, seasoning cubes and spices. Place on low heat and cook until meat is tender.
Heat up palm oil, add in onion slices until it sizzles. Blend the tomatoes, scotch bonnet, bell pepper and onions into a smooth paste. Add to the sizzling onions and stir-fry until the sauce thickens. Add locust beans popularly called daddawa for a traditional aroma.
Turn the cooked meat and stock into the sauce, check for seasonings and adjust to taste.
The de-boned and washed smoked fish follows into the soup, and in goes the grounded crayfish for an amazingly delicious taste, stir and fold in all ingredients to mix properly. Now, cover and simmer on low heat.
The addition of the green bitter garden eggs is next but must be wash, blanch whole or quartered in hot water until the color changes to brownish-green. Then chop, pound or blend and add to the simmering soup, gently fold in.
The thickness and richness of the soup depends on the choice and varieties of added vegetables; the pumpkin normally called kabewa in Hausa of northern Nigeria is a great soup thickener; wash, peel, cube it and rinse again. Drain water, and carefully arrange all over the soup for an even doneness, cover with lid and allow to cook until soft.
It is a very rich vegetable soup, for preference, the spinach, the tender garden egg leaf or pumpkin leaf called “ugu” are also added, a deliciously leafy powerhouse of nutrients. Pick a bunch as much as desire, rinse properly and pick the tender leaf off the stems. Shred into tiny bits and pour over the simmering soup for more nourishing soup. But some prefer to blanch the spinach which if not carefully done might lead to losing a great deal of its nutrients.
Almost there for a delicious steaming bowl of soup, cover and cook vegetables with the last 5 minutes of cooking time, by which time the soup water contents will have gone down. Mix soup to combine.
The deliciousness is now ready, remove from heat and serve with any swallow of choice such as tuwon shinkafa, masara, dawa, gero, alkama, or semolina.
Scoop out soup and arrange all around a mold of any swallow of choice; enjoy.
Garden Egg One Pot Gwate:
A one-pot dish, meaning all ingredients goes in, with assorted vegetables, crushed groundnut or peanuts to give it a chewy crunch.
Recipe Ingredients:
Acha, Rice or corn grits, meats, meat bones or briskets, smoked fish, spinach and sorrel leaf refer to as yakuwa, garden called gauta, scotch bonnets, tomatoes, onions, seasoning cubes, salts and spices.
Recipe Steps:
The steps above are follow but the difference is the addition of any of the following Acha, rice, wheat or maize grits to make a thicken porridge.
Serve in dish bowl and eaten by scooping with a spoon.
A light and deliciously nourishing meal.
Garden Egg Soup Or Miyan Gauta:
The garden egg can be steam or boil whole. chop, pound or blend into a paste depending on choice of consistency.
Recipe Ingredients:
Grilled or smoked fish, crayfish, garden eggs, palm oil, scotch bonnets, tomatoes, onions, seasoning cubes and salt.
Recipe Steps:
A firm yam is used for this recipe, peel, wash and slice the yam. Then place into a sauce pan, add salt and water that is enough to cook until soft.
Wash the garden egg and the scotch bonnets, then arrange all around the yam, to allow the steam of the boiling yam blanch the garden egg and the red pepper until tender.
Pick out the garden egg and pepper or better still cook separately until tender, then drain and mash the garden eggs and scotch bonnets separately.
Heat up the palm oil but do not bleach it, add onion slices, pepper, spices consisting of ginger and cloves, sliced tomatoes if using, add in the blanched-mashed scotch bonnets, grounded crayfish, washed and de-boned smoked fish, or grilled fish.
Season properly to taste with salt and seasoning cubes, stir-fry for a while and lastly add in the blanched mashed garden eggs, fold into sauce gently.
Serve with the cooked boiled yam, grilled plantain, cocoyam or white rice.
Garden Egg Abacha:
Abacha is the name given to a native salad by the Igbos of southern Nigeria, and it is serve during very important cultural events and ceremonies, with palm wine.
Recipe Ingredients:
Garden eggs cubed or whole, the tender leaf of garden egg shredded, the Abacha which is a shredded and wetted cassava flakes, Ugba is the Ukpaka, palm oil, crayfish, potash, onions, chili pepper, scotch bonnets, seasoning cubes, salt, locust beans or iru or okpei, shredded spinach or utazi as substitute for the garden egg leaf, dried fish, stock fish.
