Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍴 Katuk coconut soup: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 
  🟢Simmer chopped Katuk leaves (Sauropus androgynus, Tropical Asparagus) in coconut milk with garlic and salt.
• 🟢Rich, green, and packed with nutrients.

🛒 Add Katuk Superfood to your Food Forest

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Sauropus androgynus in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️The secret Brain Food growing in my backyard (and it tastes like green peas!)
• ▫️Katuk egg stir-fry: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes
• ▫️Health benefits of Katuk: a Superfood for your mind and body

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍴 Avocado miso toast-up: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟢Mash ripe Avocado with a tiny pinch of miso.
• 🟢Spread on warm toast and hit it with crushed black pepper.

🛒 Plant several varieties and always have Avocado in season

📚 Learn more:

• · Avocado Variety Guide
• · Posts about #Avocado
• · Avocado tree (Persea americana) in Plant Encyclopedia

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Avocado

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍉🍌 What's for breakfast? Guava versus Banana

Some mornings you want something light. Some mornings you want something that hits like a tiny energy bomb. That’s why people always compare guava and banana. Both are everywhere, easy to eat, and trusted since forever - from Ayurveda scrolls to modern nutrition charts.

But they’re not the same kind of morning fruit. Let’s walk through them like we’re in the kitchen deciding what to slice first.

• 🍉 Guava - the fiber champion


Guava looks innocent, but it’s one of the most nutrient-dense fruits.
Per 100 g: 68 calories, 5.4 g fiber, over 200 mg vitamin C, a little protein, and solid potassium.

Fiber does most of the work. It smooths digestion, keeps you full, and steadies blood sugar. Vitamin C boosts immunity, and antioxidants reduce inflammation. Studies suggest guava lowers LDL and triglycerides. Not bad for a tennis-ball-size fruit.

• 🍌 Banana - the quick energy classic


Bananas are the opposite personality: soft, sweet, ready in seconds.
Per 100 g: 89 calories, 22 g carbs, good potassium, and a little vitamin B6.

Bananas give fast energy without upsetting the stomach. Athletes eat them before workouts because carbs, sugars, and potassium wake up your muscles. Vitamin B6 helps mood and brain function, which is why a banana on a groggy morning works wonders.

They also pack antioxidants, polyphenols, and heart-protective compounds. Even the peel has nutrients (though not exactly breakfast-friendly).

📊 What studies say - quick notes

• · Guava: anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-obesity, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, boosts hemoglobin, supports dental health.
• · Banana: antioxidants, fiber, vitamins C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, and heart-protective compounds.

🔮 What Ayurveda says

• · Guava calms Pitta and Kapha - great for acidity or sluggish digestion.
• · Bananas balance Vata - grounding and nourishing - but can raise Kapha at night. Morning banana = good. Night banana = maybe skip.

🏆 Guava or banana - which one wins?

Both win, just in different ways:

• 🍉 Pick guava for:

· light, high-fiber start

• · better digestion
• · steady energy
• · low calories
• · weight control

• 🍌 Pick banana for:

· instant energy

• · easy digestion
• · pre-workout boost
• · quick carbs
• · soft, comforting fruit

• 🍉 Slow mornings love guava.

🍌 Busy mornings belong to banana.

For home growers

If you live in a warm climate, both fruits are incredibly rewarding to grow.

🍉 Why grow guava?

• · Fruits in 1-2 years.
• · Compact for small yards or containers.
• · Super productive when mature.
• · Needs only sun, warmth, and pruning.
• · Homegrown flavor is sweeter and more aromatic.

🍌 Why grow banana?

• · Grows fast and looks lush.
• · One mat can feed a whole household.
• · Dwarf varieties fit small gardens.
• · Homegrown bananas taste richer and creamier.
• · When a bunch ripens, breakfast is handled for a week.


Growing your own fruit means you’re never out of a healthy breakfast. Something is always ripening, always ready to pick, and always sweeter than anything you buy.

✍️ Scientific reference

• · USDA National Nutrient Database: Banana, raw. Guava, raw.
• · Journal of Food Biochemistry: Antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic potential of Banana.
• · International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research: Guava (Psidium guajava). A brief overview of its therapeutic and health potential
• · International Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering & Management: An analysis of health benefits of guava.

🛒 Grow your perfect breakfast for any day - Guava and Banana

📚 Learn more:

• 🟡More posts about #Bananas and #Guava
• 🟡From Plant Encyclopedia: Banana and Guava plants
• 🟡Guava beats banana in the potassium game

📱 Watch YouTube short videos:

• ✦ Six guava varieties that will keep you picking year-round.
• ✦ Why every garden needs a Banana tree

#Food_Forest #Bananas #Guava #Remedies #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍴 Sesbania flower fritters: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 
  🔴Dip hummingbird tree flowers (Sesbania grandiflora) in light batter and fry until crisp.
• 🔴Delicate, floral, and fun to snack on.

🛒 Add Hummingbird tree edible flowers tree to your garden

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Sesbania grandiflora in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️Why it's called Hummingbird Tree
• ▫️Bird-looking flowers: you can eat the whole tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🌎 What Avocado is better - Mexican or Guatemalan?

Avocados come from three main regions, and each group has its own special look, taste, and growing habits. The three types are Mexican, Guatemalan, and West Indian. Many of today’s popular varieties are hybrids, mixing traits from these types.

• 
  Mexican type:

These avocados are small, with thin skin and rich flavor. The skin often turns dark green or black when ripe. The flesh is very buttery, with high oil content (up to 30%), and the leaves smell like anise. Mexican types are also the most cold-hardy, so they do well in cooler areas.
Popular Mexican avocado varieties: Anise, Bacon, Brazos Belle (Wilma), Brogdon (Brogden), Fantastic, Florida Hass (Haas), Lila (Opal), Mexicola, Mexicola Grande, Ulala (Oh La La, Super Hass).
Hybrids Mexican x Guatemalan: Winter Mexican, Buck, Wurtz (True Dwarf), Maria Black, Fuerte, Hall, Ettinger, Thomson Red.
• 
  Guatemalan type:

These are medium to large avocados with thicker, sometimes bumpy skin. They have a creamy texture and rich flavor with plenty of healthy fats. The fruit is usually pear-shaped and ripens in winter or spring. Guatemalan types are commonly grown in both Florida and California.
Popular Guatemalan avocado varieties: Black Prince, Booth 8, Joey, Nishikawa, Reed, Tonnage, Yamagata
Hybrids Mexican x Guatemalan: Winter Mexican, Buck, Wurtz (True Dwarf), Maria Black, Fuerte, Hall, Ettinger, Thomson Red
Hybrids of West Iundian and Guatemalan: Beta, Catalina, Choquette, Day, Hardee Red, Kampong (Sushi), Loretta, Lula, Marcus Pumpkin, Miguel, Monroe, Oro Negro.
• 
  West Indian type:

These avocados are the biggest, with smooth, shiny green skin and a lighter, more watery taste. They have less oil but lots of pulp, perfect for salads and guacamole. The fruit can weigh up to 2 pounds! They grow best in tropical climates like Florida, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas, but not in California.
West Indian avocado varieties: Bernecker, Donnie (Doni), Hialeah Red, Pollock, Poncho (Pancho), Red Russell, Russell, Simmonds, Waldin.
Florida originated varieties: Catalina, Hardee Red.
Hybrids of West Iundian and Guatemalan: Beta, Catalina, Choquette, Day, Hardee Red, Kampong (Sushi), Loretta, Lula, Marcus Pumpkin, Miguel, Monroe, Oro Negro.

✍️ In short:

• ✦ Mexican - small, rich, cold-hardy
• ✦ Guatemalan - medium, creamy, thick skin
• ✦ West Indian - large, smooth, tropical

✔️ Check outAvocado Variety Guide interactive chart. Sort them by flower type A or B, tree habit, fruit shape and quality, cold hardiness, origin, season and more!

🛒 Explore Avocado varieties

📖 Our Book: Avocado Variety Guide, Snack or Guacamole?

• · Hard copy · PDF File Download

📚Learn more:

• · Avocado Variety Guide
• · Posts about #Avocado
• · Avocado tree in plant encyclopedia

#Food_Forest #Avocado #How_to

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍴 Soursop freezer whip: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔵Blend frozen soursop (Annona muricata) pulp with a splash of coconut milk.
• 🔵Freeze 15 minutes, then stir for a soft, slushy whip.
• 🔵Perfect for a hot day, this whip is instantly refreshing and cooling, like a little tropical breeze in a bowl.
• 🔵And on a cold winter day? It still tastes amazing - like a quick escape to the tropics!

🛒 Grow your own delicious Guanabana Soursop

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Annona muricata in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️Guanabana - Soursop fruiting in apartment
• ▫️The most delicious Annona fruit: Guanabana

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍋 Lemon Candy Tree

🟡 Garcinia edulis - Lemon Drop Mangosteen, Madrono. Tiny yellow-orange globes, golf-ball size, with clear, juicy pulp, and when you taste it, you understand the name instantly. Sweet and tart at the same time, like someone turned a lemon drop candy into a tropical fruit. Today Chiane and Ashley are going to taste the fruit and share with your their experience!

📱

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍋 Little tree that makes lemon candy

• 🟡 Garcinia edulis - Lemon Drop Mangosteen, Madrono - is one of those plants that doesn’t shout for attention, but when you stop and really look at it, you realize how special it is. And today Chiane and Ashley are going to taste the fruit and share their experience!
• 🟡This tree stays compact and neat, with glossy evergreen leaves that always look freshly polished. Perfect size for a patio pot or a small garden corner. Ours here is slow and steady, but it always looks like it got groomed this morning.
• 🟡And the fruit… that’s where the fun begins. Tiny yellow-orange globes, golf-ball size, glowing against the green leaves. Inside is that clear, juicy pulp, and when you taste it, you understand the name instantly. Sweet and tart at the same time, like someone turned a lemon drop candy into a tropical fruit.
• 🟡People snack on them right off the tree, but they’re also great in juices and little dessert experiments. It’s one of those fruits that makes you feel like you grew something exotic without needing a jungle-sized space or complicated care. Give it sun, give it water, keep it in a nice pot, and it’s perfectly happy.
• 🟡A cute, flavorful, collector-worthy tree that fits right into small spaces.

🛒 Plant Lemon Candy Tree - Lemon Drop Mangosteen

📚 Learn more:
Does it really taste like Lemon drops?

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Fun_facts

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🍴 Black pepper leaf stir-fry: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Saute chopped Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) leaves with garlic, chili, and soy sauce.
• 🔴Bold, peppery, and perfect with rice.

Black pepper leaf stir-fry: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) leaves, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 to 5 small red chilies
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a skillet.
2. Add garlic and chilies and saute until fragrant.
3. Add sliced Black Pepper leaves and stir-fry on medium heat.
4. Pour in soy sauce and cook until leaves soften.
5. Serve hot with rice.

🛒 Plant your own Black Pepper vine for all your kitchen needs

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Piper nigrum in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️Cooking with Black Pepper leaves
• ▫️What is Pepper madefFrom? Black, white, green, and red
• ▫️ How to grow your own Pepper plants. Five most valuable 'Pipers'

📱 Watch this before cooking with black pepper

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals