❤️💰 Fruit of Money and Love

Theobroma cacao, commonly known as the Chocolate Tree or Cacao Tree, is very exciting plant and a superfood as we mentioned earlier.

• 💥 Theobroma means "food of the gods" in Greek. "Theo" means god, and "broma" means food.
• 💥 The Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs were among the first to cultivate cacao, using it to make a bitter beverage called xocoatl. It was often spiced with chili peppers and used in various rituals and ceremonies.
• 💥 Currency: in ancient Mesoamerican cultures, cacao beans were so valuable that they were used as a form of currency. For example, 100 beans could buy a slave or a turkey.
• 💥 The Aztecs believed that cacao had stimulating properties and used it as an aphrodisiac. Emperor Montezuma was said to consume a large amount of cacao before visiting his harem. We can't deny that chocolate's mood-enhancing properties, combined with cultural and psychological factors, contribute to its romantic allure! ❤️
• 💥 A cacao pod contains 20 to 50 beans, each surrounded by a sweet, mucilaginous pulp. The pods grow directly on the trunk and larger branches of the tree, a feature known as cauliflory.
• 💥 After harvesting, cacao beans are fermented for several days, a critical step that develops the flavor precursors needed for chocolate production.
• 💥 The Cacao tree thrives in the humid, tropical regions around the equator. It can be grown as an exciting house plant.
• 💥 Health benefits: cacao beans are rich in antioxidants, magnesium, iron, and other minerals. They also contain flavonoids, associated with heart health benefits.
• 💥 There are three main varieties of cacao beans: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Criollo is considered the highest quality but is less common due to its susceptibility to disease. Forastero is the most widely grown, known for its hardiness. Trinitario is a hybrid of the two.
• 💥 It takes about 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate. The beans undergo roasting, grinding, and mixing with sugar and other ingredients to produce the final chocolate product.

📚Learn more: Plants of Love - Aphrodisiacs of the plant world

🛒 Grow your own Chocolate Tree

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

📸 Plumeria (mentioned earlier) is one of the most beautiful and desired perfume flowers. It makes you happy.

🛒 Shop plumeria varieties

#Quotes

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What is Barbados Gooseberry?

Perescia aculeata - Barbados Gooseberry, is a very interesting, unusual addition for any self-sustaining landscape due to its fast-growing nature and unique combination of cactus and leafy vine, with beautiful flowers and showy edible fruit.

Low-maintenance plant, it is perfect for covering walls or fences, adds greenery and a productive food source, making it both practical and visually appealing.

• ⏺A unique cactus with real leaves, unlike most cacti. Needs very little water.
• ⏺Fast-growing vine that can cover fences or walls quickly.
• ⏺When in bloom, the vine is covered with beautiful white flowers, followed by bright orange, edible, tangy fruits.
• ⏺Great for adding greenery and a food source to your garden.

🛒 Plant Barbados Gooseberry

#Food_Forest #Hedges_with_benefits

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Do you have Longevity Spinach in your garden?

• Longevity Spinach (Gynura) is a leafy green plant known for its mild flavor and nutritional benefits. It is one of the Superfoods, known for its longevity-promoting properties in traditional medicine. There are two varieties - Green (Gynura procubens) and Purple leaves (Gynura crepioides - Okinawa Spinach).
• It's often used in Southeast Asian cuisine, added to soups, stews, and salads for its health-promoting properties, including immune support and improved digestion.
• It is prized for being easy to grow and rich in vitamins and antioxidants. This green is also known as cholesterol spinach, and there are many claims that it lowers can cholesterol.
• Perfect for hot and humid climates unlike traditional Spinach that only grown in cooler areas. It will thrive in any type of soil, any type of light other than dark shade, and is pest-free.
• Very adaptable to container gardening and even grows well on a windowsill.
• The leaves and young shoot tips can be steamed, used in stir fry, tempura, stews, and soups. Just add them at the very end.

Check out the recipes⬇️⬇️⬇️

📚 Learn more:
5 most useful edibles for tropical garden
How to make healthy food taste delicious: Longevity Spinach Super-food Recipes
Gynura: Longevity Spinach Superfood Recipes

🎥

🛒 Plant Longevity Spinach and live long

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Remedies

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🍲 What Fertilizer to Use Now and How?
Part 3. Micro elements

✔️ Microelement Supplements Are a Must


Besides macronutrients (daily plant food), plants need additional microelements, just like humans need vitamins. Be sure to apply these supplements along with your regular plant food:

✔️ For Green Leaves and Health


Sunshine SuperFood - Complex Microelement Supplement: a must for healthy plants and beautiful, green leaves. Apply once a month.

✔️ For Stress Relief


Did you know that plants get stressed out too? Too much sun, to wet, too dry, too cold, or simply bugged by insects!
Sunshine-Epi - Brassinosteroid Plant Hormone: essential for plants recovering from stress (shipping, transplanting, drought, insect damage, cold stress, etc.). Apply as needed.

✔️ For Sweeter, Bigger Fruit


Sunshine Honey - Fruit Sugar Booster: application on fruit trees will make fruit bigger and sweeter by directing sugars to the fruit from other plant parts, and helps to prevent bud drop. Apply 4 times a year: at bud setting, flowering, fruit setting, and after harvesting.

✔️ For Better Resistance


Sunshine Power Si - Silicon Protector - enhances resistance to insects, diseases, drought, and frost, while boosting growth. Apply once a month, along with Sunshine SuperFood.

🛍 Shop Sunshine Boosters

#Fertilizers #How_to

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