Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Fun Facts: Cacao beans
Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)
Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)
Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)
Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)
🛒Get your own Chocolate Tree
#Fun_Facts #Food_Forest
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Fun Facts About the Guava Flower
Guava Flower
- 🌸 Frilly and Fabulous - Guava flowers may be small, but they're packed with fluffy white stamens that give them a soft, powder-puff look.
- 🌸 Pollinator Magnet - Bees and butterflies love guava blooms, making them a great addition to a pollinator-friendly garden.
- 🌸 Scent-sational - The flowers have a light, pleasant fragrance that adds a touch of sweetness before the fruit even arrives.
- 🌸 Bloom to Fruit - Each flower can turn into a delicious guava fruit, making them both beautiful and productive.
- 🌸 Part of the Showy Family - Guava (Psidium) belongs to the Myrtaceae family, which also includes eye-catching bloomers like Eucalyptus, Bottlebrush (Callistemon), and the stunning Rose Apple (Syzygium).
📚 More from previous posts about: #Guava
🛒 Shop Guava Trees
#Food_Forest #Guava #Fun_facts
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How many varieties of Bananas can I grow?
Bananas (Musa sp.) in containers
- 💛 At Top Tropicals, we have a few dozen varieties of Bananas (Musa sp.) - ranging from popular commercial and plantain types to spectacular ornamental bananas with colorful, tropical foliage.
- 💛 Banana plants are a favorite in Southern gardens, indoor plant collections, and greenhouses in cooler climates. Fast and easy to grow, they transform any space into a tropical paradise in just one season and can produce fruit for you in as little as 8–18 months after planting.
- 💛 Bananas are a powerhouse of nutrition, packed with potassium for heart health, fiber for digestion, and vitamins B6 and C for immunity. They’re a natural energy booster, great for snacks, smoothies, and even baking. Plus, their tryptophan content can improve your mood, and their low sodium helps regulate blood pressure.
- 💛 With so many delicious and unique varieties, growing different types of bananas lets you enjoy a range of flavors, textures, and uses - whether fresh, blended, or cooked - making them a must-have in any tropical or indoor garden!
Discover the most popular edible and ornamental bananas in our next post 🔽
🎥 Banana selection today at TopTropicals farm. Come over to pick the best one!
📚 More about Banana from previous posts:
- 💋Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #5 Banana growing and fun facts
- 💋How to make tasty Carambola Banana Whip
- 💋Why Bananas? They are good for you and are fun to grow
- 💋Bananas help you feel fuller and enhance your mood
🛍 Shop Banana varieties
#Food_Forest #Bananas
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How to Live Longer? Surround Yourself with Plants!
Gardening not only helps you stay active and healthy but can also be a fun and rewarding way to extend your life. Let nature nurture you!
Living Longer with Green Spaces
A study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found that a 10% increase in vegetation within 1,600 feet of your home can lower your death risk by 4%.
Why Gardening Could Help You Live Longer
- Nature Exposure: Being outside boosts your mood.
- Exercise: Gardening is a great workout.
- Healthy Eating: Grow and eat your own fresh produce.
- Mind Exercise: Gardening can reduce stress and keep your mind sharp.
Gardening and Longevity
- Many centenarians (people living to 100) garden.
- In "blue zones," where people live longer, gardening is common.
- Gardening promotes daily exercise and a plant-based diet.
Natural Movement vs. Gym Workouts
- 100 years ago, 90% of jobs involved physical activity; today, only 10%
do.
- Walking 2 hours a week can lower the risk of major diseases.
- Gardening offers fresh air, exercise, and fun.
Gardening vs. Gym
- Gardening can be as effective as gym workouts.
- Research shows 3 hours of gardening equals a 1-hour gym session.
- Tasks like weeding, digging, and mowing burn significant calories.
Calories Burned in 1 Hour of Gardening
- 340 cal: Chopping wood, using power tools, tilling, mowing with a hand
mower, shoveling.
- 272 cal: Carrying wood, digging, clearing land, wheelbarrow work.
- 238 cal: Blower operation, planting, trimming, weeding.
- 224 cal: Raking and sacking leaves.
- 136 cal: Picking fruit, gathering tools, walking.
- 102 cal: Fertilizing or seeding a lawn.
- 34 cal: Watering plants.
Fun Facts
- Half an hour of weeding burns 150 calories.
- Gardening five hours a week burns 700 calories.
- Over a year, that's 20,000 calories, equivalent to running seven
marathons.
- A lifetime of gardening can burn a million calories.
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
- Remove seeds from Grumichama cherries.
- Place fruit in a saucepan with sugar and lime juice.
- Simmer over low heat until thick and glossy, stirring often.
- 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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Get
more goodies and savings from
Top Tropicals Telegram Channel!
Want to grow exotic fruit, pick the perfect plants for your yard, and become a plant expert - without wasting hours online? Join the 
- Learn how to grow your own food forest with minimal effort
- Discover the best plants for your space - shade or sun, pots or ground
- Get expert tips on care, fertilizing, pruning, and harvesting
- Enjoy daily posts with practical advice, fun facts, and plant horoscopes
- No scrolling through endless videos - just direct answers and inspiration
- NO COMMERCIALS! Plant- (and cat-) info only.
- PLUS: Get exclusive access to
discount codes and deals only available to our Telegram subscribers!
And of course enjoy daily appearances from our beloved PeopleCats (and a few adorable PeopleDogs).
Whether you're a new plant lover or a tropical pro - there's something here for everyone. Tap to join, grow with us, and unlock your plant wisdom and savings!
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Top Tropicals is now in Telegram!
Welcome to our new Telegram
Channel!
