A Leaf Study

Fruit is not the only edible thing on the tree! All fruit tree's leaves are edible and have incredible health benefits. 

Papaya leaves act as tenderizer, we made a bottle for marinade many years ago. The leaf game was definitely on our radar but not as much as it is today. 

When we travelled to Indonesia we learned that they use young coffee leaves in salads and sambals, which are plentiful here in Kona! In fact, many of our neighbors has coffee orchards so there are tons of wild trees growing along the street, behind out property, on the corner of our driveway, etc. We were also told they like to use star fruit leaves in sambals, that is on our list to try. Our neighbors ask us to harvest their tree each season, I could easily go grab some leaves between fruiting. 

Here is what we have discovered. The tree's leaves taste very much so like the essence of the fruit. Especially guava. We were shocked when we picked up roasted coffee notes from the coffee leaf. Soursop leaves are known to reduce tumor cells. Lilikoi/passion leaves are a mild sedative. They serve young mango leaves in some SE Asian dishes as well. 

Lemon leaf tastes bright and vibrant. Everyone knows a good kefir lime leaf changes the game. Allspice leaf tastes like allspice, cinnamon leaf, clove leaf. This is the cool part about living in the tropics, all the spices grow here. 

Noni leaves are used for tea, inflammation reduction, etc. We like to use them to wrap meats with filling and steam them like little parchment paper wraps. 

Moringa leaf! We all know that one. We even blended the beans into the vinegar adding an extra layer.