Slideshow for Fruits of the Philippine islands

Pineapple flower Pineapple flower - from the beautiful pineapple flower to a delicious fruit Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 09:45:27 AM PHT Pineapple flower - from the beautiful pineapple flower to a delicious fruit

Half grown pineapple fruit The pineapple fruit starts to grow Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 09:52:51 AM PHT The pineapple fruit starts to grow

Young pineapple plant A complete pineapple plant with a half grown pineapple fruit Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 09:53:01 AM PHT A complete pineapple plant with a half grown pineapple fruit

Pinaepple plant with full size pineapple fruit Almost ready - some eat pineapple green in this shown stage - while many prefer sweet fully ripe pineapples Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 09:46:06 AM PHT Almost ready - some eat pineapple green in this shown stage - while many prefer sweet fully ripe pineapples

Large pinaepple plant with many fruits Large pineapple plant can have many fruits Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 09:45:44 AM PHT Large pineapple plant can have many fruits

Green pineapple in the market Pineapple in the market. Most Filipino prefer green pineapple fruits and eat the pineapple with salt Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:40:39 PM PHT Pineapple in the market. Most Filipino prefer green pineapple fruits and eat the pineapple with salt

Papaya seeds Papaya seeds - approximately 3-5 mm in size and black when matured. Date/Time: Mon 10 Jul 2006 05:09:36 PM PHT From a papaya seed to a fruit bearing papaya tree in 9 months. A papaya grows fast and in a variety of tropical climate zones. Each papaya fruit is filled with dozens to hundreds of papaya seeds.

Young papaya tree After a few weeks the papaya tree starts growing faster and faster. Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 10:09:51 AM PHT The first weeks always are the most delicate. Once beyond this critical stage a papaya tree is fully maintenance free for life.

Young papaya tree - a few months old Another few weeks later the papaya tree takes shape and looks like a real papaya tree - easy to recognize. Loving sun and dry places - papaya trees grown from lower tropical mountain regions to the shore. In rock, sand, gravel, up to a very few meters fro Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 03:28:57 PM PHT The papaya tree never survives wet soil or standing water like in rice fields over extended weeks or even months. A few years back I planted several seeds behind my hut - most of the seeds grew. 9 months later I harvested the first sweet and juicy papaya fruits. Next rainy season a few of the papaya trees were in a wet area with a few times a few weeks standing water ... and all of them fouled and fell.
drought, soil where nothing else might be growing in your opinion - all that never prevents form papaya growing high and strong and bearing delicious tasting fruits in abundance.

Papaya trees love company Papaya trees love company of other plants and trees - mixed culture is best. Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 10:08:05 AM PHT Do you love to be alone on earth ? Nor does a papaya tree. Trees are beings like humans or animals - at least very similar. Papaya trees love company of a wild mix of other trees, plants and bushes. Like shown here in the picture - this almost fully grown papaya tree - may be 7 months old - is enjoys healthy growth amidst bananas, coconut palms, hot pepper, corn and other plants. Papaya neither takes energy away from its neighbors nor do neighboring plants take life force away from papaya trees. They all just peacefully live in symbiosis - enjoying each other's company.

Papaya tree in tropical mountains This papaya tree is in the tropical mountains from La Union toward Baguio city Date/Time: Tue 30 Nov 2004 02:52:02 PM PHT At an altitude above 1000 mtrs above sea level still a strong and healthy tree bearing plenty of fresh fruits. Papaya have many valuable vitamins, minerals and are very juicy. In countries with limited supply of clean and safe drinking water, it is better to eat lots of fresh juicy fruits instead of questionable water.

An old full size papaya tree A few years old full size papaya tree soon can grow out the reach of man Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 09:54:17 AM PHT A papaya tree grows higher than 5 mtrs but thinner and thinner and bearing less fruits. Too high to collect the fruits after a few years - what now ?

Cut the stem of an old healthy papaya tree About a meter above ground - just cut the stem and wait a few weeks. Soon new side-stems will start to grow from below the clean cut like you see in this picture. Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 03:39:16 PM PHT Many stems grow out of one original stem - all to grow like a papaya tree, blossoming and bearing fruits for another season.

Now a cut papaya looks very bushy With the many side stems growing - the papaya now almost looks like a bush. Each of the new side-stems will eventually grow large and strong again. Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 03:38:38 PM PHT This cutting is done if you have a specially delicious papaya tree and you love to grow those fruits another year or two.

