Surinam Cherries

Star Fruit or Carambola,(I call it Balimbing), is becoming increasingly popular among the population especially here in Hawaii. A growing number of people find it not only refreshing to eat but also have healthy benefits like anti-oxidants and Vitamin C. It is mostly used as garnish for drinks because of the star shape of the…

Apple Bananas “Latundan” are such a delight to eat. They also provide your daily dose of potassium. I used to have apple bananas in my garden. I was able to have it flowered and gathered this bunch of bananas. My friend from Wahiawa gave the seedling to me. I thought it would be a dwarf…

Calamansi or calamondin – (citrofortunella) is our lemon counterpart  in the Philippines. It is a fruit but is more widely use as a condiment.  It is a good accompaniment for pancit or rice noodles, rice porridge or arroz caldo and also can be juiced for a refreshing drink.  It is sometimes used in “sinigang” or…

Macopa or Mountain Apples are in season now in Hawaii and they look delicious. Their red color make them almost look like red delicious apples. They are crunchy and succulent and although not too sweet, they are refreshing to eat. Each fruit have a seed inside which you can discard because they are not edible.

Dragon fruit also called Pitaya is a fruit from a cactus plant which I find interesting. This particular cactus called Hylocereus undatus is where you get this dragon fruit from. I tried to grow them in my garden but I never get a fruit, but at least managed to have a yellow flower which only…

Surinam Cherry – Eugenia uniflora – also called Pitanga is native to South America and made its way to Hawaii and is also considered an invasive plant. It grows easily and is also pest resistant. The birds like to eat them and spread the seeds by their droppings. Surinam Cherry is a small tree that…