PLANTS OF AFRICA

                                                                                                                                                            African Eggplant

While there are many varieties of the African eggplant, with a range of shapes, sizes, and colors, the eggplant most commonly found across sub--‐Saharan Africa is Solanum aethiopicum. This variety has a brilliant red exterior and is about the size and shape of an egg, giving it the name “garden egg.” Although a fruit, garden egg is usually picked when it is green and eaten as a vegetable, cooked into stews and sauces or even consumed raw, even the plant’s leaves are used to make nutritious meal in places like Kampala & Uganda.

Garden eggs have proven to be resistant to molds, mildews, and certain soil borne pathogens. The plant can grow in agricultural “wastelands,” is somewhat drought resistant, and has the ability to grow in humid areas. It can be grown alongside other crops or in small pots, providing a high yield of fruit from a small area.

                                                                                                                                                               Nutritional Benefits

Eggplants are considered nutrient-dense food, meaning they contain good amounts of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Eggplants also contains niacin magnesium and copper.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Bambara Bean

The Bambara bean may have originated in Mali, but it is also popular in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. It is now widely distributed and grown in Asia, parts of northern Australia, and South and Central America, and is often found for sale on street corners in Johannesburg, South Africa. One reason the bean is growing in popularity is because it is a hardy plant, able to withstand high temperatures and dry conditions. Bambara beans has high potential, owning its nutritional composition, functional properties, antioxidant potential, and also a drought resistant crop with a variety of uses.

                                              Nutritional Benefits

Bambara bean has been termed a complete food, it consist of carbohydrate, protein, fat, fiber, ash, and mineral compared to whole fresh cow milk.