Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍴 Java plum cooler: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔵Crush ripe java plums (Syzygium cumini, Jambolan), mix with sugar, salt, and cold water.
• 🔵A tangy, thirst-quenching drink.

Java Plum Cooler

Ingredients

• 1 cup ripe Java plums (Syzygium cumini, Jambolan)
• 2 to 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup cold water
• Ice cubes (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash and crush the ripe Java plums. Strain the pulp to collect the juice.
2. Mix the juice with sugar, salt, and cold water. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
3. Serve chilled over ice.

🛒 Plant Jambolan fruit tree for summer drinks

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ 10 reasons to grow this Indian secret tree - the miracle Fruit of the Gods you never knew about
• ▫️ Why is it called the Fruit of the Gods? Jambolan health benefits
• ▫️ How to get a large, bushy, exotic fruit tree in no time

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Mango's hidden power: the orange fruit that helps your immune system fight cancer

• 🔸 A new study from the University of Chicago (Cell Reports Medicine) found that zeaxanthin - a carotenoid that gives mangoes their golden color - may do much more than support eye health. It can actually make your immune system stronger against cancer!
• 🔸 Researchers discovered that zeaxanthin boosts the performance of the body’s CD8+ T cells, the immune cells that hunt down and destroy tumor cells. In lab and animal tests, diets rich in zeaxanthin slowed tumor growth, and when paired with cancer immunotherapy, the results were even more impressive.
• 🔸 Zeaxanthin helps T cells form stronger receptor structures and increases their signaling and tumor-killing power. The compound occurs naturally in colorful foods like Mango, orange peppers, corn, cantaloupe, and dark leafy greens.
• 🔸 Because it’s already known to be safe and available as a dietary supplement, scientists see zeaxanthin as a promising addition to future cancer therapies. So, eating mangoes and other orange or yellow fruits may not only brighten your plate but also help your body’s natural defenses stay sharp: Pineapple, Carambola, Canistel, Garcinia, Loquat and more.

🛒 Select from Mango varieties

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Grow your own brain food: avocado and cacao
• ▫️Plant a fruit tree - and breathe easier: fruit might be the surprising key to healthier lungs
• ▫️11 tropical fruits to eat instead of taking a fiber supplement
• ▫️Tropical fruit health benefits guide - what fruit and edibles can help with health issues and vitamin deficiencies, Part 1 and Part 2.
• ▫️Top 10 fruiting plants you'll ever need for your health benefits

#Food_Forest #Mango #Remedies #Discover

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⭐️ How to gets lots of Star Fruit Carambola

• 🌟 Star Fruit - Carambola Tree (Averrhoa carambola is one of those trees that makes gardening instantly rewarding. Once you plant it, you’ll soon have a tree covered in shiny yellow fruit shaped like little stars.
• 🌟 Growing tips

🟡 Sun: Loves full sun. The more light, the sweeter the fruit.

• 🟡Temperature: Keep warm and protect from winds. It thrives in warm, tropical climates but can handle light frost if sheltered from cold winds - wind-free is the key.
• 🟡Soil: Prefers well-drained soil. Avoid waterlogging.
• 🟡Water: Regular watering keeps it happy, but don’t let roots sit in soggy soil.
• 🟡Size: Space saver! This compact tree doesn’t take up much room, perfect for smaller gardens. Dwarf varieties also do well in containers.
• 🟡Growth and crop: Fast-growing and early to fruit. Seedlings start producing in about three years, while grafted or air-layered trees fruit right away.
• 🟡Flowers: Beautiful pink blooms appear before the fruit, adding extra charm to the garden.

• 🌟 With just a bit of care and protection from wind and cold, your Carambola tree will reward you with baskets of bright, starry fruit through the cooler months when most other trees rest.
• 🌟 Slice one open and you get perfect star-shaped pieces that brighten up salads, desserts, or smoothies. The fruit is crisp, juicy, and beautifully sweet-tart. It’s nature’s candy - refreshing, low in calories, and rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.

📚 Learn more:

• ✦ Star Fruit from our garden
• ✦ Grow your own Carambola
• ✦ Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #8. Carambola - Starfruit
• ✦ Carambola Banana Whip
• ✦ Carambola Jam recipe
• ✦ When young Carambola trees are covered with fruit
• ✦ Carambola tree is the Star of the orchard

🛒 Explore Star Fruit varieties

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🍴 June plum juice: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟡Blend June plums with ginger, sugar, and water.
• 🟡Tangy, spicy, and super refreshing.