Rejuvenation - double rejuvenation of papaya tree is once too much Here one step too much of cutting a papaya stem. To rejuvenate an old tall papaya tree once is fine - more is too much. Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 09:48:35 AM PHT Rejuvenation exagerated. There is no benefit in cutting a papaya tree twice like we see here in the photo. Cutting a stem creates a rejuvenation of the tree and produces several new side branches of the main stem. Too much rejuvenation leads to weakening the entire tree and to loss of harvest. Once cut above ground and then much higher one more times - the stems are getting too weak and the fruits hence too small, the harvest too little.
Papaya trees may be cut once if you love to do so. But keeping in mind that new seeds may already bear fruits 9 months later, it is better to plan new young trees to grow early enough to have continuous harvest of papaya fruits.
Change location each time - and replace an old papaya tree with a different plant.
With the short but fast growing life cycle in mind there might be other use for papaya trees. Imaging you plant young trees that grow slow but need some shadow during the first few years to protect from drought. Papaya trees grow within months to give shelter to other baby trees and a few year later they can easily be replaced as soon as they outgrow your reach to safely harvest fruits.
Papaya trees are weak and in no way suitable for climbing up to harvest!

Green papayas - vegetable and source of papain Green papayas are used in abundance as vegetable in the Philippines Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 09:53:55 AM PHT Growing fast and everywhere - look at the quantity a single tree supplies. Hence Filipino have detected the use as vegetable. Delicious like other vegetable and easy to transport. Green papaya are hard and can be stored many days.
In medicine green papayas are scratched on the tree to bleed a white milky juice that is used to produce Papain - an enzyme used together with bromelain from pineapple-core and other enzyme in cancer and post surgery therapy. Hence papaya is like all fruits a tree with many most valuable uses.

Papaya fruits on the market On the Philippine markets you find an abundance of papaya of different shapes and sizes from different papaya varieties Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:37:32 PM PHT Different papaya varieties may vary a little in taste - but just a little. The majority of difference may come from the fact that most papaya fruits are harvested far too early for easier storage and easier transportation. Harvested green - after many days or weeks they finally turn into the ripe-color orange - but often are already fouling inside. Best always is to harvest them fresh and ripe from the tree in your own neighborhood.

Papaya fruit How to select your papaya fruits in the market Date/Time: Mon 10 Jul 2006 05:07:37 PM PHT A papaya must be ready but fresh. Hence a nice looking outside. Free of brown or black spots or signs of inside-fouling.
When you gently press a finger into the fruit - the papaya must be firm but soft. Too hard means ready in a few days - or foul by then. Too soft means may be already foul inside. A little practice will help you to select your best papaya.
Enjoy the God create factory of freshest vitamins free of any side effects. The result of fresh fruit diet is excellent health and a strong immune system!

Papaya fruit cut open A fresh papaya fruit needs to be free of foul spots Date/Time: Mon 10 Jul 2006 05:08:29 PM PHT Clean and free of any foul spots. Most papaya fruits have plenty of seeds. The black seeds are the ones ready to be put in your garden if you life in the tropics. Some 5 cm deep - anywhere in a safe place to grow up unrecognized during the first few weeks. Once it looks like a papaya tree everybody will be happy about the new guest in the neighborhood.
One papaya is enough for many persons - One papaya tree may be enough for several families to share.

Watermelon on Philippine market Watermelon are available almost year-round and in abundance and excellent quality. Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:35:46 PM PHT A delicious, juicy and sweet fruit - usually about 3-5 kg per piece. On most Philippine markets watermelons are abundant and in excellent quality.
How to select a watermelon on the market?
Hold a watermelon in one hand near your ears - slap gently with the other hand against the watermelon. If it sounds a little hollow - then the watermelon is ripe, sweet and ready. A little experience and comparison with several watermelons will show you exactly how it should sound for best and sweetest selection. Why it sounds a little hollow when ready ? When a watermelon is really ripe - the fruit starts to develop small air-filled hollow spaces inside! Hence the sound - while a half ripe fruits still is smaller and fully filled.

Watermelon plant Watermelon plants love dry soil and plain hot sunshine. Date/Time: Thu 01 Jun 2006 07:02:23 AM PHT The amazing fact about watermelon is that the watermelon plants actually love rather dry soil as you may see and guess from the picture here. Plain sun, hot climate and dry soil - even near ocean, near salty groundwater - the watermelon still grows and bears sweet fruits.
This very plant in dry soil already has near ripe full size fruits - see next picture.

Watermelon plant with fruit This is the very same plant as shown on the photo before - with a watermelon nearly ripe. Date/Time: Thu 01 Jun 2006 07:03:33 AM PHT Small plants compared to the size of watermelon fruits - growing along the bottom - bearing large rich fruits full of delicious sweet and juicy vitamins.

Guava fruits directly from guava plantations Many fruits are sold directly by farmers on small road-side shops Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:55:26 PM PHT Freshest fruits, best quality and most honest method to do agriculture always is to buy directly from the original producing farmer. Farmers are one of the most underpaid and yet the single most important job on earth. No farmer means no food. We all can leave millions of years without cellphone, without car, without TV or fridge, but no single person can survive without food.

