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St. Croix Caribbean Fruit Part I

The abundance of sweet, juicy, fresh, local tropical fruit is one of the many reasons I love St. Croix.  There’s such an abundance that first off, I couldn’t possibly name them all and second, it just wouldn’t do it justice to create just one post.  Keep an eye out next week for part 2 for more of my favorite Crucian Caribbean fruit.

I would be remiss to not begin with my beloved coconuts.  For me, there’s no better way to start the day than with freshly cracked coconut water with some meat to share with Nala {which is hands down, her favorite treat}.  I know that some people find it to be an acquired taste but in our household, we not only crave it,  we also repurpose it for everything from freshly blended coconut milk to charcoal {if we’re feeling particularly industrious}.  I’ve decided that curry just isn’t curry without the subtly sweet-creaminess of just-whipped and strained coconut milk married with rich spices to simmer over a low heat all day.

Egg fruit always reminds me of a cross between sweet potato and chestnuts.  The flesh is creamy and is often turned into pie, custard, ice cream and the like.  I find it too rich to eat more than one at a time.  I cut in to one in my tropical fruit farm video.

Guava is one of my husband’s favorites and it will always remind me of first arriving on island.  It’s the first fruit that was gifted to us by a new friend which I promptly turned in to this juice.  It has a ton of tiny seeds embedded in the flesh which you can strain out.  To me, it tastes similar to a papaya.

Ice cream bananas taste very much like such when they’re frozen for nice-cream.  I allow them to get super spotty and freckled which allows for optimal digestion and contains higher antioxidants.  Only then do I freeze them.

Genip/kenip’s are similar in structure as a lychee but with a larger seed.  Instead of floral-tasting, they’re much more citrus like and when they’re in season, the entire island is bursting with these.  It’s very sweet to see school children gathering bunches to enjoy.  Last season, my friend muddled them into a delicious punch.

Surinam cherries are not really cherries at all.  They taste completely different and if you’ve ever had an unripe one, they taste rather soapy.  For me, when they’re fully ripened, they taste unlike anything else I’ve ever had.  The best way I can describe them is …a sweet peppercorn?  Suffice it to say that these baby pumpkin looking bites are definitely unique.

Check back next Monday for my next collection of Crucian fruit!

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