Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🌰 Stop buying macadamias - plant this tree to enjoy your own nuts!

• 🐿 How to grow a Macadamia tree and enjoy your own nuts - the priciest nuts in the world? Macadamia trees (Macadamia integrifolia) are surprisingly easy to grow once you know what they need. They handle a wide range of soils, prefer regular watering, and adapt well to warm, humid climates. Young trees appreciate consistent moisture, but once established, they can tolerate short dry spells and even brief flooding.
• 🐿 The most important step is nutrition. Macadamias are heavy feeders and rely on balanced microelements for strong roots, steady growth, and reliable nut production. Use a liquid fertilizer Sunshine C-Cibus and add microelements on a regular schedule. Sunshine SuperFood plant supplement is especially helpful for preventing the leaf yellowing and slow growth that happen when microelements run low.
• 🐿 Choose a sunny spot, give the tree room to grow, and mulch around the base to keep moisture steady. As the tree matures, it will bloom and form clusters of green husks that dry and split to reveal the sweet nuts inside.
• 🐿 With the right care, a single tree can reward you with a generous harvest of rich, expensive macadamias right from your garden.

💖 Macadamia nut health benefits

• 📍 Macadamia nuts are packed with healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
• 📍 They support heart health by lowering total and LDL cholesterol, help steady blood sugar thanks to low carbs and good fiber, and aid digestion and weight management by keeping you full longer.
• 📍 Their antioxidants, including tocotrienols, protect cells from damage and may reduce risks of diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and certain cancers.
• 📍 Macadamia oil is great for skin and hair, offering moisturizing, healing, and strengthening benefits.
• 📍 Even though they are calorie-rich, small daily portions can actually support healthy weight goals.
• 📍 Enjoy them raw, roasted, ground, as nut butter, or added to both sweet and savory dishes.

🛒 Grow your own Macadamia Nuts

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Where do Macadamia nuts come from
• ▫️What are the flowers of Macadamia nuts
• ▫️Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes. # 6: Macadamia Nut Tree.
• ▫️How to grow your own Sweet Macadamia Nuts
• ▫️ Macadamia: Hard Sweet Nut and Hardy Tree

📱 Video about growing Macadamia trees

#Food_Forest #Remedies #How_to #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍴 Lychee sorbet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Blend Lychee pulp with lime juice, freeze until firm.
• 🔴A refreshing tropical ice treat.

Lychee Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh lychee flesh, peeled and seeded (or canned lychees, drained)
• 1/3 cup sugar or honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup cold water, as needed for blending
• Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare the lychees by peeling them, removing the seeds, and collecting the white flesh. If using canned lychees, drain them well.
2. Place the lychee flesh, sugar or honey, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of the cold water into a blender.
3. Blend until completely smooth. If the mixture is too thick to move easily, add a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer safe container. Cover tightly.
5. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours, stirring with a fork every 30 to 45 minutes, until the sorbet is firm but scoopable.
6. Scoop into bowls and garnish with fresh mint leaves and extra lychee fruit if desired. Serve immediately.

🛒 Plant your Lychee tree - Litchi chinensis

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️How long until I get fruit from my Lychee tree?
• ▫️Why I can't grow a Lychee tree from a seed?
• ▫️How to grow a Lychee tree and have a reliable crop. Practical Guide to Growing Lychee.
• ▫️What are the best varieties of Lychee Tree?
• ▫️What is the best fruit in the world? How to grow your own Lychee tree.

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍴 Feijoa coconut loaf: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Mix Feijoa pulp into a coconut quick-bread batter.
• 🔴Bakes into a fragrant tropical treat.

Feijoa Coconut Loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup feijoa pulp, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, coconut, and salt.
3. Mix eggs, sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla.
4. Fold dry ingredients into wet, then stir in feijoa pulp.
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth the top.
6. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until golden and a toothpick tests clean.
7. Cool before slicing.

🛒 Plant exotic fragrant Feijoa - Pineapple Guava

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Pineapple Guava: fragrant fruit, beautiful blooms, and real health benefits
• ▫️Why is it called Pineapple Guava? It tastes just like strawberries! Feijoa Superfood.

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍒 5 fruits that help manage gout (high uric acid)

💥 High uric acid, hyperuricemia, also called gout, causes painful swelling in joints and can affect kidney health over time. Medicine helps, but so does what you grow and eat. Some fruits can naturally flush out excess uric acid and reduce inflammation. Here are five easy fruit trees and plants that can help:

🍋 Citrus
Citrus trees are great to grow in pots or sunny yards. Lemons and oranges are rich in vitamin C, which helps kidneys remove uric acid and keeps the body’s pH balanced. A glass of lemon water in the morning or a fresh orange during the day can help. Studies in Science Direct show lemon juice lowers uric acid levels in the blood.

Berries (mulberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries)
Berries are packed with antioxidants that fight inflammation and support kidney health. Mulberry trees are perennial trees and bushes that produce berries year after year. They grow well in both temperate and warm areas, and are an easy choice for all backyard gardeners. Mulberry high water content helps flush out toxins. Research from the National Institute of Health shows berries rich in polyphenols can lower uric acid naturally.