June Plum Juice

Ingredients

• June plums
• Ginger
• Sugar
• Water

Instructions

1. Blend June plums with ginger, sugar, and water.
2. Serve chilled.

🛒 June Plum will fruit year around in your garden

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️What fruit tree is full of fruit year around
• ▫️How June plum can "fruit itself to death": look at this heavy load!

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Fruits with the most vitamin E, according to dietitians

• 🔛 Vitamin E works as an antioxidant that helps fight inflammation throughout the body. While nuts and seeds top the charts, some fruits quietly add their share to your daily needs - especially when eaten with a bit of healthy fat. According to New York City Nutrition, vitamin E anti-inflammatory action supports heart, brain, and skin health.
• 🔛 Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant, meaning it fights inflammation in the body. Because of this anti-inflammatory role, vitamin E is beneficial for immune health, heart health, eye health, brain health, and skin health.
• 🔛 Adults need about 15 milligrams a day, according to the National Institutes of Health. Deficiency is rare, but it’s smart to get vitamin E from a variety of foods. Fruits alone don’t provide large amounts, but they can complement vitamin-E-rich foods like almonds or sunflower seeds.
• 🔛 Since vitamin E needs fat for absorption, pair fruit with something creamy or crunchy - like yogurt, olive oil, nuts, or seeds - for best results.
• 🔛 Here are some fruits that naturally offer vitamin E:

• 🍊 Sapote 1 cup = 3.7 mg vitamin E. A tropical favorite with rich orange flesh and a flavor somewhere between pumpkin pie and sweet potato, with hints of honey and almond, Sapote is great fresh, blended in shakes, or scooped over ice cream. It also packs calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
• Blackberries 1 cup = 1.7 mg vitamin E. Deep color, bold flavor, and plenty of antioxidants, Blackberries are high in fiber and low in calories. Dietitian Keri Glassman calls them her top fruit for fighting inflammation.
• Mango 1 cup = 1.5 mg vitamin E. The “king of fruits” brings more than tropical sweetness, Mango supports digestion, helps you feel full longer, and delivers both vitamin A and E in one juicy package.
• 🍉 Guava 1 cup = 1.2 mg vitamin E. This fragrant fruit has a flavor that lands between strawberry and pear, Guava is also one of the highest-fiber fruits and surprisingly rich in protein for a fruit.
• 🍑 Persimmon 1 fruit = 1.2 mg vitamin E. An autumn favorite that looks like an orange tomato but tastes sweet and mellow, Persimmons are rich in vitamins A and C and make a colorful, fiber-filled snack or dessert.
• Avocado 1 fruit = 0.9 mg vitamin E. Creamy, mild, and versatile, Avocado’s healthy fats help your body absorb vitamin E while protecting heart health. Try it on toast, in salads, or as a smooth butter substitute in baking.

🛒 Plant more remedies in your food forest

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Plant a fruit tree - and breathe easier: fruit might be the surprising key to healthier lungs
• ▫️11 tropical fruits to eat instead of taking a fiber supplement
• ▫️Tropical fruit health benefits guide - what fruit and edibles can help with health issues and vitamin deficiencies, Part 1 and Part 2.
• ▫️Five best fruit trees to plant in Summer
• ▫️10 best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes
• ▫️Top 10 fruiting plants you'll ever need for your health benefits

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

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🍴 Allspice leaf stew: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟢Simmer fresh allspice leaves with meat, beans, and vegetables.
• 🟢Adds a deep clove-cinnamon flavor without any powder.



Allspice Leaf Stew

Ingredients

• Fresh allspice leaves
• Meat
• Beans
• Mixed vegetables

Instructions

1. Simmer fresh allspice leaves with meat, beans, and vegetables.
2. Cook until tender and aromatic.

🛒 Your own Allspice Tree keeps ultimate spice handy

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️What spice comes from the small dried flower buds of a tropical tree?
• ▫️What tree will produce for you right away?

