Just like my fascination for the palms while in Florida, when travelling in Central America, one thing that really picked my curiosity, was the multitude of fruit trees, growing everywhere.
Papaya, Avocado trees, Banana, Cashew trees and of course the Mango trees. Mangoes, one of my favourite fruit. Once you know what your looking for, it's all you see, fruit trees.....For the first time in all our tropical travels, I can actually easily identify them, close or far. I even got to pick and eat my own mango, after patiently watching them grow, as it is now, harvest time, March and April. What trees mostly got my attention, are the mango and cashew trees. Both are actually related and grow like weeds. Than why, oh why, are they so expensive? For one, the mangoes we purchase at our super market are cultivated and farmed. They are bigger in size and for taste, well, they are the same as the wild ones. They come in yellow, orange and green. Little did I know, that protective wear is needed to harvest mangoes, because the sap from the branches and the oil on the leaves, can be as irritating to the skin as coming in contact with poison Ivy. It causes mild to severe dermatitis and some people are even severely allergic to the irritant.
The cashew tree, to my surprise, it is also a fruit tree. It gives "Cashew Apples" which are edible fresh or dried. The nut is attached to the fruit that looks more like a pear than an apple. I've seen some beautiful red ones and yellow one. Although easy to grow and harvest, processing and roasting cashews, is the difficult and challenging part. It is done in multiple stages, as the shelled nut, contains a nasty caustic liquid that can cause severe burns. The nut can only be separated from the shell once frozen, then it is roasted in hot oil. Interestingly enough I read that when submerged in very hot oil for as little as two minutes, the frozen nut "hisses and jumps" and can still squirt its nasty substance. When I think of it, I now have a whole new appreciation for the delectable nut that I once thought "expensive".
My favourite photo, is the one of the large mango tree, right on top of a fruit stand, taken on a day trip in the mountains. How convenient! Enjoy!
CASHEW TREE
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