Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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How to make chocolate dumplings in mango sauce: exotic recipe. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to make chocolate dumplings in mango sauce: exotic recipe

chocolate dumplings in mango sauce

chocolate dumplings in mango sauce

How to make chocolate dumplings in mango sauce: exotic recipe

Ready to sneak this onto your dessert menu under a name like "Tropics Lost in Vienna"?

Ingredients
  • 🔸 For the dough:

• 200 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
  • • 1 egg
  • • 3 tbsp water
  • • Pinch of salt

  • 🔸 For the filling:

• 70 g (2.5 oz) dark chocolate
  • • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • • 1 tsp cocoa powder (optional)
  • • 1 tsp sugar (if chocolate is too bitter)


🔸 For the mango sauce:
  • • 1 ripe mango (or 150 g mango puree)
  • • 100 ml (just under ½ cup) heavy cream
  • • 1-2 tsp honey
  • • 1 tsp lime or lemon juice
  • • Pinch of salt


🔪 Instructions
  • ➡Make the dough: Mix flour, egg, water, and salt into a soft dough. Knead, wrap, and rest for 30 minutes.
  • ➡Prepare the filling: Melt chocolate with cream over a water bath. Stir in sugar and cocoa if using. Let cool until thick.
  • ➡Shape the dumplings: Roll out dough, cut into circles, fill with chocolate, and seal. Freeze for 10 minutes to firm up.
  • ➡Cook: Boil in lightly salted water. Once they float, cook 2–3 minutes more. Lift out gently.
  • ➡Make the mango sauce: Blend mango, then stir in cream, honey, citrus juice, and salt. Warm gently without boiling.
  • ➡Serve: Arrange dumplings, spoon over sauce, and garnish with mint or lime zest if desired.


🛒 Plant your own Mango Tree and always have mango supply

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Mango

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Another Musk from Africa that came before Elon: the true Healer from Zulu. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Another Musk from Africa that came before Elon: the true Healer from Zulu

Musk Bush - Iboza riparia, Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush - flowers

Musk Bush - Iboza riparia, Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush - flowers

Musk Bush - Iboza riparia, Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush - flowers

Musk Bush - Iboza riparia, Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush - flowers

Musk Bush - Iboza riparia, Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush - flowers

Musk Bush - Iboza riparia, Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush - flowers

Musk Bush - Iboza riparia, Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush - leaves

Musk Bush - Iboza riparia, Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush - leaves

🚀 Another Musk from Africa that came before Elon: the true Healer from Zulu.
  • 🚀 This African Musk has less hype and more goodness: it won't buy Twitter but it might cure your cough!
  • 🚀 Musk Bush (Iboza riparia) - also called Misty Plume Bush, or Ginger Bush, is a highly aromatic shrub with a long tradition of healing use in African herbal medicine. Its soft, velvety leaves release a sweet ginger-like scent when crushed and are packed with medicinal value.
  • 🚀 Medicinal uses

  • 💚 Respiratory relief: The Zulu people traditionally use Iboza as an inhalant for coughs, chest congestion, and even malaria. Crushed leaves are often inhaled or made into a steam bath to clear the lungs.
  • 💚 Natural relaxant: Often used alongside Psychotria viridis for calming effects, this plant is prized for its gentle sedative properties.
  • 💚 Headache and digestive aid: Inhaling the fragrance can ease headaches, and teas or infusions are used to soothe stomach aches.

  • 🚀 Plant facts

  • 💚 Growth: Fast-growing (up to 3 ft/year), up to 6 ft tall, with a full, bushy habit.
  • 💚 Leaves: Bright green, heart-shaped, covered in sticky aromatic hairs.
  • 💚 Flowers: showy mist-like white to lilac spikes hang in beautiful, fragrant dense clusters.
  • 💚 Fragrance: Leaves are scented like ginger with a musky twist - especially fragrant after light pruning.


🚀 Growing tips
  • 💚 Best in full sun or partial shade
  • 💚 Likes rich, well-drained soil and regular summer water, drought tolerant once established.
  • 💚 Prune hard after flowering to keep it compact and boost future blooms.
  • 💚 Grows well in pots in cold climates.


🛒 Order Musk Bush - natural remedy for body and mind

#Food_Forest #Remedies

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A flavor bomb of sugar and citrus, syrupy when ripe - Mango Sweet Tart. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

A flavor bomb of sugar and citrus, syrupy when ripe - Mango Sweet Tart

Mango Sweet Tart - tree with fruit on it

🌈 A flavor bomb of sugar and citrus, syrupy when ripe - Mango Sweet Tart

Sweet Tart is a Florida-grown mango prized for its rich, sweet-tart flavor and silky, fiberless flesh. Created by breeder Gary Zill, it's known for its dense orange pulp, excellent sugar-acid balance, and juicy texture. The fruit is oval, heavy for its size, and sometimes develops harmless speckles on the skin. Great fresh, underripe or ripe. Tangy when underripe, syrupy when ripe and perfect for containers thanks to its upright growth and high productivity. A standout variety that lives up to its name!

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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How to grow cold-hardy avocados and how cold-hardy are they? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to grow cold-hardy avocados and how cold-hardy are they?

Cat is growing cold-hardy avocados

Cat is growing cold-hardy avocados

How to grow cold-hardy avocados and how cold-hardy are they?

Growing avocados in colder regions is possible with the right variety and care. By selecting Cold Hardy varieties, ensuring proper care, and taking protective steps during cold spells, you can successfully grow avocados outside of tropical climates.

The more established your tree, the better it will tolerate colder weather.

🌡 What is Avocado cold hardiness?

Avocados are sensitive to freezing temperatures but some Mexican varieties are cold-hardy, surviving temperatures as low as 15F once established. With proper care, some can endure brief cold snaps down to 10F.
  • 👉 Cold hardiness depends on several factors, including:

  • 🟢 Duration of cold: How long the tree is exposed to freezing temperatures.
  • 🟢 Sun exposure: Trees with more sunlight tend to handle cold better.
  • 🟢 Wind protection: Wind can make cold weather more damaging.
  • 🟢 Tree health: Proper care, including fertilization, can improve cold tolerance.


❄️ How to protect avocados from cold

If you're growing avocados in a cooler climate, it's essential to protect them from harsh cold. Here are some tips:
  • 🟢 Bigger is Better: Larger, more established trees are generally more cold-tolerant than young ones.
  • 🟢 Wind Protection: Cold winds can be more damaging than the temperature itself. Plant your avocado in a sheltered spot, such as on the south or southeast side of a building, where it’s protected from strong winds.
  • 🟢 Good Fertilization: A healthy tree is more likely to withstand cold. Make sure your avocado receives regular fertilization throughout the growing season to keep it strong.
  • 🟢 Watering: Avocados need regular watering, but during winter, they require much less water. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to root rot in cold conditions.


✍️ Specific protection for young plants
  • 🟢 Covering and mulching: When a freeze is expected, mound mulch around the trunk to insulate the roots and cover the tree with a blanket for warmth. For extra protection, use Christmas lights or a small heater under the cover, following safety precautions.
  • 🟢 Microclimates matter: Plant your tree closer to a building for better cold protection. Placing it in the warmest part of your landscape will help it get more heat during winter.
  • 🟢 With proper care and protection, you can enjoy fresh avocados even in cooler climates!


🛒  Shop Cold Hardy Avocados

📚Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Avocado #How_to

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