Fruit

The word fruit has slightly different but overlapping meanings in cuisine and in biology.

Biologically speaking, a fruit is an element of the reproductive parts of a plant housing the seeds. In culinary use, something must be sweet in order to be considered a fruit.

As Food, Fruits are generally higher than vegetables in energy, with 500 kiloCalorie per kg for fruit and 300 kiloCalorie per kg for vegetables. This energy is mostly in the form of carbohydrates. fruit are rich in water, this changes their mass to energy ratios compared to dry cereals, so the energy content is the more useful metric for Mars produced fruit.

Food guides recommend about the same quantity (mass) of fruits and vegetables in a healthy diet. Fruit do not provide a lot of protein, which are best obtained from beans, nuts, cereals or meat.

Fruit trees will produce wood, which is likely to be rare and valuable in the early days of Martian settlement.

Fruits of interest for space travel

• Strawberry (The Alpine, & Alexandria varieties among others are shade resistant).
• Tomatoes.
• Oranges and other citrus fruit.

The following fruits are suitable for lower light conditions.

• Figs
• European Gooseberry
• Raspberry
• Plums
• Cherries
• Pears
• Blackberry
• Kiwi
• Hardy Kiwi
• Scuppernog (Muscadine grapes)
• Lowbrush Blueberry (also cold tolerant)
• Elderberries
• Black and Red Currants
• Gooseberry
• Juneberry
• Lingonberry
• Mulberries (also cold tolerant)