Recipe Steps:
Abacha is prepared from parboiled cassava which is thinly sliced, soaked overnight and then dried. The Ugba or Ukpaka is an oil bean seeds that is cooked, sliced, washed and allowed to ferment before using.
Wash and cut fresh fish then roast, grill or fry according to choice.
Boil the stock fish after rinsing off its dirts, de-bone the smoked fish if using then boil and cut into tiny bits.
The cow skin that is popularly called Kpomo or kanda in Nigeria are added but it is optional; wash and cut it up into little pieces and cook separately until soften.
Potash solution is a must add for more color and for easy digestion; soak potash in some water until melted to the required strength of solution, allow to settle and then sieve with a cheese cloth to remove residues or sandy particles, keep close for use in the recipe.
Wash the garden eggs-eggplants, leave it whole if using the small cute bitter green, but if using other bigger types, simply slice into large chunks.
Wash the Ugba in hot water, and strain it; then place the Abacha in a bowl and soak until the color changes, strain off liquid.
The crayfish gives more flavor if added, mix it with some chili pepper and grind.
Wash and slice the purple onions into rings for garnishing; meanwhile blend the second onion bulb into paste or chop up into tiny bits to mix into the Abacha.
Place a clean dry sauce pan on low heat, pour in the palm oil, add in the potash solution and quickly mix until color changes turning into a creamy beautiful yellow.
Add into it the grinded crayfish and pepper, blended or chopped onions, the native spices, seasoning cubes and salt to taste; fold all ingredients carefully to mix in and combine properly.
Add the strained Abacha, remove from the heat as soon as the Abacha warms in order to avoid it going mushy.
Add the sliced Utazi, salt to taste which is generally optional because most of the added ingredients are salted.
Add Ugba (Ukpaka), the garden egg shredded tender leaf, cooked or grilled fish, then mix to combine all ingredients.
Serve hot or cold according to choice, taste for the seasonings of spices and salt, then adjust accordingly.
Serve on plates with the garnishing of onion rings, fried fish and garden eggs.
Garden Egg Pickled:
A delicious and slightly but spicy soft variety of the garden egg for use in recipes of choice or serve with favorite snacks.
Recipe Ingredients:
Fresh raw garden eggs, lemon juice or vinegar, olive oil, corn syrup for a subtle sweetness, Spices of ginger, cloves, chili, and alligator pepper for that spicy bites. Salt to drizzle on it.
Recipe Steps:
The taste of pickle depends on it being sweet over spicy or the other way round; combine all ingredients, simmer on low heat, mix properly and cool it slightly.
Slice garden eggs into desire shapes, sprinkle salt all over it, then stuff the garden eggs into jar.
Pour over it in the jar the brine mixture. Sealed and allow to stay undisturbed for some days.
Store in the refrigerator and use in recipes of choice.
Garden Egg Salad:
A delicious and crunchy chewy bowl of multi-color vegetables with amazing nutrients benefits for healthy life.
Recipe Ingredients:
Garden eggs.
Cucumber.
Cabbage or lettuce.
Carrots.
Coconut, shredded.
Onion rings and spring onions.
Fresh tomatoes.
Green bell pepper.
Scotch bonnets.
Crushed roasted groundnut-peanuts.
Salt to taste.
Grilled fresh fish.
Dressings:- Lemon juice, Honey, Olive oil, Local spices of ginger, cloves, chili, and black pepper.
Recipe Steps:
Wash the fresh garden eggs, slice and sprinkle salt all over it and then pour cool water to soak this is done to reduce the bitter taste and to stop the browning of the garden eggs after slicing it.
Grill the green bell pepper, spring onions, and scotch bonnets; de-seed and shred the roasted vegetables.
Mix all the ingredients for dressings, allow to rest.
Wash and shred all the other vegetables. Then the sliced and soaked garden eggs.
Lastly, in a salad glass bowl, mix all vegetables. Sprinkle all over the vegetables the crushed roasted groundnuts and drizzle dressings all over.
