Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍑 11 tropical fruits to eat instead of taking a fiber supplement

• When we think of tropical fruit, we picture sweetness, sunshine, and exotic flavors packed with vitamin C. But beneath all that juicy goodness lies another gift: dietary fiber - quietly working to support digestion, feed the gut microbiome, and help keep blood sugar steady.
• Avocado leads the pack among tropical fruits for fiber content. One creamy, ripe fruit can provide around 10 grams of fiber, roughly a third of an adult’s daily need. And there’s more to avocado than fiber - it’s also rich in healthy fats, micronutrients, and that silky texture everyone loves.
• Other tropical fruits bring their own kind of fiber strength. Guava delivers up to 9 grams per cup, plus a burst of vitamin C.
• Mango offers about 3 grams in half a fruit, especially when eaten with some of the skin.
• Pineapple, though not always seen as a fiber powerhouse, still contributes around 2 grams per cup, along with bromelain, the enzyme that helps digestion.
• Jackfruit’s fibrous pulp makes it another standout - it’s so meaty, it’s even used as a plant-based substitute in savory dishes.
• Sapote fruit (Mamey, Canistel) and Sapodilla add fiber with a smooth, custard-like texture.
• Adventurous tropical varieties like Annona (custard apple, soursop) may not top the charts in fiber numbers, but their soft, fibrous flesh still adds value: about 1.3 grams of fiber per 100 grams of fruit.
• Bananas contain both soluble and insoluble fiber; the soluble part (mainly pectin) helps control blood sugar and appetite, while the insoluble fiber aids regularity.
• Mulberries are rich in insoluble fiber, especially in their skin, supporting digestion and promoting healthy bowel movements.
• Dragon fruit offers a mix of soluble fiber in its juicy flesh and insoluble fiber from its tiny edible seeds, which help support gut health and feed good bacteria.

These fruits aren’t just delicious - they help you meet your daily fiber needs in ways that are far more enjoyable (and sustainable) than taking supplements. And when home gardeners, farmers, or tropical communities grow and share them, it’s a double win: nutrition and tradition hand in hand.

✔️ Tropical fiber power: tips for getting more fiber from tropical fruits

• ⏺Eat whole, not juiced. Most of the fiber is in the pulp, skin, and seeds. Juicing removes much of that goodness.
• ⏺Mix it up. Tropical fruits are great, but balance them with legumes, whole grains, nuts, and veggies for a full fiber range.
• ⏺Take it slow. If your diet is low in fiber, increase gradually to avoid bloating or discomfort.
• ⏺Drink plenty of water. Fiber works best when paired with hydration.
• ⏺Mind the ripeness. Unripe fruits can have more resistant starch, another form of fiber.
• ⏺Get creative. Toss tropical fruits into smoothies, salsas, breakfast bowls, or even desserts - a tasty stealth-fiber strategy.

🛒 Plant a fruit tree to harvest your fruit tomorrow

📚 Learn more:
Tropical fruit health benefits guide - what fruit and edibles can help with health issues and vitamin deficiencies, Part 1 and Part 2.

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover #How_to

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🍴 Macadamia nut crusted fish: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟡Coat fish fillets in crushed Macadamias, pan-fry until golden.
• 🟡Crispy, buttery, and delicious.

Macadamia nut crusted fish

Ingredients

• 2 fish fillets (such as snapper or tilapia)
• 1/2 cup crushed macadamia nuts
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp butter or oil for frying
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lime wedges for serving

Instructions

1. Pat fish fillets dry and season with salt and pepper.
2. Dip each fillet in beaten egg, then coat with crushed macadamia nuts.
3. Heat butter or oil in a skillet over medium heat.
4. Pan-fry fillets 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
5. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy.

🛒 Grow your own Macadamia Tree

📚 Learn more:
Where do Macadamia nuts come from

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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😳 Sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul." - Luther Burbank

🐈📸 Cat Bob during his rare Zen time at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

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🌺 Many faces of hibiscus

📸 Pictures for the previous post:

• ▫️ Hibiscus schizopetalus, Coral Hibiscus
• ▫️ Hibiscus mutabilis Cotton Candy, Mallow Hibiscus
• ▫️ Hibiscus Double Red - Double Rose of Sharon
• ▫️ Hibiscus Apricot Brandy - Double Rose of Sharon
• ▫️ Hibiscus El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise
• ▫️ Hibiscus El Capitolio Bloody Mary

❓ What is your favorite Hibiscus plant?

🛒 Explore Hibiscus species and varieties

#Hedges_with_benefits

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🌺 Much more than fancy flowers: discover the many faces of hibiscus

• 🌺 When people think of hibiscus, they usually picture the "fancy hibiscus" - those dazzling hybrids of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis with wild color blends and exotic shapes. These varieties, often grown in pots or as showy houseplants, are famous for their tropical flair. But while they steal attention, there's far more to the hibiscus world than the exotic hybrids alone.
• 🌺 The fancy hibiscus types can be a bit demanding: they prefer full sun but dislike extremes, need consistent feeding with liquid fertilizer and microelements, and require close watch for pests like mealybugs. Growing them in containers makes it easier to manage water, soil, and weather. With the right care, they’ll reward you with spectacular blooms, though not every variety flowers year-round.
• 🌺 Beyond the showy hybrids lies a whole family of hibiscus species that deserve just as much admiration - if not more. These include tough, easy-growing, and even edible types that thrive in the landscape with minimal care. Many are cold-hardy, pest-resistant, and bloom for months. Some are used for teas and salads, adding both flavor and color to your kitchen.
• 🌺 This season, several flowering standouts worth discovering include:

• ▫️ Hibiscus El Capitolio Tequila Sunrise
• ▫️ Hibiscus El Capitolio Bloody Mary
• ▫️ Hibiscus mutabilis Cotton Candy, Mallow Hibiscus
• ▫️ Hibiscus schizopetalus, Coral Hibiscus
• ▫️ Hibiscus Apricot Brandy - Double Rose of Sharon
• ▫️ Hibiscus Double Red - Double Rose of Sharon

❓ What is your favorite Hibiscus plant?

🛒 Explore Hibiscus species and varieties

📚 Learn more:

• 💋Tequila Sunrise Hibiscus breaks the rules
• 💋Hibiscus El Capitolio Bloody Mary
• 💋How to get rid of pests on Hibiscus?
• 💋Skeleton Hibiscus with "crazy petals" - flower will blow your mind
• 💋How to make your Hibiscus plants thrive and bloom
• 💋How hibiscus plant acts like a chameleon
• 💋Why this Hibiscus is changing color?
• 💋You need this Cotton Candy
• 💋The Tips of Hibiscus Flowers

#Hedges_with_benefits

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😆 I'll think about that tomorrow

"I can't think about that right now... I'll think about that tomorrow." - Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

🐈📸 Wise tailless Manx cat Matilda at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

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Avocado leaf tea: island secret for a calm heart and blood pressure

• 
  🍃 You see that Avocado tree in your yard? Don't just love it for the fruit - the leaves carry magic too! Old folks in the tropics will tell you - never throw away the avocado leaves. They’ve been used for generations to brew a tea that helps steady the heart and ease high blood pressure.
• 
  🍃 When life gets busy and your heart starts beating too fast, this tea helps it find its rhythm again. The leaf holds flavonoids and quercetin - fancy words for what nature been doing all along: keeping the blood flowing smooth and the body at peace. Folks say it also helps with digestion and keeps the liver happy.
• 
  

  🍃 Avocado leaf tea

  Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 fresh avocado leaves
  • 2 cups water
  • Optional: honey, lemon, or cinnamon stick

  Instructions

  1. Rinse the avocado leaves well.
  2. Place them in a small pot with 2 cups of water.
  3. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
  4. Strain the tea and add honey, lemon, or cinnamon if desired.
  5. Sip slowly and enjoy the calm, earthy flavor.
• 
  
• 🍃 They say it helps the belly, calms the mind, and keeps the liver strong. Maybe that’s science, maybe it’s just island truth - but it surely does the body good! Some call it bush medicine, others just call it good sense. Either way, it’s a simple garden remedy that’s been soothing hearts long before pills and prescriptions came around.

🛒 Plant an Avocado tree and help your body stay healthy

📚 Learn more:
Tropical fruit and plants that help keep blood pressure in balance, Part 1, and Part 2.

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🌳Who took the hot dog?

"Who took the hot dog from the table?"
"The dog. The hot one. Obviously. Her breath’s still hot."

