Terung Telunjuk

Before I started farming, I was only familar with a few varieties of solanum or terung.  Now I find that there are many species of the Solanaceae Solanum including this particular species Solanum spp.  The fruit is almost oblong in shape with the upper portion being green and the lower portion having a mixture of white and green.  When the fruit matures, it turns into a golden yellow.  The terung telunjuk can be eaten raw or blanched ulam.  For 100g of fruit, the amount of nutrients are : water 91.2 g, protein 1.7 g, fat 0.1 g, carbohydrate 5.6 g, fibre1.0 g, calcium 25 miligram (mg), phosphorous20 mg, iron 0.6 mg, carotene90 ug, vitamin A 15 ug, vitamin B1 0.07 mg, vitamin B2 0.05 mg, niacin 0.7 mg and vitamin C 18.4 mg.

The plants are propogated from dried seeds of mature fruit.  It takes 3-5 days for the seeds to germinate.  The leaves are similar to other aubergine leaves with its velvety and sponge-like texture and distinctive shape.  To keep plants healthy, it is best to remove the brown leaves to prevent mold or mildew.  It grows like a shrub and can be pruned to encourage a fuller-looking shrub as well as to control the height growth.

It produces medium-sized purple flowers with a yellow center so it makes a nice addition to your landscaping.  The time from flower to fruit can take about 1 week and it is harvested prior to the fruit turning yellow.  To keep plants producing lots of fruits, fertilizer should be applied about once a week once it starts to flower.  At the farm, we use a organic compost and fertilizer to keep the plants healthy.  Once it starts to flower, it will continuously flower with the quantity of flowers dependent on the health and nutrients available to the plant.

When eaten raw, the fruit has a spongy flesh with small seeds which you can eat.  So if you love ulam or eating raw vegetables, try this.  On the other hand, you can also cook it with sambal belacan and anchovies (ikan bilis) or add it to your dalca or curries.