Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

What is the biggest mango fruit?

🔍 We discovered one of the biggest Mango fruit after we planted this new variety - Kiew Yai.

Right now the fruit is almost a foot long!

⏳ The tree was planted in April - only 3 months ago.

😋 Looking forward to tasting it soon and sharing our taste impressions with you. Stay with us!

⬆️ Reminder: In order to have good quality fruit, your Mango tree must be grafted. Grafted varieties start fruiting right away, while seedlings may take from 7 to 10 years to fruit and the taste of the seedling's fruit will always be a surprise, they may be small in size and very fibrous.

📝 Check out our earlier posts on Mango

🛒 Order Kiew Yai and shop more Mango varieties

#Food_Forest #Mango

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How to always have your own Root Beer

• 
  Piper auritum - Root Beer Plant, Acuyo, False Kava-Kava - is a close relative of Piper methysticum (Kava-Kava), and Piper nigrum (Black Pepper). It is very often confused with Kava-Kava, and probably has some similar medicinal effects.
• 
  This herb originated from Tropical America and grows also in the South Pacific.
• 
  Large-leaved perennial, known for its leaves, which are used for their spicy aromatic scent and flavor, some liken to root beer, others to anise-clove. It can be used for making a root beer-flavoted drink.
• 
  This species is easily identified by its huge leaves which can grow over a foot long in older specimens.
• 
  The leaves are chopped and used for flavoring, as well as used whole, as wrappings for meats, tamales, etc.

📚 Learn more about Piper plants

🛒 Grow your own Root Beer Plant

#Food_Forest #Remedies

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

How to always have your own Root Beer

• 
  Piper auritum - Root Beer Plant, Acuyo, False Kava-Kava - is a close relative of Piper methysticum (Kava-Kava), and Piper nigrum (Black Pepper). It is very often confused with Kava-Kava, and probably has some similar medicinal effects.
• 
  This herb originated from Tropical America and grows also in the South Pacific.
• 
  Large-leaved perennial, known for its leaves, which are used for their spicy aromatic scent and flavor, some liken to root beer, others to anise-clove. It can be used for making a root beer-flavoted drink.
• 
  This species is easily identified by its huge leaves which can grow over a foot long in older specimens.
• 
  The leaves are chopped and used for flavoring, as well as used whole, as wrappings for meats, tamales, etc.

📚 Learn more about Piper plants

🛒 Grow your own Root Beer Plant

#Food_Forest #Remedies

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

How to always have your own Root Beer

• Piper auritum - Root Beer Plant, Acuyo, False Kava-Kava - is a close relative of Piper methysticum (Kava-Kava), and Piper nigrum (Black Pepper). It is very often confused with Kava-Kava, and probably has some similar medicinal effects.
• This herb originated from Tropical America and grows also in the South Pacific.
• Large-leaved perennial, known for its leaves, which are used for their spicy aromatic scent and flavor, some liken to root beer, others to anise-clove. It can be used for making a root beer-flavoted drink.
• This species is easily identified by its huge leaves which can grow over a foot long in older specimens.
• The leaves are chopped and used for flavoring, as well as used whole, as wrappings for meats, tamales, etc.

📚 Learn more about Piper plants

🛒 Grow your own Root Beer Plant

#Food_Forest #Remedies

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

How India grows most of the mangoes in the world.

• 📍 India grows 45% of all the mangoes in the world. However, exports account for only 1% of international trade - almost all the mangoes are consumed locally by the residents.
• 📍 Mango import in the US limited by only easy-to-ship, fibrous varieties such as Tommy Atkins.
• 📍 To enjoy the full palette of mango varieties, you need to grow your own tree or buy fruit from local growers in southern areas.

📝 Earlier posts on Mango:

• 🔸 Mango rainbow: What's the taste of that mango variety?
• 🔸 5 most Favorite Mango Varieties
• 🔸 Top 10 Dwarf "Condo" Mango
• 🔸 Top 5 vigorous growers and reliable producers
• 🔸 Top 5 exotic Mango varieties for rare fruit collection
• 🔸 How to grow a mango tree
• 🔸 How to protect mango fruit from rodents

🛒 Plant your own Mango Tree

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Mango

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🍹 How to make tasty Carambola Banana Whip

• ✔️ 1 ripe Carambola
• ✔️ 3 ripe Bananas
• ✔️ 1 tbsp Honey
• ✔️ 1/2 tsp Cocoa (optional)

Blend ingredients until smooth. Scoop into frosted mugs. Garnish with Carambola and Banana slices.

🍷 Enjoy while cold ❄️

📚 From previous posts:

• • Why Bananas? They are good for you and are fun to grow!
• • How to grow your own Carambola

🛒 Order Carambola and Banana trees

#Recipes #Food_Forest

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Five most exotic avocado varieties

👀 We introduced 10 most popular varieties in our earlier posts. Here are 5 more - interesting and unusual cultivars.

1. Bacon - A large Mexican variety with dark-skinned medium sized fruits, and a rich creamy flavor. It is very cold hardy, late-producing variety of Avocado tree with exceptional fruit. It is a highly productive tree with a lovely upright and spreading habit. Its dark green, glossy leaves lend an attractive, tropical appeal to the 15-20 feet of heigh. The oval fruits ripen in late fall and into spring. The fruits are easy to peel and have a light, subtle flavor. The tree has angelic sweeping branches which helps keep the tree shorter and easier to pick its fruit.

