Sunday, October 13, 2013

Nutmeg Delivery


My cousin Dr Madhuri Gore, recently posted this wonderful capture of the Nutmeg Fruit (Myristica Fragnans), from her family plantation in Naringre, near Devgad, in the verdant Kokan belt on the west coast of India. 

The pink/red coverings are used by us as mace or jaipatri, and the tough nut inside is the actual nutmeg sold as spice.  What is new ,  is that the fruit, which many of us have never seen,  lends itself to the making of some wonderful pickle, according to her.

Turns out that Nutmeg trees flower and bear fruit after  7-9 years, and continue almost till they are 20 and more. Unlike us bipeds, who tend to abuse the girl child ,  those growing these trees , go in for a grafting method to ensure a female seedling, since  male ones are useless.

There is so much we can learn from nature. But is anyone listening ? 


Lady Myristica Fragnans,
suddenly euphoric
after 8 years
of an
uneventful green marriage.

Unlike most ,
she hankered for a girl child,
to perpetuate her
family
and conceived
finally,
by ECG
or EpiCotyl Grafting,
the latest technology
on offer
in the
Kokan Institutes .

A fleshy
pale looking uterus,
with a rich
pale gold endometrium,
wrapping itself
around a
shocking pink amniotic sac.

Full term,
and the girl child arrives,
bursting through,
the amniotic sac,
as the Gynaec,
lifts her out
saying
"A mazing, A mazing...".

Last heard,
the amniotic sac shreds
were being used
and called Mace,
after the gynaec's words,
and the pediatrician ,
tapping the baby
on its head,
wondering about the pucca fontanel,
was seen shaking his head,
saying,
"Hmm, looks like
she will be a tough nut to crack...."


:-)

 

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