Toss gently and combine well, serve cool with spicy grilled fresh fish.
Garden Egg Dehydrated Flakes:
The quantity of dried flakes is never compared to the sliced garden egg, to increase its quantity make provision for a lot of fresh garden fruits.
Recipe Ingredients:
Raw garden eggs, salt and air-tight containers.
Recipe Steps:
Wash the garden eggs, slice thinly into stripes, shapes of round, oblong or oval.
Sprinkle salt all over sparingly, then spread out to dry under the sun or dry in the oven or the dehydrator.
Dry until crispy, turning the slices part way through in order to dry on the other sides, finish drying until all sides and all slices are dry and crispy.
Cool off or air out to cool. Then store in airtight containers.
Garden Egg Powdered:
Garden egg powder are so easy to make, long shelve life and can be added to sauces, soups or drinks.
Recipe Ingredients:
Garden egg flakes and air-tight containers.
Recipe Steps:
Simply pick some from the crispy dried slices, pound it in a mortar with pestle or grind with a pepper grinder or coffee grinder. And if the quantity is much take to the mill and ground into a fine powder.
Sieve and scoop into airtight container, store labelled with dates and ingredients.
Garden Egg Stew:
Garden egg stew is a delicious sauce with a unique taste of the bitter, spicy and sweet; can be served with any favorite meal of cooked rice boiled, fried or roasted yam, potatoes, cocoyam or plantain.
Recipe Ingredients:
Tomatoes.
Onions.
Scotch bonnet.
Dried chili pepper.
Palm oil.
Garden egg.
Smoked fish or meat.
Spices, seasoning cubes, and salt to taste.
Recipe Steps:
Wash garden eggs, or eggplants. Then slice off the stems, and cut into four equal chunks. Place in salted water and boil on low heat for 15 minutes.
Wash and chopped up all fresh vegetables in separate plates.
Wash and debone the smoked fish.
Remove garden eggs from the heat, drain and place into a bowl, then crush with a potato masher or a fork until a slightly chunky mash-up.
Heat up the palm oil, add onions and sauté. Add in the chopped scotch bonnet and chili pepper. Stir all until slightly brown and soften. Add tomatoes and cook on low heat until sauce thickens and oil floats atop.
Add in the mashed garden egg, season well and stir. Add in the deboned fish and spices, mix in well. Cover and simmer on low heat. Serve with favorite meal.
Garden Egg Savory Dish:Â
A delicious whole meal, nourishing filling prepare just like pizza.
Recipe Ingredients:
Meat of choice either of Ram, beef or chicken.
Ghee is Mai Shanu in Hausa.
Onions, washed, peeled and Shredded.
Lemon juice or Vinegar.
Fresh Tomatoes washed and sliced.
Garden egg is Gauta in Hausa.
Wheat flour.
Milk.
Cream cheese or butter.
Spices, and salt to taste.
Hot water.
Recipe Steps:
Cook meat with salt, spices, and seasoning cubes until tender and all liquid contents is drained.
Add ghee or mai shanu and stir in with cooked meat on low heat, then add chopped onions and continue to stir-fry until onions is translucent. Add in lemon juice or vinegar, combine and mix in well, then add in the slices of tomatoes, local spices and some hot water, then stir all to combine.
Cover pot and cook on low heat, until the meat softens much more to flaky tenderness.
Meanwhile roasts some green bitter garden eggs, scrape off the skin and place all in lemon juice for few minutes. Remove from the juice and chop into chunks.
On low heat place a saucepan and add ghee or mai shanu, stir until melted, add into the ghee some wheat flour, and stir-fry until light brown in color.
Pour into it some milk and quickly stir in, until all is creamy smooth.
Remove from heat and add the roasted chopped garden egg chunks, add salt, cream cheese or butter, combine quickly.
Add the cooked meat sauce over it and garnish with onion rings. Serve hot or cold as a main meal with fruit juice of choice.
Garden Egg Juice:
A healthy and sweet juice with a mixed of any favorite fruits of choice.
Recipe Ingredients:
The taste of the juice depends on the recipe and choice of ingredients from sweet to spice.
Garden eggs.
Apples or Pears.
Lemon or orange juice.
Fresh ginger roots and cloves.