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🐢 Edible cactus with health benefits that your tortoise will love too

• 🌵 Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear - is one of the most useful and forgiving cactus species you can grow. Unlike most desert cacti, this one thrives even in humid tropical climates like Florida, making it one of the few rain-tolerant cacti that actually loves moisture. Fast-growing and ornamental, it produces bright red flowers and makes a beautiful, low-maintenance landscape plant that thrives in heat, drought, and even neglect.
• 🌵 Prickly Pear is a very valuable edible, used as a vegetable with impressive medicinal properties. The young pads, called nopales, can be stir-fried or sauteed with onions and garlic for a tangy, nutrient-rich side dish.
• 🌵 In Hispanic cooking, this plant is known simply as Nopal or Nopales – a traditional ingredient used in dishes like ensalada de nopales (nopal salad), nopales con huevo (eggs with cactus), and nopales asados (grilled cactus).
• 🌵 Regularly eating Nopales has been linked to improved blood sugar control, and many people who include it in their diet report significant help in managing diabetes.
• 🌵 Nopales is also a favorite treat for tortoises and other herbivorous pets. Its smooth, spineless pads are packed with hydration and nutrients, making it a safe, natural food source.
• 🌵 So, this is not just a cactus - it’s a food, medicine, and ornament all in one. Tough, beautiful, and endlessly useful!

🛒 Plant your own food and pharmacy Nopales

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🍴 Rose apple salad: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Slice rose apples, toss with cucumber, lime, and mint.
• 🔴Light, crunchy, and fragrant.

Rose Apple Salad

Ingredients

• Rose apples
• Cucumber
• Lime
• Mint

Instructions

1. Slice rose apples and cucumber.
2. Toss with lime and fresh mint.
3. Serve fresh and chilled.

🛒 Plant exotic Rose Apple Tree

📚 Learn more:
Fruit that smells like roses

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🍴 Marinated green olives: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟢Soak fresh Olives in brine with garlic, lemon peel, and herbs.
• 🟢A zesty snack after curing.



Marinated Green Olives

Ingredients

• Fresh olives
• Garlic
• Lemon peel
• Herbs
• Brine

Instructions

1. Soak fresh olives in brine with garlic, lemon peel, and herbs.
2. Allow to cure until the flavor develops.
3. Serve as a zesty snack.

🛒 Grow your own Olive tree

📚 Learn more:
▫️How to grow your own Olive Oil

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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❄️ How to protect Avocado from cold and how hardy is it?

Growing Avocado trees in cooler regions is possible with the right variety and care. By choosing Cold Hardy types and protecting them during cold spells, you can successfully grow avocados outside tropical climates. The more mature your tree, the better it handles the cold.

• ❄️ What is Avocado cold hardiness?


Most Avocados are sensitive to frost, but some Mexican varieties can survive lows around 15°F once established, and brief dips near 10°F with good care.

• 👉 Cold tolerance depends on:

• ✦ Duration of cold: Short freezes are easier to survive.
• ✦ Sun exposure: More sun means better cold resistance.
• ✦ Wind protection: Wind can do more harm than temperature alone.
• ✦ Tree health: Regular fertilization, such as Sunshine Boosters, helps strengthen plants.

• ❄️ How to protect avocados from cold

• ✦ Bigger is better: Mature trees resist cold better than young ones.
• ✦ Wind protection: Plant on the south or southeast side of a building for warmth.
• ✦ Good fertilization: Healthy trees are stronger and more resilient.
• ✦ Watering: Water less in winter; overwatering in cold weather can cause root rot.

❄️ Protection for young plants

• ✦ Cover and mulch: Before a freeze, mound mulch around the base and cover with a blanket. Add Christmas lights or a small heater for extra warmth (use caution).
• ✦ Use microclimates: Plant near walls or buildings where it’s warmer and wind is reduced.

With a little planning and protection, you can enjoy fresh avocados even in cooler climates!

✔️ Check outAvocado Variety Guide interactive chart. Sort them by flower type A or B, tree habit, fruit shape and quality, cold hardiness, origin, season and more!

🛒  Shop Cold Hardy Avocados

📖 Our Book: Avocado Variety Guide, Snack or Guacamole?

• · Hard copy · PDF File Download

📚Learn more:

• · Can I Grow Avocado Outside the Tropics?
• · Avocado Variety Guide
• · How to grow cold-hardy avocados and how cold-hardy are they?
• · Avocado that laughs at frost: Mexicola Grande for cooler climates
• · Cold hardy Avocado Joey: you can eat with the skin
• · Posts about #Avocado

#Food_Forest #Avocado #How_to

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