Selling on plantations or farms allows for reasonably higher prices for the farmer and yet in most cases lower purchasing prices for the end consumer. IN the Philippines many farmers are used to sell their products directly on the fields or roadside such as here near Bauang, La Union - a very rich agriculture and fishing province in Norther Luzon.

Small guava plants for sale Small guava plants available directly from the guava plantation Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:57:46 PM PHT Guava bush grows fast - in 2-3 years you may get the first delicious guava fruits

Guava blossom Small white blossoms - about 2cm in size Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:53:00 PM PHT The miracle of creation - one day a tiny blossom - weeks or a few months later a delicious and nutritious fruit - are you aware of such miracles that take place in our world daily or do you expect other miracles from God to start loving him ???

Guava blossom - The Guava blossoms have an exotic heavenly fragrance The white guava blossom have a gentle and very exotic and noble fragrance Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:54:07 PM PHT Guava blossom fragrance is impossible to describe - but for those of you who know orange blossom - the guava blossom fragrance is somehow comparable in quality, intensity and purity.

Small guava fruits soon after blossom Blossom is only a few days, then soon small fruits start to develop Date/Time: Sat 03 Jun 2006 02:54:36 PM PHT Guava bushes or trees have many fruits compared to the small size of bush or tree

Half grown guava fruits Weeks later the fruits are already half grown Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:48:08 PM PHT In mono-culture guava plantation like here in La Union - the guava fruit now needs soon special protection ...

Small guava plantation This small guava plantation is on road side coming from south toward Bauang - La Union Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:50:15 PM PHT Small guava trees in a mono culture plantation - each fruit needs protection to ripe nicely and survive

Pesticide in a natural way - wrapping each fruit to protect against insects Instead of spaying chemicals - local farmers have adopted a system of wrapping each fruit to protect against fruit flies. Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:49:11 PM PHT The right side shows a well protected fruit looks clean and nice

Guava without pesticide or protection Guava fruit exposed to fruit flies show heavy signs of damage by insects Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:47:50 PM PHT This photo shows how an unprotected guava fruit looks like in same age as the previous protected guava fruit.

Guava recipe Guava recipe - Guava cream Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:49:21 PM PHT Guava fruits fully ripe are soft and fragile to transport and need to be eaten within a day or two when really ripe

To prevent transport damage guava fruits are often harvested a few days before being really ready

Here in the Philippines most guava are even harvested green like so many other fruits ... because Filipino love to eat guava fruits as a vegetable in salty dishes rather than as sweet and tasty fruit.

Guava recipe:

Enjoy guava fruit pure, or mix it in fruit salad or make a guava cream as following recipe:

Good for one person:

take 1 ripe guava fruit - a ripe guava can be recognized by its fragrance, while green guava have no fragrance. Cut the guava fruit into peaces, squeeze with a fork - then squeeze the fruit thru a strainer to keep the small seeds out - the result is a guava-cream.

now mix your guava cream with same quantity of fresh natural yoghurt - add about 1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar and a few table spoon of whipped cream - mix gently and serve cold in a glass.

Enjoy

Natural shape of a freely growing guava is bushy A farmer growing trees has a choice how to grow a tree Date/Time: Tue 30 May 2006 03:41:11 PM PHT Like so many other trees - when cutting all the lower side branches - a stem is first grown to the height the farmer wants - then when the cutting of side branches stops the bushy part of a guava tree starts to develop.

In this picture we see the true natural shape of a guava bush - about 3 meters in diameter - grown in mixed culture in Bicol province. This guava bush shown here has some 100+ fruits - none of them needs protection from fruit flies as in a true mixed culture if at all only a small percentage may be lost to insects - the natural mixed and hence strong environment is the best protection. A true native climate of the fruits is the best assurance to have s strong plant or tree with a rich harvest. While "exporting" plants into other climate-zones may lead to ill or weak plants and trees that then become prone to all kinds of illness or insects due to the weakness of that plant in a foreign NON-suitable climate.

Guava seeds Guava seeds in a half cut open fruit Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 04:06:02 PM PHT The seeds are small - the fruit delicious when ripe and guava is one of the Vitamin C richest fruits on this entire planet.

Guava seeds are easy to grow into small plants to complete the cycle and have a few guava plants to give away to friends - shared joy is greater joy. 2-3 year slater you may enjoy the first guava fruits from your own garden if you are living in a truly tropical climate.

Passionfruit wine climbing and blossoming in a bush Unless you cultivate Passionfruit with artificial support - like a bamboo stick - there is never a single Passionfruit plant Date/Time: Wed 21 Mar 2007 12:04:09 PM PHT Passionfruit love company - do you love to be alone ? Passionfruit loves to hug and climb up other bushes and trees.

Passionfruit plants always climb up support - any support they find - in nature that means Passionfruit plant climb up trees or bushes. The Passionfruit love plain sun and water ... remember the natural environment is tropics when your Passionfruit is giving you problems in your own garden outside tropical climate zone!

