Growing Fruit

Growing Fruit was Originally Posted on August 17, 2010 by lavarock

I am considering the planting of citrus and ornamentals on the property and the timing was right last night to go to a pruning seminar.
Here in Hawaii we are blessed with moderate temperatures, great soil (when we can get past the rocks) and usually great rainfall. We don’t really have seasons, as you would further from the equator; however, our daily temperature swings simulate that. The weather at any particular location on the Big Island is based upon which side of the island you are on, and the altitude above sea level. Just a few miles from the ocean you will be thousands of feet above sea level. For each thousand feet you rise, the temperature drops about 5 degrees. I am at 850 to 950 feet, so you could almost detect the difference in average temperature between the west side of my farm and the east side. It also starts raining on the east side first and then descends down the farm.

Since the meeting was about pruning, it covered many of the various trees being grown here. We obviously could not cover all trees, however, the following list is a good representation of some of the fruit being grown in my neighborhood. For each type of fruit, there can also be many varieties; some may do better in one location and not grow wel just a couple miles away because of altitude or microclimate.

Imagine living where you could grow loquat, oranges, limes and other citrus, longan, cherimoya, mangosteen, sapote, starfruit, guava, figs, bananas, mangoes, lychee, rambutan, jackfruit, dates and much more.
Many of the items mentioned above may be unknown to you, however they may be quite common here.

On the mainland, Williams bananas are the common ones you find in the store. This is because they can be picked while green and gradually ripen later. Our ice cream bananas are picked ripe and thus don’t transport well. We and other locations have strict import and export restrictions to avoid sending or receiving bugs and diseases.

When visitors browse the farmers markets here, they often see fruits and plants completely foreign to them. Although not picked or available, the Big Island also boasts many almost extinct flowers found few places on earth.

With our weather and location, it is not all that unusual to have award-winning fruit grown here. Recently my neighbors produced the world’s largest 8.14 pound soursop measuring 24 inches long and 11.5 inches long. The world’s biggest mango was 5 pounds 7 ounces and the size of a human head. Also the world’s largest jackfruit was 76 pounds!

Although some fruit might be fun to grow, you do have to be a bit careful. Even non-record-winning-sized jackfruit can still kill of they fall from the tree (this is also a problem with standard sized coconuts). Figs and other fruits can attract birds and disappear minutes before we consider them ripe. Some plants can develop diseases, which preclude them from being shipped off island.

So, what do some of these exotic fruits taste like?

The grower described the taste of soursop as “a pina colada without the rum.” The New York native said the flavor is a combination of pineapple, banana, lime and coconut. She said soursop is ripe when it’s yellowish-green and soft to the touch. To eat it fresh, cut it in half and spoon out the fruit.

The black sapote is a thin-skinned soft fruit related to the persimmon, the flesh is chocolate-colored with the texture of a peach. The white sapote has a custard-like texture and a sweet delicious flavor reminiscent of peach or banana.

Breadfruit is from the mulberry family and is one of the highest-yielding food plants, with a single tree producing up to 200 or more fruits per season. In the South Pacific, the trees yield 50 to 150 fruits per year. They are very rich in starch, and before being eaten they are roasted, baked, fried or boiled. When cooked the taste is described as potato-like, or similar to fresh-baked bread (hence the name). My first taste was on Kauai where a friend made mashed potatoes from the fruit. The tree became familiar to readers of Mutiny on the Bounty as it was the tree being transported onboard ship.

When I was working in the condos, we had a visitor orientation breakfast where I might supply some papayas from my farm and would garnish fruit cups with starfruit from the farmers market. When cut like a cucumber, starfruit become edible stars and are great for garnishes.

So there you have a brief idea of some of the fruits we raise here.

More commonly known and interesting items we grow include orchids, plumerias, pineapples, coconuts, vanilla, tea, coffee, and cacao (for making chocolate).

It really is an interesting place to farm!