📖 Fun Facts: Cacao beans (Theobroma cacao) were used to make chocolate, and the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations valued cacao beans as currency 💰 Can we use chocolate as money?

• 🍫 Chocolate tree has large dark green leaves that shade the fruit pods which grow directly from the trunk and branches.
• 🍫 The flesh of the fruit is eaten as a dessert, and the seeds are the raw material of chocolate. Hot chocolate can be made by drying the seeds, roasting, grinding, and adding milk.
• 🍫 This exotic rare tree makes a gem of a houseplant collection.

🛒Get your own Chocolate Tree

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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

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🔴Cook guava pulp with sugar until thick, pour into a pan, cut into squares.
🔴A tropical fudge-like sweet.

🍴 Guava fudge: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups ripe guava pulp
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook guava pulp with sugar in a pan over medium heat.
2. Stir constantly until mixture thickens and pulls away from sides.
3. Pour into a greased pan and let it cool.
4. Cut into small squares and enjoy your tropical fudge.

🛒 Grow your own sweet guava fruit

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Six guava varieties that will keep you picking year-round
• ▫️How to grow a Guava Tree: Practical Guide to Growing Guava
• ▫️More about #Guava

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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

1. Wash and lightly crush Jaboticaba fruits. Do not remove skins; they add flavor and color.
2. Mix crushed fruit with sugar and enough water to make about one gallon of pulp. Stir until sugar dissolves.
3. Cover loosely and leave in a warm place (70-80F). Stir once or twice daily. Fermentation begins within 1-2 days.
4. Let ferment 5-10 days, stirring daily. When bubbling slows, strain through cheesecloth into a clean jug.
5. Seal loosely with an airlock or vented cap. Rest 2-4 weeks in a cool, dark spot (60-70F).
6. Carefully pour clear wine into bottles, leaving sediment behind. Cork and let age a few more weeks.
7. 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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🍴 Lychee sorbet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Blend Lychee pulp with lime juice, freeze until firm.
• 🔴A refreshing tropical ice treat.

Lychee Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh lychee flesh, peeled and seeded (or canned lychees, drained)
• 1/3 cup sugar or honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup cold water, as needed for blending
• Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare the lychees by peeling them, removing the seeds, and collecting the white flesh. If using canned lychees, drain them well.
2. Place the lychee flesh, sugar or honey, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of the cold water into a blender.
3. Blend until completely smooth. If the mixture is too thick to move easily, add a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer safe container. Cover tightly.
5. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours, stirring with a fork every 30 to 45 minutes, until the sorbet is firm but scoopable.
6. Scoop into bowls and garnish with fresh mint leaves and extra lychee fruit if desired. Serve immediately.

🛒 Plant your Lychee tree - Litchi chinensis

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️How long until I get fruit from my Lychee tree?
• ▫️Why I can't grow a Lychee tree from a seed?
• ▫️How to grow a Lychee tree and have a reliable crop. Practical Guide to Growing Lychee.
• ▫️What are the best varieties of Lychee Tree?
• ▫️What is the best fruit in the world? How to grow your own Lychee tree.

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🍌 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

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🍌 How many varieties of Bananas can I grow?

• 💛 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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🍴 Feijoa coconut loaf: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Mix Feijoa pulp into a coconut quick-bread batter.
• 🔴Bakes into a fragrant tropical treat.

Feijoa Coconut Loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup feijoa pulp, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, coconut, and salt.
3. Mix eggs, sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla.
4. Fold dry ingredients into wet, then stir in feijoa pulp.
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth the top.
6. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until golden and a toothpick tests clean.
7. Cool before slicing.

🛒 Plant exotic fragrant Feijoa - Pineapple Guava

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Pineapple Guava: fragrant fruit, beautiful blooms, and real health benefits
• ▫️Why is it called Pineapple Guava? It tastes just like strawberries! Feijoa Superfood.

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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