#5 posted by thylacine , November 26, 2008 4:46 PM
The video and the subject of the book are enthralling and merit much exploration. The book is interesting, but I think
"wonderful" is a stretch. The book is as focused on Gollner's globetrotting and exploits as it is on those who have been
exploring, identifying and nurturing strange fruits for years. This might be fine but layered on top are endless
typographical errors and several errors of fact that even a novice fruity like me caught. It somehow missed out on a
good strong edit before being released.
#9 posted by saragorn , November 26, 2008 5:45 PM
I was an exchange student in Ecuador for a year, so I completely understand the world of exotic fruits. My two favorite
Ecuadorian fruits cannot be found in North America, which is a shame, to say the least. First, naranjilla, which is made
into a tangy tart citrus juice. Then there's babaco, which is like a big papaya shaped thing with soft, juicy, pear like
flesh that is cooked with sugar syrup and cinnamon and is soooo goood. I really wish I could find these here. I would so
smuggle them into the country if I ever get my hands on them again!
#11 posted by Anonymous , November 26, 2008 6:51 PM
Haha, part of the (mis)fortune of living in Miami has been the easy access to
weird tropical fruits.
In particular, you should try:
- Jackfruit. A South Indian relative of the Durian, but not so stinky. Big and spiky, like a cross between banana and
pineapple. Amazing in a milkshake, or jelly (it's high in pectin) or ferment it with honey in a mead.
- Mamey Sapote. Sortof pumpkiny-fruity. Make it into a milkshake.
- Lychees and Longans. Delicious.
- Canastel (Egg Fruit). Like fruity custard, in a fruit. Make into ice cream!
- Monstera Deliciosa. This one really took me by surprise, as it was growing in my backyard. Looks like a green scaly
corn cob growing out of a broad leafed plant with lots of holes in the leaves. Pick it, then set point down in a pint
glass. The scales will fall off one by one from the back, exposing a banana like flesh inside. ONLY EAT THE FLESH THAT'S
EXPOSED EACH DAY. If you get greedy and peel, the unripe fruit has enough oxalic acid in it to give your mouth a
chemical burn. Nom Nom Nom. That said, it tastes like a badass pineapple-banana. I run around and liberate them from the
campus that I attend in this swamp each season. People don't even know they're edible. And deliciosa.
Take a look at this
#12 posted by lisabethannm , November 26, 2008 7:15 PM
this is a terrific subject to focus on as was the one about persimmons. i'll buy that book thanks to BB. and maybe,
someday, we can enjoy these wacky fruits in the us. after all, we didn't have the ubiquitous kiwi when i was a kid!
[permaculture] Video of exotic fruits and the obsessives who hunt them - Boing Boing,
Lawrence F. London, Jr., 11/27/2008