🐈📸 Cat Cash always tells the truth at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

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🌹 The tree that smells like roses and candy

• 
  🌹 Radermachera Kunming - Dwarf Tree Jasmine. This rare Thai beauty is small but mighty. Its creamy-pinkish blooms release a powerful scent that mixes roses, candy, and fine perfume - you can smell it from yards away!
• 
  🌹 The leaves have a graceful, fountain-like shape, and the plant stays compact and full, perfect for pots or small gardens. Relatively cold hardy, everbloomer.
• 
  🌹 In Thailand, it’s a symbol of peace and progress, and locals even use the flowers in traditional remedies as a natural relaxant and aphrodisiac. A true gem for anyone who loves fragrance and charm in one small tree.

🛒 Get your own Sacred Tree Jasmine for Peace and Love

📚 Learn more:
Smells like roses, but not a rose

#Perfume_Plants #Container_Garden #Trees

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👽 Big alien?

Pelmen growing in progress.

🐈📸 Cat Pelmen is a friend of TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

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💦Stop watering your Monstera on a schedule - here is what it really wants!

• 
  ☘️ Monstera might look like a big diva, but it's actually one of the easiest houseplants to keep happy, according to the gardening experts from Southern Living.
• 
  ☘️ The trick is not sticking to a strict watering schedule, but checking the soil. Water only when the top couple inches feel dry - usually every week or two in warm months and less in winter. Give it a good soak until water drains out the bottom, then let it dry again.
• 
  ☘️ Too much water is worse than too little – soggy soil means root rot. Signs of overwatering include yellow or droopy leaves, dark spots, or gnats buzzing around. Underwatering looks similar, but the soil will be bone dry. When in doubt, check the dirt!
• 
  ☘️ You can water from the top or let the pot sit in a shallow tray to soak from the bottom – just don’t let it sit in water. Bright, indirect light and a well-draining pot are your best friends. Keep that balance, and your Monstera will thrive for decades.

📸 In the photo: Rhaphidophora tetrasperma - Mini Monstera, Dwarf Monstera Ginny, a rare collectible for plant enthusiasts.

🛒 Shop Monstera plants

📚 Learn more:

• • Fruit growing on a house plant!
• • How to harvest and eat Monstera Ice Cream
• • How mini is Mini Monstera?
• • Holy Swiss Cheese Plant
• • Monstera x adansonii - Baby Swiss Cheese Plant

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #How_to

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🍴 Grumichama jam: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 
  🔴Cook Grumichama cherries with sugar and lime juice.
• 🔴A deep red jam with a cherry-meets-blackberry flavor.

Grumichama Jam: Quick-n-Fun Exotic Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh Grumichama cherries (Eugenia brasiliensis)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Instructions

1. Remove seeds from Grumichama cherries.
2. Place fruit in a saucepan with sugar and lime juice.
3. Simmer over low heat until thick and glossy, stirring often.
4. Pour into sterilized jars and let cool before sealing.

🛒 Plant Grumichama tree (Eugenia brasiliensis)

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️The best tasting and most beautiful tropical cherry
• ▫️Why grow Grumichama? Benefits of Brazilian Eugenia Tree - Cherry of the Tropics

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🌳There is always the garden

"When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden"... [and cats!] - Minnie Aumonier

🐈📸 Cats Timo and Matilda at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

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☄️ You won’t believe this red orchid tree exists!

• 💥 Bauhinia galpinii (punctata) - Pride of De Kaap or Nasturtium Orchid tree - has the most unusual color for Bauhinias. It went bold with bright scarlet flowers that look like little flames!
• 💥 Native to South Africa, it’s a woody shrub you can shape into a small tree about 6-10 feet tall.
• 💥 It blooms almost year-round, covering itself with clusters of fiery red blooms that butterflies can't resist. The flowers resembling those of nasturtiums, coming in clusters.
• 💥 As all orchid trees, it has deep green, bilobed leaves are resembling butterfly wings. Tough, sun-loving, and low-maintenance - this beauty brings a touch of Africa right into your garden.

🛒 Plant beautiful Pride of De Kaap

📚 Learn more:
• Why red flowers are so attractive?

#Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_plants

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😏 He who has a why to live

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche

🐈📸 Philemon the Cat at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

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