We finally did it, and excited to connect with all of you on this amazing
platform. After using Telegram for a few years for both business and personal
communications, we realized it is a winner of the modern Social Media!
In Top Tropicals Telegram Channel you will find much more than on our website or Newsletter: Fun Plant Facts, Nature Wonders, Amazing Plant Videos, Gardening How-to Tips, Exotic Recipes, Contests, Sweepstakes, Give-aways and so much more. Plus, of course, your favorite PeopleCats!
Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security, it's super-fast, simple and free. You can use Telegram on all your devices at the same time - your messages sync seamlessly across any number of your phones, tablets or computers. It's perfect for sharing your comments, photos, videos, even making calls.
You can watch news, browse your interest, message to friends and colleagues, save your files, create groups, make phone calls, and the most amazing thing - Telegram works where nothing else works, no WiFi or cell service! It proved to be more reliable than any other apps and (surprise!) even works in airplane without wifi connection - proved!
The platform has its own cloud and offers limitless storage. And the last and not least - it's ad-free! Telegram is free and will stay free - no ads, no subscription fees, forever. It's a clean, clear and easy to use for all ages and applications. Try it yourself and discover how easy and pain-free it is!
Telegram is for everyone who wants fast and reliable
messaging and calls.
See you in Telegram!
Secret Banana Daiquiri Recipe: Healthy Never Tasted So Good!
🍹 Banana Daiquiri Recipe Ingredients:
- · 1 ripe banana
- · 2 ounces light rum
- · 1 tablespoon sugar
- · 1 ounce lime juice
- · 1/2 ounce triple sec (optional for added depth)
- · Ice cubes
- · Slice of lime or banana for garnish
- 🍹Instructions:
- · Prepare the Banana: Peel the banana and cut it into chunks.
- · Blend the Ingredients: In a blender, combine the banana chunks, light rum, sugar, lime juice, and triple sec.
- · Add a handful of ice cubes. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth.
- · If the mixture is too thick, you can add a small amount of water or more lime juice to adjust the consistency.
🍹Garnish and Serve:
· Pour the mixture into a chilled glass. Garnish with a slice of lime on the rim of the glass or a small wheel of banana. Serve immediately and enjoy the refreshing tropical flavors!- · This Banana Daiquiri is not only refreshing but also offers a creamy texture and a perfect balance of sweetness and citrus. It's a fantastic choice for hot days or when you're in the mood for something a bit exotic. Cheers!
📚 About Banana from previous posts:
- 💋Top Ornamental Banana Varieties - Which One Belongs in Your Garden?
- 💋Best Edible Bananas to Grow - Sweet, Unique, and Delicious!
- 💋How Many Banana Varieties Can You Grow? (More Than You Think!)
- 💋Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #5 Banana growing and fun facts
- 💋How to make tasty Carambola Banana Whip
- 💋Why Bananas? They are good for you and are fun to grow
- 💋Bananas help you feel fuller and enhance your mood
🛒 Banana Bliss Starts Here
#Food_Forest #Recipes
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Sweetleaf tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
- 🟢Delicious Sweetleaf tea can be made with Mexican Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis).
- 🟢Steep Aztec sweet herb leaves in hot water with lime peel.
- 🟢Naturally sweet, no sugar needed!
- Fresh or dried Aztec sweet herb (Lippia dulcis) leaves
- Hot water
- Lime peel or a slice of lime
- Bring water to a boil and pour over Lippia dulcis leaves.
- Add lime peel or a slice of lime.
- Let steep for 5–10 minutes.
- Enjoy this naturally sweet tea—no sugar needed!
Sweetleaf tea: quick-n-fun
Ingredients
Instructions
🛒 Add sugar-free Mexican Sweetleaf (Lippia dulcis) to your herb garden
#Food_Forest #Recipes
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Jaboticaba wine: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
A homemade tropical wine with rich berry flavor and a hint of earthiness. This traditional Brazilian recipe turns fresh Jaboticaba fruit into a deep purple wine with a unique aroma and flavor somewhere between grape and plum. Easy to make, fun to share!
🍴 Jaboticaba wine: quick-n-fun exotic recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lb fresh ripe Jaboticaba fruits (Myrciaria cauliflora)
- 2 to 3 cups granulated sugar per gallon of pulp
- 1 gallon non-chlorinated water
- 1 tsp wine yeast (optional)
- 1 cinnamon stick or a few cloves (optional)
- Clean glass fermenting jar or food-grade bucket with loose cover
Instructions
- Wash and lightly crush Jaboticaba fruits. Do not remove skins; they add flavor and color.
- Mix crushed fruit with sugar and enough water to make about one gallon of pulp. Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Cover loosely and leave in a warm place (70-80F). Stir once or twice daily. Fermentation begins within 1-2 days.
- Let ferment 5-10 days, stirring daily. When bubbling slows, strain through cheesecloth into a clean jug.
- Seal loosely with an airlock or vented cap. Rest 2-4 weeks in a cool, dark spot (60-70F).
- Carefully pour clear wine into bottles, leaving sediment behind. Cork and let age a few more weeks.
- Chill before serving. Enjoy responsibly!
Tips
- Reduce sugar to 1.5 cups per gallon for a drier wine.
- Add more sugar after first fermentation for a sweeter dessert wine.
- Add a spoon of honey for a floral note.
- Save the skins to make Jaboticaba syrup or jam.
Grow your own exotic Jaboticaba fruit
📚 Learn more:
- ▫️What does Blue Jaboticaba taste like?
- ▫️How Blue Jaboticaba is different from regular Jaboticaba?
- ▫️What is Jaboticaba? I like the sound of this word!
#Food_Forest #Recipes
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