Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍒 Cocoplum: secret fruit in your hedge

• 🍒 Most people think Cocoplum is just a boring hedge plant: Bahamas Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco). Thick, green, easy to trim - great for privacy. But hidden in all that greenery? Super-sweet plum-like fruit that are edible and very tasty! They look like small plums and come in pink, purple, or white when ripe.
• 🍒 Cocoplum is native to Florida and has been quietly feeding people for generations, long before it became a landscaping go-to. The fruit is mild, a little sweet, and great for snacking or making into jam.
• 🍒 Cocoplum isn't just a tasty surprise - it comes with some health perks too:

▫️Rich in antioxidants - especially anthocyanins, which give the purple fruit its color and help fight free radicals in the body.

• ▫️Good source of fiber - helps with digestion and keeping you full.
• ▫️Contains vitamin C - supports your immune system and skin health.
• ▫️Low in calories - great for snacking without guilt.
• ▫️So when you bite into a Cocoplum, you're not just tasting Florida - you're getting a little wellness boost too.

🍯 Quick Cocoplum Jam:

• 🔸2 cups ripe Cocoplums
• 🔸1 cup sugar
• 🔸1 cup water*
• 🔸1 tbsp lemon juice
• 🔸Mash it all up, cook on low 20-30 minutes until thick. Cool and enjoy!

*To make a delicious summer drink, add 10 cups of water and just get to boil. Let sit 2 hrs, mash up, drain fruit and cool to enjoy.

So next time you walk by a Cocoplum hedge, check for fruit. There might be a free snack waiting for you!

🛒 Get your edible hedge Cocoplum: privacy with perks

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🌳 Five best fruit trees to plant in Summer

☀️ Summer might be scorching, but it’s actually a great time to plant fruit trees that love the heat. If you've got sunshine and a little space, these five tropical picks will reward you with fresh, homegrown fruit - some you’ll never find in a store!

1. Mango - the King of all fruit, a must have in every garden. Fiberlress varieties only! You can't buy those in the store.

2. Avocado - a must have super-fruit in everyone's diet, grow your own!

3.🐲 Dragon fruit - heat tolerant easy plant with low water needs, sweet fruit-bearing cactus

4. 🍉 Guava - by far the most flavorful tropical fruit, great for Summer drinks

5. 🍐 Black Sapote - fast growing, heat- and flood-tolerant, fruit tastes like chocolate pudding

📚 Learn more from previous posts:

• 🟡10 best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes
• 🟡Top 10 fast-fruiting trees
• 🟡Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits

🛒 Explore the finest rare tropical fruit trees

#Food_Forest #Discover

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Ice Cream mango: tiny tree, big flavor!
Mango Rainbow🌈

• 🟡Ice Cream is the king of condo mangoes - and for good reason! This tiny tree stays under six feet and still gives you a full size fruit that tastes like mango sorbet.
• 🟡The fruit may be small and green, but inside? Bright yellow flesh that's rich, sweet, and unbelievably smooth.
• 🟡It is the perfect pick for containers, patios, or small spaces. If you want big flavor from a little tree, Ice Cream mango is the one.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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🍒 Health benefits of a simple plant: Coral bean

• 
  Don't let the tough, thorny branches fool you - this native plant has a long history of traditional use. While the seeds are poisonous, the young leaves and flowers have been safely cooked and eaten in small amounts by various cultures.
• 
  Traditionally, Erythrina herbacea - Coral Bean has been used in folk remedies for calming the nerves, easing muscle pain, and even promoting better sleep.
• 
  Modern science hasn’t fully explored these uses yet, but the plant contains alkaloids that may have sedative and muscle-relaxing properties. It's a reminder that even rugged native plants can carry powerful natural potential.
• 
  As a bonus, Erythrina herbacea is also beautiful and beneficial in the garden, drawing in hummingbirds and butterflies with its vibrant pink flowers - hummingbirds can't resist this wild bloomer! It grows well in poor soil and dry conditions - low effort, high reward!

🛒 Plant once, enjoy for years

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Butterfly_plants #Discover

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Florigon mango: smooth, early, and always reliable.
Mango Rainbow🌈

• 🟡 Florigon is one of those mangoes that keeps showing up early - and never disappoints!
• 🟡It's creamy and mild, with a buttery texture and just a hint of spice. Sweet, but not too sweet - perfect for eating fresh or even over a scoop of ice cream.
• 🟡The tree is compact, reliable, and disease resistant, making it a favorite for backyard growers.
• 🟡Early fruit, no fiber, and smooth as silk - Florigon is an easy win in your garden.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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Tebow Mango - smooth, sweet, and melting.
Mango Rainbow🌈

• 🟡 Mango Tebow is Kent x Edward hybrid, an excellent late season variety. It is a Florida-born favorite named after Tim Tebow.
• 🟡 Fiber-free, smooth orange flesh with a sweet, tropical pineapple-coconut twist. It's juicy, fragrant, and just melts in your mouth.
• 🟡 A compact, heavy-bearing tree - perfect for home growers.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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Van Dyke: the mango that glows and flows.
Mango Rainbow🌈

• 🟠 Van Dyke is a Florida classic mango that’s loved all over the world - and once you try it, you’ll know why!
• 🟠 The trees are strong, spreading, and loaded with beautiful fruit.
• 🟠 Walking through the grove, this one really pops - bright yellow skin with a red blush, like it’s lit from within.
• 🟠 I pick it, slice it open... and wow! No fiber, just rich, juicy flesh with a sweet, spicy twist. It’s dense, meaty, and bursting with tropical flavor. This mango isn’t just pretty - it's pure magic!

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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Mango tasting table with Chiane and Ashley

📱

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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How to cut a Mango without making a mess: Mango Rainbow tasting table

Mango harvest is exploding! Today we had another epic mango tasting table at Top Tropicals - and wow, do we have some favorites to share. From creamy classics to crisp green delights, here's what stood out and why we can't stop talking about them!

🌈 Today on the Mango tasting table:

• 🟠 P22 - Ultra-sweet with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Completely fiberless and silky smooth like mango cream.
• 🟠 Sweet Tart - Bright orange flesh with bold sweet-tart flavor, floral aroma, and a juicy, creamy texture. Tangy when green, syrupy sweet when ripe.
• 🟠 Van Dyke - Rich and juicy with dense, meaty flesh and a tropical spice twist. Fiberless and bursting with sweet aroma and high juice content.
• 🟠 Pim Seng Mun - Crisp and tart when green, with a bright apple-like snap. When fully ripe, it has an amazingly smooth, melting, and silky texture - a true Thai favorite for eating both ways.
• 🟠 Florigon - Creamy and mild with a buttery texture and hint of spice. Sweet but balanced - delicious on its own or over ice cream.

🛒 Discover Mango varieties - hundreds!

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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🌷 Curcuma: one plant, two powers - color and spice!

• 🌷 Curcuma, also called Siam Tulip or Turmeric, brings bold tropical blooms and practical benefits to your garden.
• 🌷 The bright pink, white, yellow, or purple flowers rise above lush foliage and last up to two weeks in a vase.
• 🌷 It's easy to grow in pots or beds - just keep the soil moist and give it filtered light.
• 🌷 Best of all, the roots are the source of turmeric, the golden spice used in cooking and natural wellness. Beautiful above, useful below!

🛒 Plant Curcuma for cut flowers and herbal use

📚 Learn more :
▫️ Curcuma - the tropical tulip with a secret spice twist

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden

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