In the Philippines Passionfruit grow mainly in hot tropical mountain regions such as Benguet - Mountain Province at altitudes of 1000 - 1500 mtrs a.s.l

Passionfruit blossom - beautiful passionfruit flower A beautiful blossom of about 4cm in diameter every 10-20 cm of growth Date/Time: Wed 21 Mar 2007 12:04:54 PM PHT Almost for every Passionfruit leave one Passionfruit-blossom and delicious sweet fruit

Passionfruit is a year round and fast growing wine Climbing where ever there is hold, bearing fruits, blossoms and growing year round up to several meters per year Date/Time: Wed 21 Mar 2007 12:05:16 PM PHT The Passionfruit is more like a jewel in other bushes or trees - a decoration for other bushes like here. A natural symbiosis like so often encountered in nature - no one is hurt, the bush looks more beautiful and interesting with the blossoms of later fruits than without.

Young passionfruit fruits Passionfruits grow fast Date/Time: Wed 21 Mar 2007 12:04:29 PM PHT Within several weeks Passionfruits grow to its final size

Passionfruit plant climbing up trees Passionfruit size when ripe is around 6-8 cm and weighs approximately 100 g Date/Time: Wed 21 Mar 2007 12:06:50 PM PHT The Passionfruit is a little hollow, lightweight and filled with its sweet, exotic fruit flesh that looks like small frogspawn.

Passionfruits ripe Ripe Passionfruits in the market Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:59:39 PM PHT Passionfruits mostly are available in mountain region markets and seldom in lowland markets. The Passionfruit once ripe can only be stored a few days. Mostly the fruits are bundled with a string to a dozen or so as a minimum quantity for sale.

Here Passionfruits seen at Baguio city market.

Passionfruit seeds The Passionfruit fruit flesh is Like frogspawn - a jelly like fruit flesh around the dark seed Date/Time: Mon 26 Mar 2007 09:49:34 AM PHT To eat the Passionfruit, break or cut the fruit open the passionfruit and suck the sweet and tasty inside. Swallow all - no need to separate the small seeds.

One country only I have seen so far in my entire long life that creates a soft-drink from Passionfruits - Switzerland has a many decades living market for a delicious exotic Passionfruit soft-drink.

Banana plant flower It all starts with a beautiful pink flower and ends with a delicious banana fruit Date/Time: Sat 17 Mar 2007 01:42:56 PM PHT The banana flower only is pink during the active blossom time

Banana flowers The actual flower is the small yellow-orange stick about twice the size of a match Date/Time: Sat 17 Mar 2007 01:43:17 PM PHT Each of the small banana flowers will turn into a delicious banana fruit

Soon after blossoming time the banana flower changes color The tip of the remaining banana flower remains closed with many potential blossoms remaining sealed Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 02:04:52 PM PHT The dark brownish/violet part of the remaining banana flower is called banana heart and can be used either as vegetable or even better as a delicious salad.

If you know how to make chicoree salad - then you also know how to turn a banana heart into a delicious salad. however the banana heart is slightly more bitter than chicoree salad, hence to remove some of this bitter substance, wash your cut banana heart in salt water and squeeze gently. this procedure will remove most of the excess bitter taste.

Green banana Weeks later the banana fruits are soon ready Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 02:03:54 PM PHT Green banana still are bitter - the final process to ripen however is fast and ripe banana are difficult to transport - hence most bananas are harvested a week or more before ready to eat. In this premature state bananas still are hard and can easily be stored, dropped, carried or dumped without any damage to the fruit.

Banana plants best climate Like several other fruits in the Phillippines - the banana grows largest half way in the mountains than at sea level Date/Time: Wed 14 Mar 2007 10:44:19 AM PHT At an altitude around 1200 meters above sea level - between La Union and Baguio city these banana plants grow much larger, much stronger and carry far more fruits per plant than the banana plants on ocean level in tropical heat.

Bananas from the Philippine mountains Almost twice the volume of bananas on a single plant as compared to sea-level banana plants Date/Time: Wed 14 Mar 2007 10:44:27 AM PHT Temperature around 20-30 degrees day and night, year round and year round wet soil - in this mountain region we have year round water flowing downhill hence always a steady growth in an ideal climate.

Banana leaves Banana leaves are often used to pack food Date/Time: Wed 14 Mar 2007 10:47:31 AM PHT Green, strong and bio degradable - banana leaves are used to wrap food or cakes during baking in oven or on BBQ or as a natural substitute as food plate to serve rice and food.

Cooking banana Banana fruits can be found in a large number of variety in size, shape and taste Date/Time: Wed 21 Mar 2007 10:31:33 AM PHT This banana is almost tasteless if eaten raw - the traditional way to eat this banana shown in the photo is to cook the peeled banana in hot oil-sugar mix in a frying pan and it will turn into a taste sweet desert served on a small bamboo stick.

