Miracle fruit. Maybe Synsepalum dulcificum? Some of you may have heard of it, some of you probably haven't. To me, though, the common name of the plant, going by miracle fruit is the most accurate.
When this small, red berry is eaten, and the fleshy part is allowed to roll over the tongue, an incredible effect occurs. For a period of time up to two hours, any food that is sour will naturally taste sweet, and sweet things will taste sweeter.
This explanation really is in a nutshell, as you can go into vast complexities, for example, discussing the protein miraculin, and what it works/how it does. I suggest that if you really don't know too much about what this plant is, you go to the wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_fruit). This blog is mainly about growing miracle fruit, and tracking the progress for those who want to do so in the future.
The plant that grows this berry is one of tropical climate, which normally grew in west Africa. An explorer there noted that "local tribes picked and chewed the berries before meals." In recent times, the mass explosion of people trying to cultivate them has led to a much popular demand, with hopes for diabetes patients, and chemotherapy patients, because the berry allegedly counteracts a metallic taste in the mouth. Unfortunately, the FDA has not approved miracle fruit as the major sugar companies have sued people trying to further this.
The reason of my blog is that it is rare to find someone who has actually written of their experiences throughout the whole thing. Finding what plant it is, researching about it, ordering the seeds, to the growing and cultivating methods.. all the way to the fruit. I am not alone in this quest, I will be joined by two friends who have the same goal, who's names are disclosed. I will be linking to them on my profile when I find out their usernames.
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