Surinam Cherry Lolita and Bermuda Christmas Pie

By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

Eugenia uniflora Lolita also known as Black Surinam Cherry, is a tropical fruit tree native to South America. Black fruited Surinam Cherry starts as red and turns black as it ripens and has exceptional flavor. The plant is vigorous and ready to fruit the same year. The fruit is very sweet, without aftertaste, large 1-1.2 inch, very juicy. The fruits are being eaten fresh, and also used in jams, jellies, and pies.

One popular use of Surinam Cherry is in Christmas cherry pie - Bermuda Pie, a traditional dessert served during the holiday season. The fruit is cooked down with sugar and spices to create a thick, flavorful filling for the pie. The dark red to really black color of the fruit adds a festive touch to the dessert.

In addition to being used in culinary applications, Surinam Cherry has a number of other uses. The tree is often grown as an ornamental plant due to its attractive foliage and bright ribbed fruit. The fruit is also used in traditional medicine in some parts of South America, where it is believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The pulp is a good source of calcium, and a fair source of phosphorus and iron. Its juice is fermented into wine or vinegar.

Despite its many uses, Surinam Cherry is not widely grown outside of its native range in South America. However, it is becoming increasingly popular in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, where it is prized for its attractive appearance and flavorful fruit. This tropical plant can successfully be grown in a pot indoors in the cooler zones.

See Video: Black Surinam Cherry Lolita

Heat [Cat] Pack for Winter shipping

In the photo: James Coconuts and Riki are purrfectly hot People!

Not too warm on the way to your home? No problem! Heat Pack will help your plants to have a safe and warm trip from Top Tropicals to your house.

Heat Pack maintains warm temperature while shipping, and is good for 20+ hours. It is a must if temperature drops below 40F in your area. Large orders require 2-3 packs. When ordering large 3-7 gal size plants (especially sensitive ultra-tropical plants), you may need 1 pack per plant. Contact us for more information on particular species.

Alternatively, we can include a warm cat!
(subject to limited supply)

Noni, the Superfruit

Nature's Food and Pharmacy

At our Christmas Plant Market a few days ago, many guests purchased a Noni tree. Everybody loved its large, beautiful leathery leaves, and were buying Noni as a present. It was appreciated as ornamental, for example as a showy specimen tree with a tropical look for a pool area. But very few people actually knew that this tree was a source of a famous Noni Juice - a unique remedy from Mother Nature... Some were surprised the plant had so many health benefits! So we promised to tell more about Noni in our newsletter.

The Noni tree - Morinda citrifolia - is a beautiful ornamental tree because of its glossy green leaves and curious fruit. The tree is prized for its medicinal fruit.
The Noni is considered to be a "superfruit" because of its high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruit, leaves, and roots of the Noni tree are used in traditional medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments, including pain, inflammation, and infections. Some people also use Noni fruit and juice as a natural health supplement because of its potential health benefits.
Additionally, the Noni tree is easy to grow and care for, making it a popular choice for both gardens and houseplant collections.

For more information on health benefits of Noni, download pdf of Noni article (from our Magazine Tropical Treasures) and watch the video: Doctor Noni.

In the photo: Noni as a houseplant. So much better than a boring ficus!

In the photo: Noni is happily fruiting in 7 gal pot. It's a beautiful ornamental and a conversation piece.

Eight best fruit trees that produce right away

Grow Your Own Food

In the photo: Malpighia glabra - Barbados Cherry, Acerola

B-Farm in Sebring is now open!
Every Friday and Saturday

Thank you everyone for visiting us this weekend at new Top Tropicals location in Sebring (B-Farm)! We met many new friends as well as old friends that now are closer.
Local gardeners in Central Florida are now excited to have a special place for their needs in rare tropical plants.

Top Tropicals B-Farm conveniently located at the corner of FL-66 highway and McRoy Rd.

Sunshine Boosters at B-Farm

Many guests also purchased Sunshine Boosters liquid fertilizers. Sunshine Boosters are safe for daily use year around and ensure that you will have happy and healthy plants. Stash up for feeding your plants during the winter to make them strong, hardy and healthy!

At B-Farm, we offer free consultations on Sunshine Boosters. We can help you select proper combinations of fertilizers, micro-elements and special plant supplements, including those that improve cold hardiness of tropical plants.

B-Farm Team

This Friday: Green Friday...
and every Friday and Saturday!

Welcome to TopTropicals B-Farm in Sebring FL

Starting this coming Friday, November 25, our farm in Sebring (B-Farm) will be open to the public every Friday and Saturday.
B-Farm is a 10-acre growing facility with hundreds of varieties of rare and much wanted tropical plants. Fruit trees, flowering trees, shrubs, vines, fragrant plants and rare collectibles - we grow the biggest selection of tropical plants known in cultivation.
Come over to select the best Mango, Avocado, any other fruit tree or rare spice for your edible landscape. Shop our biggest in the world variety of flowering and fragrant tropical plants - directly from our growing farm!

Conveniently located right in the heart of Florida, Highlands County, Top Tropicals B-Farm is within about an hour from most Florida destinations.

B-Farm:
9100 McRoy Rd, Sebring, FL 33875

Get your plants ready for winter:
Just spray this to improve cold hardiness...

What is Akee fruit?

One of the most bizarre looking, yet useful...

Email from our Florida customer:

I got an Akee tree from you last year for my tropical fruit garden collection and honestly didn't know much about what it was. This year it started growing real fast and branched out. In spring it was flowering like crazy and now I have about 20 bright coral fruit hanging off the tree that look like Christmas decorations. They are extremely showy and can be seen from far away, I have neighbors stopping by asking what kind of tree it is. I finally did more research on it and found a recipe how to cook the fruit. Only a few had ripened and opened so far, but I already had a chance to try the meal. Cooked the arils and fried in a pan with some butter. What a delicious surprise! To my taste, it is like a mix of potatoes and eggs. Just through in some bacon and it will make a complete breakfast! One of the coolest fruit I've tasted. Just wanted to share this with you.

About Akee (Blighia sapida)

This showy fruit, a close relative of Lychee, Longan, and Rambutan, is a National fruit of Jamaica. It is indeed very exciting one, and what is also important, the tree is easy in cultivation, fast growing and can be maintained compact. I it is not bugsy or picky about soil/water conditions, and is relatively cold tolerant for being a tropical tree. You can find delicious akee meals only in Jamaican restaurants. But no need to search for it - grow your own tree, it can't be easier. It will start fruiting for you the next season, you don't have to wait long. Sometimes it fruits twice a year! However, remember, the fruit is used as a vegetable, and is not eaten raw. It must be picked after the fruit has opened naturally so the flesh is fully exposed to light. When the fruit has "yawned", discard the seeds (or better plant them to grow more trees - to share with your friends!). The arils, while still fresh and firm, are best parboiled in salted water or milk and then lightly fried in butter. Then they are really delicious!
Read more about this tree...

Fertilizing in Fall:
Plants need food too!

Q: I know that I am not supposed to fertilize plants in winter. But I just bought several ground orchids from you, they are blooming now and I wonder if I can give them some food to support their bloom energy? When should I do the last application of fertilizer? I will keep them in a sun room during Winter until Spring.

A: Traditionally, end of October to November is the time when we give the last dose of fertilizer to our tropical plants. Liquid fertilizers, and especially amino-acid based Sunshine Boosters, are safe to apply year around. This means, you can continue feeding your plants with Sunshine Boosters through the Winter without risk of over-feeding or burning roots. Why?
The answer is very simple: even with their metabolism slowed down in Winter, plants will use all that food.
Sunshine Boosters have special mild formulas that are scientifically designed and based on Amino Acids. Plants will use all essential elements from the solution as needed.
Liquid fertilizer is diluted in water, and will be applied only when you water the plant. During Winter, water needs are lowered = watering times are less frequent, with less amount of water = the plants will get less water and less fertilizer accordingly.

Importance of micro elements
in combination with plant food during winter

In the photo: winter chlorosis on Kumquat leaves that is very hard to treat and should be prevented instead

Keep in mind that feeding your plants regularly during Winter will help to avoid "winter chlorosis" and other deficiency problems. So called "cool-temperature-induced chlorosis" (CTIC) is especially common in Spring on young, actively growing leaves. Unless chlorosis is prevented by micro-element applications, affected leaves may remain in this condition for the rest of the growing season.

Make sure to select proper type of fertilizer for your over-wintering plants. We have special formulas for foliage, flowering plants, fruit trees, young seedlings, even for for orchids and bromeliads. Check out our selection!

A Miracle for every special garden:
Synsepalum - Miracle Fruit

...Every tropical plant lover wants to have this plant in their collection. And there are at least three good reasons for it:

1. it is a true miracle fruit
2. It enjoys growing in a pot, stays compact and brings you miracle berries nearly year around
3. it can be grown indoors as it has very low water and light needs.

   Miracle fruit is one of the strangest tropical fruits. The most unusual thing about it is the effect it has on one's taste after this miraculous berry has been consumed. The "miracle" is that if lemon or other sour food is eaten after the miracle fruit, the sour tastes sweet, as if sugar has been added. That kind of magical experience is unforgettable! The interest in this plant is so high that anyone who has a plant always finds eager volunteers to test its sweetening properties. A natural chemical in the fruit masks the tongue's sour taste buds so that lemons taste like lemonade or lemon pie, or lemon candy; beer tastes like Malta drink, sour strawberries taste super sweet, and a grapfruit tastes delicions and not bitter! What causes the miracle? The fruit has a unique taste changing glycoprotein that inhibits tastebuds' perception of sour taste. The sweet sensation lasts for half an hour to a few hours...

   Read more about Miracle fruit

   

   Buy Miracle fruit

   

   

   Pin

   Share
   < Previous pageNext page >Most recent entryBlog table of contents