Banana plants grow best in wild nature Best environment to grow strong and healthy banana plants is wild nature amidst bushes and jungle Date/Time: Tue 30 Nov 2004 02:51:26 PM PHT While banana plants grown in mono culture and banana plantations may need additional help to remain healthy - including herbicides and pesticides - bananas are very social and grow strong and beautifully amidst a wildly growing bush or jungle environment. Hence to grow bananas no deforestation es needed, instead plant a young banana plant somewhere in the hills or jungle areas outside your garden - wait several months and revisit again to harvest the sweet and delicious bananas:

Banana plants when grown in real natural way needs no care at all. Humid soil like found in hills or mountains of tropical countries offers all bananas need to prosper.

By the end of a natural life cycle of one season - one year - the banana plant usually makes several small plants growing from same roots. Young banana plants then are cut by a spade when about 1 meter in size and then replanted in a free area to have sufficient space to develop and bear rich harvest.

Vineyard - vineyards in the Philippines are rare and small This small vineyard is one of the few in Bauang - La Union province Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 01:35:51 PM PHT Delicious local grapes are available in smallest quantities only and usually only in the province of production. The only area with vineyards I have seen so far in the Philippines are from Bauang, La Union province up north toward Vigan and again in Benguet province outside Baguio city.

As far as I know there is no wine production or grape juice production from local grapes. The small but most delicious harvest of local grapes are sold on local markets in Bauang, San Fernando and Baguio city.

Red table grapes from a Bauang vineyard Beautifully tasty, delicious and sweet red grapes from the vineyard outside Bauang - La Union Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 04:03:08 PM PHT Philippine table grapes are available along the high way directly from the vineyards.

Most of the table grapes on Philippine markets are imported grapes and usually much bigger in size and far less tasty. To find grapes outside the production provinces is most unlikely. If you are in these province and love grapes - local season is around February - March.

Green table grapes Tasty green table grapes from northern Luzon - Philippines Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:41:36 PM PHT Green table grapes also are found in Bauang, La Union and Vigan as well as the green sweet and very tasty grapes found on the Baguio city market.

Sineguelas tree - Sinegwelas - Spanish plum - Spondias purpurea Blanco The Sineguelas tree tree bears fruits during mid dry season with almost no leaves at all Date/Time: Tue 13 Mar 2007 10:08:37 AM PHT The tree has many names in the Philippines - Sineguelas tree - Sinegwelas - Spanish plum - Spondias purpurea Blanco and grows to a size of about 3-5 meters mostly at sea level in hot tropical zones of the Philippines.

Sineguelas tree with Sineguelas fruits Rich harvest from small Sineguelas trees Date/Time: Tue 13 Mar 2007 10:06:08 AM PHT Very special to Sineguelas tree is that during harvest time often the tree has no leaves or only few leaves.

Sineguelas fruit - Sinegwelas - Spanish plum A small fruit about 4-5 cm in size Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:35:54 PM PHT Green with a little red when really ripe - a taste almost like some apples, delicious and available all over the Philippines on many markets in tropical sea level zones

Cashew - Cashew fruits - Cashew nuts - Cashew trees We all may know cashew nuts - see more about Cashew Date/Time: Fri 25 May 2007 02:51:18 PM PHT I didn't know Cashew fruits until I ate one recently.

Recently in El Nido I traveled by trike along the beach for a beach photo session and saw some very delicious looking fruits - many of them.

Here in photo the fried cashew nuts. See all photos for the little story on Cashew.

Cashew trees Many meters large - Cashew trees little forest along the coast Date/Time: Wed 23 May 2007 09:21:44 AM PHT Cashew is a tree with many uses for all parts of the tree - bark, wood, leaves, fruit, nuts.

Cashew fruits on tree - here a red Cashew fruit Cashew fruits look and smell very inviting to bite - be careful and read first Date/Time: Wed 23 May 2007 09:24:11 AM PHT The look of these fruits along the beach road from El Nido south was very appealing - Hence I asked my driver what this fruit was - he said "Casoy" - a common name used in the Philippines for Cashew. Minutes later on one of our photo stops we had a few wild Cashew trees at the view point and my driver brought me a fruit to taste.

Casoy Casoy is one of the commonly used name for Cashew in the Philippines Date/Time: Wed 23 May 2007 09:24:16 AM PHT Beautiful in color - sweet and strong in fragrance even meters away when harvested

Cashew Here on the photo the yellow Cashew fruit variety Date/Time: Wed 23 May 2007 09:25:25 AM PHT Trees with red and yellow cashew side by side - besides the color of the fruit, there is no apparent difference in size or shape of tree or fruit.

Yellow Cashew fruit on tree From the rich expired blossoms you can see that a tree will have abundance of fruits over an entire season Date/Time: Wed 23 May 2007 09:26:08 AM PHT Cashew nuts only are commonly available on local markets - except in areas where Cashew grows. Cashew fruits are far too delicate and fragile to transport

Young Cashew tree bearing red cashew fruits Cashew fruits are harvested every few days Date/Time: Fri 25 May 2007 09:02:23 AM PHT With the help of long specially prepared bamboo sticks - Cashew fruits are harvested every few days all season to prevent Cashew fruits from falling down and getting damaged. Hence you seldom may see a tree with many fruits - only with the fruits nearly ready for harvest.

Cashew - Anacardium occidentale L. A complete "fruit" of a red Cashew Date/Time: Fri 25 May 2007 09:59:54 AM PHT A fruit as seen in this photo consists of 2 parts. To the left the brownish extension is the actual Cashew nut in a shell - hence the seed ( nut ) is outside the fruit. On the right side is the Cashew fruit - called Cashew apple.

Cashew nuts and fruits are separated A little twist on the Cashew nut and the nut will separate from the fruit. The fruit is the one we bite v- the nut is the one we leave to skilled professionals. Date/Time: Fri 25 May 2007 10:02:12 AM PHT The Cashew nuts are in a leathery very tough shell filled with a toxic acid causing pain and blistering of the skin when in contact with skin - even worst when people would do the childish method of biting / cracking the nut!

A carefully opened a shell with a knife to have a look at the interior or the Cashew nut-shell. The Cashew nut was surrounded by an oily liquid almost 1 mm. The Cashew nutshell is hard to crack and it is clear that nut removal without getting burnt by the acid is only for professionals skilled and experienced in handling Cashew nuts safely.

Cashew nuts then are prepared for the edible market - usually by a heat process that evaporates the acid component of the oily liquid. Here in the Philippines usually Cashew ( Casoy ) are fried - either natural, salty or sweet in brown sugar - all 3 variations are delicious. I prefer the sweet variation.

Cashew fruit cut open No seed inside the Cashew fruit of course - only delicious edible Cashew fruit Date/Time: Fri 25 May 2007 10:04:12 AM PHT Cashew fruits is very sweet, one the skin of the fruit is scratched or damaged, the fruits radiates a very strong and very sweet fragrance in its extended neighborhood up to several meters. Far enough to alert my neighbor's girl friend and awakened her appetite for the delicious fruits. Hence one morning my bungalow neighbor was looking around the balcony and calling me - his girl friend would love to know where I got the fruits. I was lucky enough to have plenty to share - hence his gf's problem solved.

The Cashew fruit-flesh is soft - all parts can be eaten. The nature of the fruit flesh is spongy. The fruit is totally saturated with juice - almost over saturated. Even the slightest touch lets drops of juice flow. If you scratch or damage the fruits - the fruits will bleed juice even without further touching or squeezing. Hence the Cashew fruits in totally unfit for any transportation by any means except for immediate local consumption. That might be the reason why I never saw this nice looking fruit on fruit markets before.

If you love to read more scientific facts on the usefulness of various parts of the fruit - have a look at the published scientific facts on Cashew - Anacardium occidentale L. - from Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University.

Avocado on tree Avocado trees the size of an apple tree Date/Time: Wed 11 Apr 2007 09:42:45 AM PHT Hundreds of avocado fruits on a tree

Avocado fruits on market During avocado season abundance of avocados on Philippine markets Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:39:21 PM PHT Season for avocado is a few months each year - mostly around March till July. Avocado of different variations, colors are available in the Philippines. All have very similar delicious taste.

Avocado fruit Avocado fruit range in size from approx 150 gram to 400 gram for larger fruits Date/Time: Wed 25 Apr 2007 04:01:15 PM PHT Season for Avocado is late spring until mid summer in most regions of the Philippines

Avocado fruit cut open with avocado seed How to select avocado fruits ? Date/Time: Wed 25 Apr 2007 03:59:39 PM PHT As so often avocado are delicate to transport when really ripe, hence most of the time avocado on the market are prematurely harvested and hard - inedible. To properly select an avocado fruit - squeeze gently between thumb and index finger - a ripe avocado may have a hardness of butter when NON-frozen but cold when stored in the fridge.

To eat - may ways are used. Traditionally in the Philippines avocado is eaten by many with sugar, while in western world we often use avocado in salad or we prepare the world famous Mexican Guacamole recipe.

Enjoy.

Coconut palms - Coconut palms widescreen wallpaper Imagine an island paradise without coconuts and coconut palm trees Date/Time: Fri 11 May 2007 04:47:41 PM PHT Coconuts and coconut palms belong to each truly tropical island scenery like the ocean belongs to an island.

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Coconut palm village Coconut palms are found in all villages along the coast Date/Time: Thu 24 May 2007 10:03:17 AM PHT Coconut lumber is a cheap construction material for housing - and a donor of free natural soft-drinks.

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A beach without coconut palms Imagine tropical beaches without the majestic coconut palm trees Date/Time: Thu 24 May 2007 10:26:11 AM PHT Coconut palm trees are like flowers in a field - a beautiful add on to enhance natural beauty of beach scenery

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Coconut palms grow right at waters edge Salty water around roots are no problem, storms rarely crack a healthy coconut palm Date/Time: Thu 24 May 2007 10:25:46 AM PHT Only really old and ill coconut palms sometimes break an a Taifun. Coconut palms are flexible to move in the Taifun - survive heavy long rain season as well as extended dry season.

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Coconut palm forest Coconut as a major resource in tropical agriculture Date/Time: Wed 23 May 2007 09:58:02 AM PHT With just a few meters distance coconut palms often are grown forest like in coconut plantations

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Huge coconut harvest from a single coconut palm tree Rich coconut harvest year round Date/Time: Fri 25 May 2007 01:48:04 PM PHT Coconuts grow from top to lower layers on the coconut palms. Top of the palm are coconut blossoms, more down the smallest coconuts and half down the drinking coconuts almost ripe.

Different varieties of coconuts Philippine coconuts are excellent in taste and different varieties can be found across the islands Date/Time: Sat 26 May 2007 04:02:56 PM PHT Here we see an excellent example of the full cycle of coconuts on a single coconut palm tree. To you see the small coconuts and at the very lowest section of the coconuts you see several brown coconuts. Brown outside, completely dried - the coconut now is really ripe and sweet to eat or drink. However most drinking coconuts are harvested a few weeks earlier while the coconut meat still is soft but more of the coconut juice is available.

Ripe coconuts often are only half filled with juice but much sweeter and richer in flavor.

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Drinking coconut - ripe coconut Both shown states of ripeness are used Date/Time: Sat 26 May 2007 08:30:41 AM PHT Top coconuts are ready for use as drinking coconuts while to lower coconuts are fully ripe and ready for processing as copra or cooking / baking use.

Growing coconut If a ripe coconut falls down and rests a while - soon a new coconut palm starts to grow Date/Time: Sat 26 May 2007 03:38:34 PM PHT The coconut holds all the nutrition for a new small coconut palm to grow - including the coconut water. Hence no special care is needed to maintain a coconut population in nature.

Coconut growing roots First the leaves - later the first deep roots Date/Time: Sat 26 May 2007 03:37:22 PM PHT Once the first coconut leaves are up and roots start to develop - a coconut grows slowly up and after several years bears the firsts coconuts.

Under the coconut palms Enjoy relaxing in a hammock between two large coconut palms Date/Time: Wed 23 May 2007 09:27:50 AM PHT Look up and enjoy the beauty of coconut palms - what would the sky be or tourists without coconut palms ?? Beware that coconut trees are highly care intense palms. If coconuts are left on the tree - sooner or later the coconuts WILL follow the call of gravity and fall down. If hitting your head - you most likely are rid of all your earthly problems until next reincarnation. A coconut is hard and heavy and the damage substantial if hitting object !

To avoid such coconut damage - coconut farmers or resort owners clean up all coconut palms once or twice a year cutting all old leaves and half ripe coconuts to avoid damage by falling leaves and coconuts during stormy season.

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Copra Copra - dried and smoked coconut - ready to be processed Date/Time: Sun 04 Jun 2006 01:52:26 PM PHT Copra is a result of the process of smoking and drying the meat of the coconut as a means of natural preservative. Without this smoking and drying the coconut would soon turn rancid and be worthless for any further use. Cold pressed virgin coconut oil in tropical countries can only be stored for a few weeks maximum before turning rancid. Cooking coconut oil however is refined / heat processed.

In many very remote villages copra is one of the few products ready for trade exchange. The smoking/drying process allows villagers to accumulate copra over weeks or months until sufficient quantity is available worth to be transported. 1 kg copra costs about 30 US cents to the farmer - a tiny share compared to the price of one liter virgin coconut oil on the international market.

Small hut to smoke copra below the hut a big and deep earth hole Date/Time: Tue 22 May 2007 10:48:04 AM PHT Raw coconut flesh is piled up in the earth-hole. First a layer of firewood for the smoking process then the coconuts pieces. The hut and roofing protects the process from rain water wetting the coconuts during the many days lasting drying process.

Fresh coconut Multiple delicious use of coconut in household cooking and cosmetics Date/Time: Fri 02 Jun 2006 04:34:02 PM PHT Grind fresh ripe coconut is used for cakes, cookies and of course in gourmet cooking. Coconut is a traditional ingredient of the famous Thai curry paste recipe.

Coconut when squeezed gives a creamy delicious coconut cream used for the popular Piña Colada as well as used for many cosmetic applications. Coconut cream as a skin lotion gives your skin a natural silky shining texture. Coconut oil used as sun oil will give you a deep natural tan and the most important benefit of coconut oil is its stability in salt water. Coconut oil is salt water resistant to protect your skin during extended periods of salt water exposure such as surfing or windsurfing instructors or SCUBA instructors.