🍒 Cherries
Cherries are one of the best fruits for gout. They’re rich in anthocyanins, compounds that reduce inflammation and uric acid levels. National Institute of Health studies have found regular cherry intake helps lower gout attacks. Dwarf cherry trees can grow in large pots if space is limited.

🍌 Bananas
Bananas are rich in potassium, which helps the kidneys remove uric acid more efficiently, according to PubMed central. They’re also low in purines, the compounds that form uric acid. Dwarf banana varieties grow well in containers and add a tropical look while supporting healthy digestion and uric acid balance.

🍍Pineapple
Pineapple contains bromelain, a natural enzyme that eases swelling and pain caused by gout. It’s also refreshing and supports kidney function. Studies by global health science group show pineapple juice can help reduce inflammation and uric acid. It’s easy to grow in a pot or sunny garden bed.

These fruits won’t replace medicine, but they can support your body’s natural detox system. Grow them, eat them fresh, and enjoy both their flavor and health benefits.

🛒 Explore Fruit trees and grow your own natural remedies

📚 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

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Pram Kai Mai: a sweeter twist on Nam Doc Mai with a story - Mango Rainbow🌈

• 🟡Why mango collectors chase after Pram Kai Mai?

Pram Kai Mai is like Nam Doc Mai’s cooler cousin - with even better flavor. This Thai mango can be eaten green when it’s sweet and crispy, or fully ripe when it turns golden and silky. No fiber, just smooth, juicy flesh and a tropical aroma that hits you as soon as you slice it. It’s semi-dwarf, great for pots, and some trees even fruit more than once a year. Rare, compact, and loaded with flavor - this one’s a collector’s dream.
• 🟡Pram Kai Mai is a Thai dessert mango known for its gentle sweetness and smooth, almost fiberless flesh. The name appears in several spellings - Pram Kai Mai, Pram Kai Mea, Pram Kai Mia, Prom Ki Mia, and even Brahm Kai Meu - all referring to the same variety.
• 🟡If we break down the original Thai name พร้ามกายเมีย (Brahm/Pram/Prom Kai Mea/Mai/Mia) literally: Brahm / Pram / Prom relates to "noble, elevated, precious".

กาย - Kai means body
เมีย - Mia means wife
But no one in Thailand interprets this name word-for-word.
In mango names, this construction works as a cultural compliment, a gentle metaphor. The meaning is closer to:
"A mango so good you would save it for the one you love most."
or "A fruit worthy of a beloved wife".
Similar to how in other languages we may call something "royal", "special", or "meant for someone dear", this name is simply expressing admiration.

And the fruit truly matches that feeling. It is fragrant and sweet, with soft tender flesh. It can be enjoyed while still crisp and green, when its flavor is clean and refreshing, or fully ripe, when it becomes rich and smooth, almost melting on the tongue.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Learn more: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍴 Tropical almond brittle: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟢Caramelize sugar, stir in roasted tropical almonds (Terminalia catappa), spread thin.
• 🟢Let cool, harden, and break into crunchy, nutty shards.



Tropical Almond Brittle

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted tropical almonds (Terminalia catappa)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp butter
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until sugar caramelizes to a golden amber color.
3. Remove from heat and quickly stir in roasted tropical almonds.
4. Pour onto parchment paper and spread into a thin layer.
5. Let cool completely, then break into brittle shards.

🛒 Grow your own almonds

📚 Learn more:
▫️Where do almonds come from?

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

What is a Dwarf Condo Avocado that fruits at 3 ft tall?

• Every fruit lover dreams of growing lots of avocado varieties, but space often gets in the way. The good news is that some avocado trees stay naturally small and compact, making them perfect for patios, balconies, and even indoor growing. These are called Condo Avocados.
• They have the same tasty fruit as full-sized trees but take up much less room. You can easily grow them in large pots or containers. They begin to fruit when it's just 2-3 feet tall and remain under 10-12 feet, even after 10 years of growth.
• The most popular condo avocados are:

🟢 Wurtz (Little Cado): A true dwarf avocado tree that stays small and grows well in containers. It can even produce fruit indoors near a sunny window.

• 🟢 Fuerte: A semi-dwarf variety that’s easy to manage and does well in pots or small yards.
• 🟢 Joey: Not a true dwarf, but naturally compact. With a bit of pruning, it can stay small and fit nicely in limited spaces.

Condo avocados are a great way to enjoy homegrown avocados even if you don’t have a big yard. Just give them sun, good soil, and regular care - and you’ll have fresh avocados right on your porch!

✔️ 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 Avocado varieties

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

• · Hard copy · PDF File Download

📚Learn more:

• ▫️Five most popular Avocado cultivars
• ▫️More posts on #Avocado

#Food_Forest #Avocado

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍴 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

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

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

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

⭐️ 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

#Food_Forest

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals