💛 This old-school tropical fruit is making a quiet comeback: Eggfruit - Canistel

❓✔️ The tropical fruit that feels like dessert but isn’t junk: FAQ

• 
  

  💛 What is canistel fruit?

Canistel is the fruit of Pouteria campechiana, often called Egg Fruit because its texture resembles a cooked egg yolk. It has dense, yellow flesh and a naturally sweet, custard-like flavor.

• 
  

  💛 Is canistel a high-energy fruit?

Yes. Canistel contains complex carbohydrates that provide steady, long-lasting energy instead of quick sugar spikes. It is a good choice for active days or when you need sustained fuel.

• 
  

  💛 Does canistel help you feel full?

It does. The thick texture and fiber content make canistel very satisfying, helping you feel full with smaller portions.

• 
  

  💛 Can canistel support weight management?

Canistel is filling and naturally sweet, which can help reduce cravings for processed desserts and snacks.

• 
  

  💛 Is canistel easy to digest?

Yes. Its soft, pasty texture is gentle on the stomach and often well tolerated by people with sensitive digestion.

• 
  

  💛 How does canistel benefit skin health?

Canistel provides beta-carotene and vitamin C, which support skin renewal, elasticity, and overall skin appearance.

• 
  

  💛 Does canistel help with muscle function?

Yes. It contains potassium and other minerals that support muscle function and help reduce fatigue after physical activity.

• 
  

  💛 Is canistel good for brain health?

Canistel supplies iron and B vitamins that support oxygen delivery and mental clarity, especially during periods of fatigue.

• 
  

  💛 Does canistel support healthy aging?

Its antioxidants help protect cells from oxidative stress, which plays a role in aging and long-term wellness.

💛 Is canistel just a snack fruit?

Not at all. Canistel is a functional fruit used in custards, smoothies, baked goods, spreads, and even savory dishes, offering both nutrition and comfort-food satisfaction.

🛒 Plant Egg Fruit - Canistel Tree

📚 Learn more:

• Pouteria campechiana - Canistel, Eggfruit - in Plant Encyclopedia
• Canistel breakfast mash: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
• Health Benefits of Canistel Fruit
• Pouteria campechiana - Canistel, the curious heart-shaped Egg Super-Fruit

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

💛 This old-school tropical fruit is making a quiet comeback: Eggfruit - Canistel

❓✔️ The tropical fruit that feels like dessert but isn’t junk: FAQ

💛 What is canistel fruit?


Canistel is the fruit of Pouteria campechiana, often called Egg Fruit because its texture resembles a cooked egg yolk. It has dense, yellow flesh and a naturally sweet, custard-like flavor.

💛 Is canistel a high-energy fruit?


Yes. Canistel contains complex carbohydrates that provide steady, long-lasting energy instead of quick sugar spikes. It is a good choice for active days or when you need sustained fuel.

💛 Does canistel help you feel full?


It does. The thick texture and fiber content make canistel very satisfying, helping you feel full with smaller portions.

💛 Can canistel support weight management?


Canistel is filling and naturally sweet, which can help reduce cravings for processed desserts and snacks.

💛 Is canistel easy to digest?


Yes. Its soft, pasty texture is gentle on the stomach and often well tolerated by people with sensitive digestion.

💛 How does canistel benefit skin health?


Canistel provides beta-carotene and vitamin C, which support skin renewal, elasticity, and overall skin appearance.

💛 Does canistel help with muscle function?


Yes. It contains potassium and other minerals that support muscle function and help reduce fatigue after physical activity.

💛 Is canistel good for brain health?


Canistel supplies iron and B vitamins that support oxygen delivery and mental clarity, especially during periods of fatigue.

💛 Does canistel support healthy aging?


Its antioxidants help protect cells from oxidative stress, which plays a role in aging and long-term wellness.

💛 Is canistel just a snack fruit?