Mango - sweetest mango in the world = Philippine mango Certainly the queen of all Philippine fruits - Mango! Officially the sweetest mango in the world - the Philippine mango. Date/Time: Wed 14 Mar 2007 11:27:11 AM PHT 1995 the Guinness Book of World records listed the Philippine mango from Carabao as the sweetest fruit in the world. Besides being truly sweet - the Philippine mango is definitely also the most delicious and most tasty and free of fibers so often found in other countries' mango fruits
and ...
The Philippine mango has a full year season - hence for a full 12 months mango are found on all major local markets. The production quantities of course vary during the course of the year with peak season being from spring until fall and low season around November until February. Season may vary depending on province.

Mango fruits - mango-banana flambée recipe Mango are looking good and tasting even much better. Philippine mango fruits are like a heavenly angel-kiss ! Date/Time: Tue 13 Mar 2007 12:13:02 PM PHT Mango exported never can be shipped ripe - hence whatever you get in your northern countries is only remotely similar to the original. Mango fully sun ripe such as these delicious mango on the photo can last only for 2-3 days then start to rot.

Once ripe like the ones on the photo - mango no longer can be transported. Mango are fragile, sensitive to pressure points and may foul within a day or two at pressure points. Hence mango are best when eaten the day you buy your mango fresh from the market or latest next day.

The use of mango fruits is manifold. Traditionally here in the Philippines we use mango for fresh mango juice, mango shake, mango ice cream or simply as a fruit or in fruit salad ...

If you love the creativity of a chef, then try mango-banana flambée recipe.

take a clean pan on fire or gas - medium heat, then add per person:

1-2 spoon brown sugar
shot local brown rum
the pealed 2 halves of a mango fruit
one banana, cut in half alongside

sugar and rum will melt and the mango/banana will gently boil in this tropical mix of sugar-rum. heath both sides a few minutes per side until banana gets soft. now before serving add another shot of rum and light the hot alcohol - poor on a plate - be careful to avoid spilling the burning alcohol.

Serve the mango-banana flambée while burning.

No worry about alcohol, all alcohol will be evaporated and only the delicious rum taste left in your dish. Hence the recipe also is children safe!

Enjoy

Green mango fruits A preferred delicacy in the Philippines are the green mango Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:42:01 PM PHT Green mango are eaten salty in a variety of different styles and recipes. Prepared to local style green mango are often found ready to eat in local markets or along major streets like here the many small plastic bags.

Baguio City has my preferred green mango style - dipped in really hot spicy chili salt ! However my preferred style of mango are fully ripe sweetest mango fresh or as mango shake.

Different varieties of mango fruits Different varieties of mango in the Philippines Date/Time: Sun 23 Apr 2006 02:42:11 PM PHT The vast majority - may be 90% of all mango fruits are of the delicious gold-yellow sweet variety shown earlier - however we find other mango varieties as well like the reddish ones left and since millions of Filipino love to eat fruits sour - it it quiet common to find more green mango or green-yellow mango on the market than fully ripe mangos.

If you wish to bring mango to Filipino friends, then always select a variety of different mango - some fully ripe and sweet, a few half ripe with a little greenish color left and a few fully green, hard mango for those loving to eat mango salty.

Mango trees - Mangifera indica A small mango tree plantation Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 11:14:51 AM PHT It is quiet common to find a large number of smaller mango plantations spread all over the Philippine islands. Mango trees grow from ocean level hot tropical zones up to altitude levels 1000+ meters above seal level.

Mango blossom Rich harvest requires rich blossom Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 11:12:10 AM PHT During certain months - mainly early until late spring - you may encounter entire landscapes with blossoming mango trees all over - while during the remainder of the year you may see only smaller blossom areas on mango trees as shown on the next photo.

Mango fruit and mango blossom Mango fruit and mango blossom side by side on same tree Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 12:52:14 PM PHT A full year mango season requires mango varieties that blossom and carry fruits all year long.

Mango tree with mango fruits Rich mango harvest on each mango tree Date/Time: Tue 13 Mar 2007 10:10:56 AM PHT Approximately 250 kg of mango fruits per tree per year is the average harvest of Philippine mango trees.

Mango trees in the mountains - Mangifera indica Mango trees like forest - mountains between La Union and Baguio City Date/Time: Wed 14 Mar 2007 10:06:13 AM PHT Deep green large mango trees - all blossoming. A Mango tree grows old and very large - up to approximately 20 meters in height and width.

Fresh mango leaves Different from most trees - the color of young mango leaves Date/Time: Mon 12 Mar 2007 11:11:01 AM PHT All young fresh mango leaves are brownish - almost rusty color like the mango leaves shown on this photo. A few weeks later all these beautiful leaves turn into a very dark green.

Dragon fruit Dragon fruit - the fruit o