Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 17 Mar 2021

Mango tree finally bloomed!

A word from a happy customer

...Thank you for the email about mango booster. My mango tree has never fruited so I bought it. Attached is picture from today. So excited. Used it on lychee as well - same result. Very happy!..

Date: 21 Apr 2024

What is number one tree-grown vegetable?

Akee fruit, Ackee

What is number one tree-grown vegetable? Akee is a curious Jamaican fruit that is actually a vegetable growing on a tree! The fruit makes a delicious nutritious meal tasting like eggs and potatoes
  • 🔺This showy fruit is a close relative of Lychee, Longan, and Rambutan.
  • 🔺 Akee tree is easy to grow, undemanding, fast growing, and fruits right away. Sometimes it fruits twice a year!
  • 🔺 Akee fruit must be picked after the fruit has opened naturally so the flesh is fully exposed to light.
  • 🔺 The white arils are best parboiled for a few min and then lightly fried in butter. Then they are really delicious!


📚 More about Akee

🎥 YouTube Recipe: How to cook perfect Akee?

🛒 Order Akee tree online

#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders #Recipes

TopTropicals.com

Date: 1 Jul 2025

Starry fruit and rusty leaves: the tropical tree full of surprises

Chrysophyllum cainito - Caimito, Star Apple

🌟 Starry fruit and rusty leaves: the tropical tree full of surprises



Is it Star Apple, Star Fruit, Cainito or Caimito? Are you lost? Don't be - and here is the truth:
  • ⭐️ Don't confuse Chrysophyllum cainito (Caimito) with Pouteria caimito (Abiu), or Averrhoa carambola (Star Fruit) - which are all different fruit entirely!
  • ⭐️ The Star Apple tree - Chrysophyllum cainito, also known as Caimito, is a tropical treasure admired for both its fruit and foliage. It is related to Sapote and Sapodilla and produces round, glossy fruit that comes in stunning purple and green varieties.
  • ⭐️ When sliced open, the juicy flesh reveals a star-shaped pattern - hence the name "Star Apple"!
  • ⭐️ The flavor is mildly sweet, often described as a mix of grape, lychee, and apple with a hint of caramel.
  • ⭐️ The tree also features lush green leaves with a striking rusty-red underside, making it as beautiful as it is bountiful.
  • ⭐️ Caimito thrives in warm climates and is popular in the Caribbean, Central America, and Southeast Asia.


🛒 Plant your own exotic Star Apple tree

📚 Learn more:


#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 14 Feb 2024

Year of the Dragon: Chinese or Vietnamese?

Green  Wooden  Baby  Dragon

Q: Is Chinese New Year the same as Vietnamese Tat? I want to buy a Vietnamese Micky Mouse plant and I am wondering if this would be also a lucky plant for the Year of the Dragon?

A: Vietnam, as well as other parts of Asia, is celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, which falls on February 10. Vietnam and neighboring China share 10 of the zodiac calendar's 12 signs: the rat, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The Vietnamese traditional Tet market in Hanoi is covered in hues of red and gold, colors that represent good luck and fortune. One of the most significant plants is the golden-flowered Ochna. But there are several other plants associated with the Lunar New year, as well as Dragon Year.

Green Wooden Dragon has specific favorite plants, including all species of Dragon fruits, Lychee or First Dragon's Eye (Litchi sinensis), Longan or Second Dragon's Eye (Euphoria longana), Creeping Philodendrons, and the Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata).

Learn more:

Golden  Rain  Tree  (Koelreuteria 
 paniculata)

Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata). According to ancient Chinese manuscripts, the Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) is crucial for Dragons, as it is believed to be connected to their existence, guarding and complementing each other. Growing these plants is considered auspicious and is believed to safeguard the Dragon family.

Green  Wooden  Baby  Dragon

The most celebrated flower in Vietnam, Ochna integerrima

Date: 17 Sep 2023

NEW VIDEO:
How to properly cook Akee - quick recipe

Akee is a close relative of Lychee, Longan, and Rambutan. 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, the fruit is used as a vegetable, and is not eaten raw. It must be picked after the fruit has opened naturally. After the fruit has "yawned", the arils are parboiled and lightly fried in butter. Then they are really delicious! Watch the QUICK RECIPE provided by our PeopleCats!

The Akee tree - scientific name Blighia sapida - is easy in cultivation, fast growing and can be maintained compact. It is not bugsy or picky about soil/water conditions, and is relatively cold tolerant for being a tropical tree. Now it's the perfect time to plant it!

Ackee,  Akee  fruit  -  Blighia  sapida,  and  a  cat

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Ackee,  Akee 
 fruit