Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍋 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

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🍴 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.

🛒 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

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🍲 What happens when you eat it every day: a bowl of Papaya for breakfast

• 🍊 If you grow your own papayas or just enjoy picking one from your food forest in the morning, a small bowl (about 140-150 g) can quietly transform your day - and your long-term health. This tropical fruit is naturally low in calories, high in fiber, and loaded with vitamins A and C, making it a perfect morning starter for metabolism, digestion, and immunity.
• 🍊 Why papaya works so well in the morning


Papaya is famous for its natural enzyme, papain. It kick-starts digestion, eases bloating, helps break down proteins, and supports regular bowel movements. Ayurveda has praised ripe papaya for centuries as a cooling, Pitta- and Kapha-balancing fruit that clears toxins and improves gut function. Modern nutrition agrees: a fiber-rich, enzyme-rich fruit first thing in the day steadies appetite and helps prevent mid-morning cravings.
• 🍊 Daily benefits at a glance

• ▫️ Weight support: Low calorie, high fiber, and keeps you full longer.
• ▫️ Heart and blood pressure: Rich in potassium, vitamins, and antioxidants that support healthy cholesterol, smooth blood flow, and normal blood pressure.
• ▫️ Liver support: Antioxidants, choline, and beta-carotene help reduce inflammation, regulate fats, and protect liver cells from oxidative stress.
• ▫️ Skin health: Papain and vitamin C help remove damaged cells, improve collagen formation, and support a clearer, smoother complexion.
• ▫️ Immunity: One medium papaya gives more than double the daily vitamin C requirement and helps stimulate white blood cells while protecting them from oxidative stress.
• ▫️ Constipation relief: Papaya’s fiber and enzymes gently improve regularity and support a clean, efficient gut.

• 🍊 What research shows


According to the National Library of Medicine, papaya pulp and seeds contain vitamins A, C, and E; B vitamins; potassium; magnesium; carotenoids; glucosinolates; and unique phenolic compounds. Together, these show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic actions. Studies link papaya extracts to reduced cholesterol and triglycerides, improved blood pressure regulation (ACE-inhibitory effects), and protection against oxidative stress.

Papaya seeds also demonstrate promising anti-cancer potential, including activity against colon, prostate, and liver cancer cells. Lycopene and other carotenoids further reduce oxidative damage linked to chronic diseases.
• 🍊 For home growers

A ripe papaya from your own garden isn’t just a sweet breakfast bowl. It’s a daily boost for digestion, immunity, skin, heart, and metabolic health. Growing papaya means you have a year-round supply of one of nature’s most complete morning foods - fresh, clean, and packed with bioactive compounds your body immediately puts to use.

✍️ Scientific reference
National Library of Medicine:

• · Nutritional and bioactive profile of Carica papaya and its potential benefits for metabolic and inflammatory disorders.
• · Anticancer potential of Carica papaya Linn black seed extract against human colon cancer cell line: in vitro study.

🛒 Grow your own medicine - Papaya

📚 Learn more:

• 🟡more posts about #Papaya
• 🟡Papaya tree - Carica papaya - in Plant Encyclopedia
• 🟡Which fruit helps you lose weight faster: Mango or Papaya?
• 🟡Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes. Papaya Tree.
• 🟡Carefree Garden: How Easy Is It to Grow a Papaya Tree?
• 🟡The truth about Papaya
• 🟡Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits. Papaya.

📱 Watch YouTube short videos:

• ✦ Papaya as a meet tenderizer?
• ✦ Why your gut is begging for papaya

#Food_Forest #Papaya #Remedies #Discover

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🍴 Sugar apple spoon mash: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟢Scoop out ripe Sugar Apple flesh and mash lightly with a fork, removing seeds as you go.
• 🟢Stir in a splash of chilled coconut milk.
• 🟢Serve it half-frozen like a tropical slush, eaten straight from the bowl.

Sugar Apple Spoon Mash

Ingredients

• 1 ripe Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa)
• 2 to 3 tbsp chilled coconut milk

Instructions

1. Scoop out the ripe Sugar Apple flesh and remove all seeds.
2. Mash the pulp lightly with a fork.
3. Stir in the chilled coconut milk.
4. Serve immediately or half-freeze for a tropical slush.

🛒 Grow Sugar Apples - in containers or in the ground

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Why everyone wants the Sugar Apple?
• ▫️ Annona squamosa - Sugar Apple - in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️ Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: Annona - Sugar Apple, Custard Apple
• ▫️ What does Sugar Apple look like and how does it taste?
• ▫️ This is why Atemoya is better than any other Annonas
• ▫️ What's inside this bumpy Annona fruit? Delicious Health benefits

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🔴 What is the best Red Dragon fruit and what does it taste like?

• 🍉 Red dragon fruit might look similar on the outside, but the flavors are all over the place once you start trying different varieties. Halley's Comet is one of the reds that actually tastes rich - sweet, juicy, and full of that deep berry-like flavor people hope for in dragon fruit. It ripens fast, so you have to catch it at the right moment or it turns soft overnight.
• 🍉 Red-fleshed types are also loaded with antioxidants, which is why the juice stains everything it touches. If you like bold flavor, check out other good reds below. These are some of the top varieties growers recommend for sweeter, stronger taste:

• 🔴🔴 Red skin, red flesh(Hylocereus costaricensis) - Sweeter, juicier, and more intense in flavor. The deep red juice can stain, but it’s loaded with antioxidants.

Varieties: American Beauty, Bloody Mary, Eureka Red, Costa Rican Sunset, Mac Edwin, Halley's Comet, Makisupa, Mega Red, Physical Graffiti, Sweet Red
• 🔴🟣 Red flesh, purple/magenta flesh(Hylocereus x costaricensis) - Hybrids, usually between red and white varieties.

Varieties: Cosmic Charlie, Edgar's Baby, Natural Mystic, Physical Graffiti, Purple Haze, Tricia, Voodoo Child, Zamorano

🛒 Bring a red dragon to your garden

📚 Learn more:

• · More about Dragon fruit plant from Plant Encyclopedia
• · When do I get the fruit from my Dragon Fruit?
• · Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it. Varieties.
• · Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?

📱 How to grow Dragon Fruit
📱

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

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🍴 Betel leaf bites: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🟢Spread coconut, peanuts, lime bits, and palm sugar on a Piper betle leaf.
• 🟢Fold and chew for a refreshing, spicy-sweet treat.

Betel Leaf Bites (Quick and Fun Exotic Snack)

Ingredients

• 6 fresh betel leaves (Piper betle)
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp palm sugar sauce or thick palm syrup
• 1 tbsp finely diced lime (with rind)
• 1 tbsp finely minced ginger (optional)
• 1 small chili, sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Rinse the betel leaves and pat dry. Keep whole leaves for folding.
2. Place each leaf shiny side down. Add a pinch of shredded coconut, roasted peanuts, diced lime, and a small dollop of palm sugar sauce.
3. Add ginger or chili if you want extra heat.
4. Fold the leaf into a small triangular packet.
5. Serve freshly folded and enjoy the refreshing sweet-spicy-lime flavor.

🛒 Plant your own Betel Leaf

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Piper betle in Plant Encyclopedia
• ▫️How to grow your own Pepper plants. Five most valuable Pipers
• ▫️Plant Smarter: Grow Your Own Brain Boosters
• ▫️10-minute recipe Bo La Lot with a leaf you’ve never cooked before

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🍴 Ackee skillet scramble: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Boil ripe, naturally opened Ackee pieces for a few minutes until tender, then drain well.
• 🔴Saute chopped onion and a few tomato bits in a little oil until soft.
• 🔴Add cooked salted cod (or skip it) and gently fold in the cooked ackee.
• 🔴Warm it through on low heat and serve as a soft, creamy tropical scramble.

Ackee Skillet Scramble

Ingredients

• Ripe ackee pieces (naturally opened)
• Chopped onion
• Tomato bits
• Oil for sauteing
• Cooked salted cod (optional)

Instructions

1. Boil ripe ackee pieces for a few minutes until tender, then drain well.
2. Saute chopped onion and tomato bits in a little oil until soft.
3. Add cooked salted cod if using.
4. Gently fold in the cooked ackee.
5. Warm through on low heat and serve as a soft tropical scramble.

🛒 Plant Ackee tree and harvest fruit you can't get from the store!

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Ackee breakfast scramble with hot peppers
• ▫️ Banned Jamaican fruit: why you never see fresh Akee in U.S. stores
• ▫️ Akee taste of deliciousness
• ▫️ Are these new Christmas ornaments? Ackee monster fruit!
• ▫️ What is number one tree-grown vegetable? Akee - Jamaican fruit that is actually a vegetable growing on a tree

📱 What is Akee - Jamaica's National Fruit - and how to grow it
📱 How to cook perfect Akee?

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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What Avocado is better - Type A or Type B?

Avocados are divided into two types based on how their flowers open - Type A and Type B. This has nothing to do with how the fruit looks, only with how the flowers work.

TYPE A:
The flowers open as female in the morning of the first day, then close. On the afternoon of the second day, they reopen as male.

The most popular type A avocado varieties:
Bernecker, Black Prince, Catalina, Choquette, Day, Donnie (Doni), Fantastic, Florida Hass (Haas), Lila (Opal), Loretta, Lula, Mexicola, Mexicola Grande, Red Russell, Reed, Russell, Simmonds, Ulala (Oh La La, Super Hass) , Waldin, Wurtz (Dual Type, A&B).

TYPE B:
The flowers open as female in the afternoon of the first day, then close. The next morning, they reopen as male.

The most popular type B avocado varieties:
Anise, Bacon, Beta, Booth 8, Brazos Belle (Wilma), Brogdon (Brogden), Buck, Ettinger, Fuerte, Hall, Hardee Red, Hialeah Red, Joey, Kampong (Sushi), Marcus Pumpkin, Maria Black, Miguel, Monroe, Nishikawa, Oro Negro, Pollock, Poncho (Pancho), Thomson Red, Tonnage, Winter Mexican, Wurtz (Dual Type, A&B), Yamagata.

• 🟢 Each tree can make its own fruit (it’s self-fertile), but if you plant both types together, they will help each other make more fruit. The flowers of A and B types open at opposite times, so bees can carry pollen between them more easily. This means better pollination and a bigger harvest.
• 🟢 For home gardeners, one tree is enough to get fruit, but having both A and B types nearby will give you a larger crop. If you grow avocados in pots, it’s a good idea to have at least one of each type.

✍️ In short:
One tree = some fruit
Two trees (A + B) = lots more fruit!

✔ ️Check out Avocado 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:
How Avocado trees flower and set fruit
Avocado Variety Guide
#Avocado #Food_Forest #How_to

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One fruit on this tray always stumps people

• 🍉 Another day, another fruit tray from the garden! Even at the end of November, something is always ripening here in Florida. This tray turned out especially fun - a mix of familiar fruits and a couple that always make people guess twice!
• 🍉 Today’s harvest includes: sweet Persimmons, Star fruit, a few different dragon fruits: yellow Palora and white with red skin - this is Seoul Kitchen. There's also Cocoplum, which makes great drinks. And - ta-da! - the little showstopper of the day: Curly Locks Orchid Cactus fruit (Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa). It looks wild, but it's edible and tastes like a tiny dragon fruit.
• 🍉 If you live in Florida or any warm climate, growing your own fruit is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Tropical fruit trees are generous plants - they don’t wait for a season, they give you something month after month. Some days it’s a handful, some days it’s a whole tray, but there’s always a fresh treat waiting. Once you start growing your own food, you realize how easy and rewarding it is to fill your garden with flavor.
• 🍉 Every tray has a new surprise. Come along and see what the garden gives us next!

🛒 Explore rare tropical fruit

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Can you name all the fruits on this tray?
• ▫️Weird cactus looks like pasta with Dragon Fruit
• ▫️Cocoplum: secret fruit in your hedge
• ▫️Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it?
• ▫️How soon will Persimmon tree fruit?
• ▫️10 best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes
• ▫️Top 10 fast-fruiting trees

#Food_Forest #Discover

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