Not at all. Canistel is a functional fruit used in custards, smoothies, baked goods, spreads, and even savory dishes, offering both nutrition and comfort-food satisfaction.

🛒 Plant Egg Fruit - Canistel Tree

📚 Learn more:

• Pouteria campechiana - Canistel, Eggfruit - in Plant Encyclopedia
• Canistel breakfast mash: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
• Health Benefits of Canistel Fruit
• Pouteria campechiana - Canistel, the curious heart-shaped Egg Super-Fruit

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍊 7 steps for a care-free Spanish Tamarind - the easiest rare fruit to grow

Yes, it can handle light frost - Vangueria infausta (Spanish Tamarind, Wild Medlar) - we just discovered it can handle cold snaps! After a few cold nights in January, our young tree planted just a few months ago, still looks happy and strong!
If you are looking for a tough little fruit tree that thrives on neglect but gives you something truly special in return - try this rare, compact fruit tree. Spanish Tamarind is native to southern Africa, it is drought-tolerant, pest-resistant, and surprisingly cold-hardy once established - making it a great choice even for gardeners in borderline zones.

Here’s how to grow this resilient gem:

🌞 Sun and soil

Spanish Tamarind loves full sun, but will tolerate light shade. It isn’t picky about soil as long as it drains well - sandy, rocky, or loamy, it will grow just fine. No special amendments needed.

💧 Watering

Once established, it's very drought tolerant, but young trees need regular watering to develop a deep root system. In containers, water when the top inch of soil is dry. In the ground, water deeply but infrequently.

❄️ Cold tolerance

Now for the surprise: while it’s considered a tropical fruit, Wild Medlar can handle brief dips into the mid-30s F without damage, especially when mature and dormant. In Sebring, FL, we’ve seen this tree shrug off light frosts with no protection!
And what makes this even more impressive? The tree has beautiful, lush velvet leaves - soft to the touch and tropical in appearance - yet surprisingly hardy for such large, tender-looking foliage.

• · Young plants should be protected the first couple winters
• · Grow in containers if you’re in USDA zone 8 or lower
• · A little mulch around the base helps stabilize soil temps in winter

Growing in pots

This tree is very compact and does well in containers. Use a large, well-drained pot and a loose soil mix. Keep it outside in spring through fall, then bring it indoors before a hard frost. It grows slowly and stays compact for years, making it a great fit for patios or balconies.

🍊 When to expect fruit

With enough sun and time, your tree can start fruiting in 2-3 years. Mature trees can bear 20-40 small round fruits per season, ripening to a golden-brown with a tangy-sweet flavor. The fruiting season may vary depending on your local climate, but typically occurs in late summer to fall.

🛠 Maintenance? Almost none.

• · No special pruning needed (except to shape)
• · No major pests or diseases reported
• · Tough and low-maintenance in the landscape

🏆 Final thought: grow it for the surprise

Spanish Tamarind - Wild Medlar - is a tree that rewards patience. It's unusual, beautiful in its own scruffy way, and packs a punch with cold tolerance, drought resistance, and tasty fruit. Spanish Tamarind belongs in every experimental garden or food forest - especially if you love growing things no one else in the neighborhood has.

🛒 Add rare Spanish Tamarind to your rare fruit collection

📚 Learn more:

• Vangueria infausta - Spanish Tamarind in Plant Encyclopedia
• The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit you've never heard of

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍸 You don't need to buy Gin any more!

• 🍸Guess what is this fruit that tastes like Gin - it's Gin Berry, Glycosmis pentaphylla. It's also called Orangeberry, or Limonia, and is one of those plants that surprises people the moment they touch it. Crush a leaf or rub one of the ripe berries, and the scent is unmistakable - fresh, citrusy, pure gin! Just add tonic.

🍸 Why the berries smell like gin?


The leaves and berries are packed with aromatic oils rich in citrus terpenes, similar to compounds found in juniper and citrus peel. That shared chemistry is what creates the gin-like fragrance. It smells clean, sharp, and refreshing - more aroma than sweetness.