Sweetener of choice.
Pineapples or watermelon gives a sweet and delightful variation to make subtle the bitter taste or to blend it off.
Recipe Steps:
Wash all fruits thoroughly, peel and slice up and cubed down to size.
Wash the garden eggs and cut up into chunks.
Rinse off the dirts of the oranges and lemon. Slice and juice separately.
Combine all fruits, garden egg, orange or lemon juice into a blender, or juicer.
Add in the chopped fresh ginger and cloves.
Add iced-cubed or water.
Blend into a smooth puree or juice out into a cup if using a juicer.
Strain using a smooth mesh a cheese bag.
Pour into a jug and sweeten to taste or serve natural for a healthy boost.
Serve chilled in glasses with any favorite snacks or simply enjoy as a refreshingly delightful drink.
Health Benefits Of Garden Egg Fruit And Leaf:
Garden Egg Kidney Purifier Drink:-
The garden egg leaves are best used for this kidney detox drink; Although the garden egg leaf is high in “Solanine” which is known to be toxic but becomes harmless after cooking. The process is to pick out the freshest of the garden egg leaves, rinse thoroughly in clean, running water to remove all dirts. Shred into tiny bits, and place all into a pot then add water to cover the leaf. On low heat, simmer gently for some few minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool slightly then strain with a smooth mesh or sieve into a jug. Serve in a glass to purify the kidneys. Garden egg leaf and fruits contains potassium that aids in reducing the risk of kidney stones and kidney related ailments.
Garden egg is a powerhouse of nutrients very much so for its HIGH water contents; it is a natural source of minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin B1, potassium, folate, manganese, copper, magnesium, Vitamin B6, niacin, phosphorus, calcium, contain some beta-carotene and ascorbic acid. These minerals maintain electrolyte balance in the body; aids in neutralizing sodium effects, controls blood pressure levels.
Garden egg aids in regulating blood sugar and also improves blood circulation in the body; an excellent food for diabetic patients which help reduce and prevent the Type-2 Diabetes, aids glucose absorption.
Assist in controlling cholesterol levels and helps in maintaining good blood pressure with the help of the garden eggs antioxidant. The consumption of garden egg assist in gastrointestinal health; its high fiber loads is beneficial for constipation which aids in an increased bowel movement; an excellent source of dietary fiber that aids food digestion and improve general gut health.
Garden egg rich folic acid protects the infants from the neural tube defects, an excellent and useful dietary food addition during pregnancy and lactating.
Garden eggs contain calcium that helps bone strengthening and for an overall bone health; the folate manganese, Vitamin K, magnesium, Vitamin C, iron and copper are potent minerals for healthy bones and the regular consumption of garden egg prevents the risk of osteoporosis.
Rich in copper which assist the flow of the red blood cells through veins, boosting energy and strength; garden egg as a rich source of iron helps to increase the red blood cell in the body and aids in fighting against anemia or iron deficiency. A natural medicine for the treatment of various health conditions such as abdominal obstruction of the intestine which is known as the coeliac disease.
Garden egg are rich in Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B6, thiamin and niacin, which are essential for the proper functioning of the heart and cellular respiration. Vitamin B1 is essential for healthy nervous system and also helps improve the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system. Consuming garden egg in daily diet is highly recommended in preventing heart disorders and maintaining a healthy nervous system.
Antioxidant that assist in protecting the body from health risks such as ageing, inflammations, and neurological diseases.
Garden egg are great food for providing loads of vitamins and minerals for an excellent healthy life in assisting to weight control and weight loss due to its low carbohydrates and low calories for weight management, increase blood count in the body for an overall healthy development.
Garden egg leaf is especially beneficial for anemic patient aiding as an organic blood tonic; helps to also prevent blood clots with its Vitamin K and Bioflavonoids which strengthens capillaries. Assists greatly in the control of high blood pressure and relieves stress. Aids in the pumping and supplying blood in the body.
The daily consumption of the garden egg also boosts the immune system and helps to lower the body’s cholesterol levels.
