Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!

• Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Flower: did you know this Florida native passion vine is more than just a butterfly host? Birds love it too - they’ll happily snack on the little fruits and sing you thank-you songs all day long!
• And yes, the fruit is edible for people as well! The berries are small, but they make a fun and exotic treat.
• The plants has a tiny flower and a tiny fruit – both only about half an inch – but together they create a mighty native habitat.
• It's a triple win: butterflies, birds, and people can all enjoy something from this charming little plant. Plus, it’s the larval host for Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, and Julia butterflies, and its tiny greenish flowers provide nectar all year long. Fast-growing, easy, and full of life – a real gem for any Florida garden.
• This vine is delicate and compact, perfect for a medium trellis or climbing a small tree. Unlike the big, aggressive passion vines that can cover a whole fence, this one stays manageable.
• This Passion vine is not just charming and wildlife-friendly, it’s also tough as nails. Cold hardy and easy to grow, this native vine takes whatever Florida throws at it – heavy rains, long droughts and heat, poor sandy soils, even total neglect – and still thrives. A perfect choice if you want beauty, wildlife, and resilience all in one little plant.

🛒 Plant this small and tough vine with food and wildlife benefits

📚 Learn more:

• ✦ What is the sweetest Passionfruit?
• ✦ How big is Giant Granadilla?
• ✦ Does Red Passion flower produce edible fruit?
• ✦ The truth about Passion flower and Passion fruit
• ✦ Top 20 plants for a Butterfly Haven
• ✦ Top Eight irresistible vines for a hummingbird haven

#Food_Forest #Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #How_to

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🍌 Blue Ice Cream banana you’ll never find in stores!

• 🔵 The Blue Java Banana, also known as the Ice Cream Banana, is the banana everyone wants - and for good reason.
• 🔵 First of all… it's blue. Yes, really. When the fruit is unripe, it has a frosty blue-green tint - especially striking in the sun. These short, chunky bananas are only about 4 inches long and grow in beautiful bunches under mauve-colored flowers. The whole plant is a tropical showstopper.
• 🔵But the real magic happens when the fruit ripens. The blue fades to yellow… and inside? Oh my God - it’s heaven! The texture is soft, smooth, and creamy. And the flavor? Like vanilla ice cream.
• 🔵That’s how it got the name Ice Cream Banana. And this isn’t just a gimmick - it’s a cold-tolerant, vigorous variety that grows fast, reaches 10-15 feet tall, and produces heavy bunches (up to 60 pounds!) of sweet fruit that you can eat raw or cook with.
• 🔵 Your store-bought bananas can’t compete with this. Add it to your edible landscape, food forest, or patio garden - this one is a must-have! Grab it while it’s in stock. Or if it’s sold out - hit that wishlist button.

🛒 Explore Banana Varieties

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Is Blue Java Banana really blue? Great question!
• ▫️Why every garden needs a banana tree (or three!)
• ▫️The best varieties of edible Banana to plant
• ▫️What banana fits anywhere - Banana Truly Tiny
• ▫️How to double your banana crop without extra space - Banana Double Mahoi
• ▫️Which Banana has red fruit and leaves - Banana Bordelon
• ▫️Why everyone wants Banana Lakatan - Banana Lakatan
• ▫️More about #Bananas

#Food_Forest #Bananas

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🍴 Peanut butter fruit smoothie: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Peanut butter fruit (Bunchosia argentia) makes delicious shake!
• 🔴Blend ripe peanut butter fruits with milk and honey.
• 🔴A creamy shake that tastes like dessert straight from the tree!

Peanut Butter Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup ripe peanut butter fruit (Bunchosia argentea), seeded
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1–2 tablespoons honey
• Ice cubes (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove seeds from ripe peanut butter fruits.
2. Blend fruits with milk and honey until smooth.
3. Add ice cubes if desired for a chilled version.
4. Serve immediately and enjoy a creamy shake that tastes like dessert straight from the tree!

🛒 Harvest Peanut Butter Fruit - the tree is fast fruiting!

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Can you name all the fruits on this tray? One of them will stump you!

• This morning I walked the garden and came back with a tray of fruits! That’s the joy of living in Florida with your own tropical garden: something new is always in season.
• On today’s tray: Papaya, Avocado, Egyptian guava and Cas guava, Barbados cherry… And this little red one? Peanut butter fruit!
• At Top Tropicals, you’ll find every tropical fruit tree you can imagine. What fruits are you harvesting from your garden right now?

🛒 Explore rare tropical fruit

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️10 best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes
• ▫️Five best fruit trees to plant in Summer
• ▫️Top 10 fast-fruiting trees

#Food_Forest #Discover

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🍴 Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 
  🔴Dice Loquat fruit with tomato, onion, and jalapeno.
• 🔴Great spooned over grilled fish or eaten with chips.

Loquat Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh loquats, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Peel and pit the loquats, then dice them into small cubes.
2. Dice tomatoes and onion, finely chop the jalapeno.
3. In a bowl, combine loquats, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro.
4. Add lime juice and salt to taste, stir gently to mix.
5. Chill for 15 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with tortilla chips.
• Spoon over grilled fish, chicken, or shrimp.
• Use as a topping for tacos or salads.

🛒Plant your Loquat tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Loquat

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🍴 10-minute recipe Bo La Lot with a leaf you’ve never cooked before!

• 🌮 Forget boring tacos - this wrap will blow your mind! In Vietnam they call it Bo La Lot - beef wrapped in peppery Lalot leaves.
• 🌮 It started as grape leaf wraps in the Middle East, but in tropical Asia grapes don’t grow, so people swapped to Lalot. Way more flavor than grape leaves!
• 🌮 Grilled beef, garlic, onion, lemongrass - all can be tucked into these shiny green leaves. Smoky, juicy, and so good you’ll wonder why you didn't try it sooner! It's better than grape leaf wraps, because it has so much flavor!
• 🌮 Most large leaf pepper plants will work for this recipe - Vietnamese pepper Lalot (Piper sarmentosum), Betel Leaf (Piper betle), or even large leaves of the traditional Black Pepper plant (Piper nigrum).

🌯 BO LA LOT RECIPE

✔️ Ingredients

• · 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• · 2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass (optional)
• · 1 tbsp spice powder
• · 1 tbsp curry powder
• · 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
• · 1 tbsp oyster sauce or fish sauce (optional)
• · 1 tsp ground black pepper
• · 1 tbsp finely minced shallots
• · 1 tbsp soy sauce
• · 2 tsp sugar or honey
• · 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• · 1/2 tbsp salt
• · 10-15 fresh Lalot leaves

• 👉 Directions

• · Preheat the grill.
• · Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
• · Wrap about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each betel leaf.
• · Spear 3 to 4 betel leaf wraps onto a skewer and grill until the meat is thoroughly cooked.
• · Be sure to eat immediately.

🛒 Grow Leaf Pappers for tasty, peppery recipes

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Lalot beef wraps: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes
• ▫️Vietnamese Pepper - Lalot food wraps BBQ recipe
• ▫️How to grow your own Pepper plants. Five most valuable Pipers
• ▫️How to to get Pepper leaves large and green

📱 Growing Lalot Pepper

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Container_Garden #How_to

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🍴 Moringa omelet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟡Whisk eggs with chopped Moringa leaves, garlic, and a dash of soy sauce.
• 🟡Pour into a hot pan with some cooking oil and cook for a minute or two until fluffy and golden.
• 🟡A green power-packed breakfast!

Moringa Omelet

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup fresh Moringa leaves (chopped)
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1 tomato (diced)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp oil or butter

Instructions

1. Beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion, garlic, and tomato until soft.
3. Add the chopped Moringa leaves and cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the beaten eggs and cook until set, flipping once.
5. Serve hot with rice or bread.

🛒 Plant Moringa tree and harvest superfood year around

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🍴 Dragon fruit coconut parfait: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔵Layer Dragon Fruit cubes with coconut cream and toasted granola.
• 🔵A tropical breakfast that looks neon and tastes fresh!

Dragon fruit coconut parfait recipe

Ingredients

• 1 fresh Dragon Fruit, diced into cubes
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 cup toasted granola
• Optional: honey or maple syrup for drizzle

Instructions

1. Layer Dragon Fruit cubes in a glass or bowl.
2. Add a layer of coconut cream, then sprinkle toasted granola.
3. Repeat layers until glass is full, finishing with granola on top.
4. Serve immediately for a refreshing tropical breakfast or snack.

🛒 Explore Dragon Fruit varieties

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🍉 When do I get the fruit from my Dragon Fruit?

• 🌵Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) is one of the most rewarding exotic fruits to grow. Sweet pulp, striking looks, and plenty of health benefits make it a favorite. You'll see it in three main types: white-fleshed (Hylocereus undatus), red-fleshed (Hylocereus costaricensis), and yellow-skinned (Hylocereus, or Selenicereus megalanthus).
• 🌵Don't want to wait years for fruit? Here’s the good news: unlike many tropical trees that test your patience, dragon fruit is a fast-fruiting, easy-going cactus. With the right care, you can harvest in just 1-2 years from a cutting - or even the same season if you plant a well-established specimen.
• 🌵 How to get Dragon Fruit faster

• ▫️Give it strong support - trellis, fence, or post. This cactus loves to climb.
• ▫️Full sun and good drainage - sandy or well-draining soil works best.
• ▫️Smart watering - water deeply in hot weather, then let the soil dry. Dragon fruit loves water during active summer growth, but remember it's still a cactus - don’t keep soil soggy.
• ▫️Pollination matters - flowers open at night. Some varieties are self-fertile, but planting a few different types boosts fruit set. This is why it helps to keep several varieties close together.
• ▫️Feed well - use organic liquid fertilizers like Sunshine Boosters C-Cibus with every watering, or Green Magic controlled-release fertilizer every 6 months.

With these steps, dragon fruit quickly rewards you with flowers, followed by colorful, delicious fruit. Few exotics are this easy - or this fast!

🛒 Start your fast-growing Dragon Fruit production

📚 Learn more:

• · Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it. Varieties.
• · The secret to abundant dragon fruit harvests
• · How to grow Dragon Fruit from a cutting - Quick Guide
• · How to grow Dragon Fruit 📱
• · Planting your own Dragon Fruit plantation
• · Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit
• · Grow Your Own Exotic Dragon Fruit Garden
• · Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: Dragon fruit
• · What does Dragon Fruit Flower look like?
• · Why you need to grow your own dragon fruit
• · Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?
• · What to do with a lot of Dragon Fruit

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

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🍴 Ackee breakfast scramble: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Saute boiled Akee with onions, tomatoes, and Scotch Bonnet, Wiri Wiri or Biquinho pepper.
• 🔴A Jamaican classic that looks like scrambled eggs but tastes buttery and rich! 🍲

Ackee breakfast scramble recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiled Ackee (Blighia sapida)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1-2 hot peppers (Scotch Bonnet, Wiri Wiri, or Biquinho), sliced
• 1 tbsp oil or butter
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a skillet. Saute onion until soft.
2. Add tomatoes and sliced hot peppers, cook for 2 minutes.
3. Gently fold in the boiled ackee, stir carefully to avoid breaking it up.
4. Season with salt, cook until heated through, then serve warm.

🛒 Grow your own Akee fruit (banned for import) and hot peppers

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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