🍸 A lesser-known citrus cousin


Gin Berry belongs to the Rutaceae family, the same plant family as oranges, lemons, limes, and Curry leaf. You can see it in the glossy leaves and smell it in the oils, but the growth habit is different. Instead of becoming a tree, Gin Berry stays a compact, evergreen shrub.

🍸 Edible, but fragrance-forward


The small berries are edible and lightly sweet-tart, though most people notice the aroma before the flavor. In parts of South and Southeast Asia, the fruit is eaten fresh, added to chutneys, or used to scent drinks and infusions. It is subtle and aromatic rather than juicy.

🍸 Traditional uses and health benefits

🔸Gin Berry has a long history in folk medicine, especially in in Hindu medicine.

• 🔸Leaves used in teas for digestion and fevers
• 🔸Roots traditionally used for inflammation and pain
• 🔸Modern studies note antimicrobial and antioxidant activity

🍸 Easy garden and container plant

• 🔸Evergreen shrub with shiny leaves
• 🔸Naturally compact and easy to prune
• 🔸Small white flowers with a light fragrance
• 🔸Clusters of decorative berries
• 🔸Excellent for pots, patios, and warm climates
• 🔸Attracts pollinators, and birds enjoy the berries.

🍸 Why Gin Berry stands out

Gin Berry sits right between ornamental and edible. It has the citrus-family fragrance people love, stays manageable in size, and offers a unique sensory experience that most gardeners have never seen - or smelled - before.

🛒 Add Gin Berry to your rare fruit collection

#Food_Forest #Fun_facts #Remedies

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

💄 Watch how to squeeze natural shampoo from the Ginger!

🎆 Shampoo ginger uses and fragrance



Shampoo Ginger, also known as Zingiber zerumbet or Pine Cone Ginger, is one of those plants that sounds too good to be true - but isn’t. This tropical ginger has been used for centuries not just as an ornamental plant, but as a practical, fragrant, everyday resource.

🎆 Natural shampoo from a flower cone



The most famous use of shampoo ginger comes from its bright red, pine cone-shaped flower bracts. When the cones mature, they fill with a milky, slippery liquid. Simply squeezing the cone releases this natural cleanser, traditionally used as shampoo in Asia and Hawaii. It gently cleans hair, leaves it soft, and adds a light, fresh scent. Even today, extracts of shampoo ginger are still used in commercial shampoos and hair products.

🎆 Fragrance throughout the entire plant



Shampoo ginger isn’t just useful - it smells amazing. The leaves, stems, and cones all carry a warm, spicy fragrance typical of true gingers. The scent is fresh and clean, with earthy and slightly citrusy notes. Because of this, the plant has also been used in traditional body rinses, hair treatments, and natural perfumes.

🎆 More than hair care



Beyond shampoo, the cones are popular as long-lasting cut flowers, often used in tropical floral arrangements. The plant itself grows into a lush, leafy clump that adds strong tropical character to gardens, especially in warm, humid climates.

🎆 A plant with a traveling history



Shampoo ginger is also known as a “canoe plant.” Ancient Polynesian voyagers intentionally carried it across the Pacific as they settled new islands. Its usefulness, fragrance, and beauty made it valuable enough to earn a place on long ocean journeys.

Shampoo ginger is a rare mix of beauty, history, fragrance, and function - a plant that proves some of the most interesting garden plants are also the most practical.

🛒 Get your own natural shampoo from Pine Cone Ginger

📚 Learn more:

• 🔴Zingiber zerumbet in Plant Encyclopedia
• 🔴Do you have Shampoo Ginger in your garden?
• 🔴Free natural shampoo: squeeze it and see what comes out!
• 🔴What Ginger makes a natural shampoo
• 🔴5 most spectacular Ginger species

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden #Remedies #Discover #Food_Forest

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals