Tropical Fruit

Allen and I both love fruit, especially tropical fruit and this is the season for one of Allen’s favorites, mangos, of which we ate many last year when we were in Copan in June. Right now, the mangos are green, but the locals love them that way. The kids pick green mangos off the trees on the ranch and eat them raw, enjoying the tart taste. However, the top of the fruit where it connects with the tree is quite acidic and the children rub off this part or risk getting a rash around their mouth. Green mangoes are also cut up and sold in bags on the streets, sometimes with salt which enhances the tart and salty taste. Allen and I prefer ripe mangoes and are just hoping there will be some left to ripen!

Picking Green Mangos at NPH

Fruit served on the ranch is primarily bananas, plantains, and avocados. Watermelon is also served on special occasions and watermelon and passion fruit juice are served. These fruits are grown on the ranch, but also supplemented by outside purchases. Other trees on the ranch are lime, cashews, cacao, and papaya. The cashew is a particularly strange fruit as the edible seed is outside of an apple-like fruit.

We had lots of fruit in Copan and were introduced to several new fruits like maracuya (passion fruit), jocomico, and lychees. Doña Tina had a big bowl of fruit for us every morning and it was quite a treat. There is not the same variety served on the ranch, but many fruits can be found nearby, and Allen is always game to try something new. We also walked by a lychee orchard when we were at Lake Yojoa. The trees were full of this funny fruit that looks like a fuzzy strawberry. You peel the skin and eat the white gel-like fruit covering the seed.

Lychee Tree by Lake Yojoa

Lychee Fruit

We were introduced to some new fruits when we stopped at a fruit stand after our volcano hike in El Salvador. Our guide purchased a paterna and a chicozapote for us to try. The paterna looks like a giant green bean and when it is opened, there is a white covering on the individual seeds inside the pods. It is the white part that is eaten raw. Apparently, the seed can be cooked and eaten although we threw ours away. Our guide split the chicozapote into quarters for us and we ate the meat which is orange-colored and reminded me in taste and texture of a sweet potato. It must have a sticky coating as my lips stuck together afterwards as if I had a thick layer of lipstick.

Paterno Inside

Chicozapote

As I probably mentioned previously, Allen buys additional fruit every week to supplement the ranch diet. He usually buys pineapple, papaya, orange or mandarins and apples.

Allen went on an unexpected trip this week to an NPH home in Catacamas where some maintenance work was needed. Catacamas is a 3-hour drive north of the ranch, so he spent a good part of the day in a car but was able to convince his coworkers to stop at a nursery on the way home. He ended up buying 11 fruit trees and a few other plants that he plans to plant in and around our volunteer home San Vicente. The new fruit trees include mango, mandarin, avocado, lime, and chicozapote. As with most things in Honduras, the cost is low (about $60 for everything). He hopes to plant and get the trees established before we leave in August. Once the rainy season starts (supposedly in a few weeks), the trees should get plenty of water. He has a wonderful vision and I hope that it comes to fruition.

Allen with his new trees in San Vicente