The juice of the garden egg fruit and leaf purifies and detox body’s vital organs, processed and obtained by macerating the leaf to be used for the treatment of uterine complaints; the leaf extracts are used as an anti-emetic that is effective against nausea and vomiting, tetanus and purification while the crushed leaf are taken also to treat ailments that are gastric related. The leaf when steamed or blanched can be chewed to treat bronchitis and infections in the throat. As a laxative the fruits are eaten to ease constipation, and it is also used in the treatment of cardiac diseases; the flowers and fruits when chewed often helps to clean the teeth, strengthen the tooth and exercise the jaw. The boiled roots juice is taken for getting rid of hookworms and various worms afflicting the guts; While the roots and fruits are used as sedative in various parts of northern Nigeria for the treatment of coeliac and high blood pressure.
Adverse Effects Of Garden Egg Plants:
Garden egg consumed excessively may have side effects; as the saying goes that too much of everything is bad. Acidity problems may result from regularly consuming garden egg. The excess potassium in garden egg may cause stomach upset, and vomiting if consumed too much.
The high fiber in garden egg can cause diarrhea, constipation, difficulty in the absorption of nutrients if eaten in excess.
May cause allergies like nausea, itchiness, rashes and swellings of the throat. Garden egg must be consume sparingly for optimum health benefits and also to avoid the side effects.
Sustainability Of The Eggplant Garden egg:
The garden egg plant can be grown on all soil types and are available all year round; garden egg fruits are harvested on daily basis from the home backyard gardens, providing also the fresh tender leaf for herbal remedies and food recipes which can be sold at home or the local markets; garden eggs generally refer to as the eggplants provides steady source of income for the small holder farmers and families.
The garden egg are so easy to plant, and grow, high yielding, fast, so simple to harvest and handle; belonging to the “Solanaceae” herbaceous plants. The garden egg is very adaptable that it can be grown in various climatic conditions; fitting perfectly into many climatic niches. The plant is fast maturing and can be continuously harvested over a long period of time going beyond and cutting across seasons great for both the short-term and long-term production life cycles; bringing in the much needed steady supply of meal and money.
An excellent plant that benefits all forms of soil conservation activities, used as a means to quickly cover bare soil spaces in between the farms major crops, well suited to infertile soils and a great help for sick soil by going ahead to benefits the very difficult soil types, thereby generating income from any type of agricultural wastelands. A drought resistant plant surviving on little or no irrigations, tolerate shade thereby fitting perfectly in between, and all around taller crops-plants
A plant that is so perfect for the small city spaces and window sills; squeezing into the modern life styles of high technology and tall buildings, hanging so well and adjusting perfectly for the sky-farms, decoratively beautiful for tall walls, fences and garages.
Garden egg is the perfect nutrition for the Nigerian rural dwellers bringing in income for the locales and helping the soil thrive and be useful. Garden egg farming are profitable with a great return in investment; both the fruits and leaves have a ready market all over Nigeria with its demands increasing by the day due to its health benefits in meals and medicines. An easy plant to farm and manage with a short life cycle for harvest; cultivated and harvested within a year. Garden egg is a fruit with an amazing shelve life, never goes bad easily and it can be dried, pickled, powdered in order to prolong its shelve life.
Garden egg produces more fruits the more it is harvested, it is advisable for increased production and prolong harvesting to harvest continuously. Garden egg is a highly productive plant, amazingly bearing lots of fruits continuously; sustainably superb as an important crop for the home backyard gardens thriving very well on a small space and giving out an amazingly great yields for home use which also helps the small holder farmers with income generation for complementing the needed scarce income for the families. There are great potentials in garden egg for poverty reduction, economic empowerments and household food security if cultivation and processing is modernize.
A vital and versatile plant-crop in cultural cuisines, prolonged shelve-life after preservation, a life-line for rural commerce with a notable market potentials, a great turn-around for the local industries, an in-road to job creation for the millions of jobless Nigerians and an export potential to earn the much needed hard currency for the overall economic development of Nigeria as a whole.
Garden egg is a whole new world of vibrant colors, chewy and crunchy with an amazing taste, unforgettable flavors that is perfect for new cuisines to explore and exploit. Favor the unique flavors of the garden egg fruits for a bitter-sweet taste; seek remedies found in its leaf, and root for various health challenges. A great addition to daily meals in celebrating the awesomeness of the Nigerian cultures, customs and cuisines!