2. Black Prince - The fruit was large, oval, 16-36 oz, green and slightly pebbly. The fruit turns black couple days after it is picked, ripens and softens. Black Prince deserves its title! The fruit pulp is thick, and has a rich, nutty flavor. The trees grow vigorously. Superior variety for a backyard grower. Harvesting mid-August to mid-September.

3. Mexicola - black fruit, rich butter content, one of the most cold hardy varieties. Mature trees may withstand temperatures in the low-mid 20s.

4. Reed - The fruit is large, weighing over a pound and round in shape. It has a large seed, but plenty of edible flesh. The skin remains green even when ripe. It is described by some as the best tasting avocado, buttery, bold, rich and nutty with an oil content of about 20%. It is a type A avocado, but fruits consistently year after year without other avocado trees around. It can be kept to around 15 feet with pruning. The branches do tend to droop horizontally.

5. Russel (green and red) - easily recognized by its gourd-like shape, large, 24-36 oz and up to 13 inches long! Flesh is yellow, sweet, excellent quality, the seed is small.

📚 Learn more: Avocado Variety Guide - check this out for interactive chart of Avocado varieties and sort them by flower type A or B, tree habit, fruit shape and quality, cold hardiness, origin, season and more!

❔ What is your favorite Avocado variety?
Share in comments👇

🛒 Shop Avocado Trees

#Food_Forest #Avocado


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🍱 What are the most interesting edible gingers?

• 
  Boesenbergia rotunda - Chinese Keys Ginger, Fingerroot, Kra Chai. A medicinal and culinary herb from China and Southeast Asia. It is used in Javanese cuisine in Indonesia, as well as in Thai cooking where it is called krachai. In the west it is usually found pickled or frozen. Kra Chai is used as a male tonic, vigor, health promotion, longevity, aphrodisiac.
• 
  Curcuma longa - Turmeric, Spice Turmeric, Longevity Spice, Indian Saffron. Turmeric powder might well be the healthiest spice on Earth. Made by grinding this dried root, this ancient superfood and key ingredient in curry powder has been used by Indian Ayurvedic healers for centuries.
• 
  Zingiber officinale - Spice Ginger, Cooking Ginger - the one you eat with sushi! Plant this ginger in the garden to produce your own fresh ginger for pickling or healthy lemonade.

📚 More gingers in previous posts:
5 most beautiful flowering gingers
Alpinia formosana x zerumbet Variegata - Variegated Ginger
Costus spicatus x woodsonii - Red Button Ginger, French Kiss
Hedychium coronarium - Butterfly Ginger
Kaempferia angustifolia - Laos Silver Stripe

❔ What is your favorite Ginger? Share in comments👇

🛒 Shop Gingers

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden #Food_Forest


🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍱 What are the most interesting edible gingers?

• Boesenbergia rotunda - Chinese Keys Ginger, Fingerroot, Kra Chai. A medicinal and culinary herb from China and Southeast Asia. It is used in Javanese cuisine in Indonesia, as well as in Thai cooking where it is called krachai. In the west it is usually found pickled or frozen. Kra Chai is used as a male tonic, vigor, health promotion, longevity, aphrodisiac.
• Curcuma longa - Turmeric, Spice Turmeric, Longevity Spice, Indian Saffron. Turmeric powder might well be the healthiest spice on Earth. Made by grinding this dried root, this ancient superfood and key ingredient in curry powder has been used by Indian Ayurvedic healers for centuries.
• Zingiber officinale - Spice Ginger, Cooking Ginger - the one you eat with sushi! Plant this ginger in the garden to produce your own fresh ginger for pickling or healthy lemonade.

📚 More gingers in previous posts:
5 most beautiful flowering gingers
Alpinia formosana x zerumbet Variegata - Variegated Ginger
Costus spicatus x woodsonii - Red Button Ginger, French Kiss
Hedychium coronarium - Butterfly Ginger
Kaempferia angustifolia - Laos Silver Stripe

❔ What is your favorite Ginger? Share in comments👇

🛒 Shop Gingers

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden #Food_Forest


🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

❔ What are the best small fruit trees that will produce right away? Peanut Butter Tree and Blackberry Jam Tree!

⬆️ These two little trees are absolute winners and will produce fruit for your right away, whether you grow them in container or in your small garden:

1. Bunchosia argentea - Peanut Butter Tree, earns its name from its fleshy fruits that boast a delightful peanut butter flavor.
2. Randia formosa - Blackberry Jam Fruit, Jasmin de Rosa - a curious small evergreen tree that combines features of a fragrant flower and delicious dessert fruit which tastes like fresh Blackberry jam. Fragrant white flowers are similar to Gardenia.


📚 Learn more from previous posts:
Craving a Nutty Surprise? Peanut Butter Tree
Truth about Blackberry Jam: it comes from Gardenia

🛒 Get your own Peanut Butter Tree and Blackberry Jam Fruit Tree

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden


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