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A Taste of South Florida's Winter Harvest as of January

As we find ourselves in the heart of January, South Florida's unique climate offers a cornucopia of fruits and edibles that might surprise our northern friends. Let's take a delicious tour through the winter bounty of this tropical paradise.

Fruits in Season

Right now, two exotic fruits are stealing the show:

Black Sapote: Often called "chocolate pudding fruit," this delicacy offers a rich, creamy texture.

Sapodilla: With its brown sugar sweetness, this fruit is a true tropical treat.

But that's not all! Other edible plants currently thriving include:

Bananas

Sugar cane

Loquats (just beginning their season)

A word of caution for loquat lovers: Keep an eye out for worm infestations, a common issue in South Florida. However, some years fare better than others, so don't lose hope!

What's Coming Soon

The fruit parade doesn't stop there. Here's what's on the horizon:

Mulberries: Trees are in blossom now, with fruit expected in a few weeks.

Mangoes: Currently in full bloom, these beloved fruits will grace us with their presence in June and July.

For Our Northern Friends

While you might be knee-deep in snow, take heart! Your time will come. When summer rolls around, you'll be swimming in:

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Peppers

Interestingly, these summer staples pose quite a challenge for us here in South Florida, especially during the sweltering summer months.

Yam Enthusiasts, Take Note!

If you're growing yams, you're in luck. They should be ready for harvest right about now. And for those planning ahead, expect to see new yam shoots popping up in April.

South Florida's winter harvest truly showcases the diversity and abundance of tropical agriculture. Whether you're a local foodie or a curious northerner, there's always something exciting growing in this corner of the Sunshine State!

Backyard mango orchard - how to grow tips for South Florida

Paul from Fruitful Trees YouTube channel interviewed Alex Salazar from Tropical Acres in Alex's home backayrd orchard, info current as of 01.2022:

https://www.tropicalacresfarms.com/about

Sapodilla in South Florida - how to grow tips

Paul from Fruitful Trees YouTube channel interviewed Alex Salazar from Tropical Acres about sapodilla growing in South Florida, info current as of 01.2022:

https://www.tropicalacresfarms.com/about

Florida avocados at Lara Farms in Homestead, FL

Florida avocados at Lara Farms in Homestead, FL - Paul from Fruitful trees YouTube channel interviewed Julian Lara, info current as of 01.2022:

https://larafarmsmiami.com sells avocados online as of 01.2022.

Sugar apple (Annona squamosa)

Annonas with Har | Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa). Har is an Annona expert, in this video, he talks about Sugar Apples (Annona squamosa):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8_R6orV-2I

One of the most influential figures in California organic agriculture: Amigo Bob Cantisano, 1951-2020

One of the most influential figures in California organic agriculture, Amigo Bob Cantisano passed away in December 2020.

From UC Santa Cruz: "A lively narrator with vivid recollections of many significant chapters and characters in the history of California organic culture and agriculture, Amigo Bob Cantisano has countless stories to tell. Sarah Rabkin interviewed him on April 7th and 9th, 2008, in the farmhouse kitchen of his Heaven and Earth Farm, located on the San Juan Ridge in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills, north of Nevada City."

https://library.ucsc.edu/reg-hist/amigo-bob-cantisano-organic-farming-advisor-founder-ecological-farming-conference

Transcript and full audio. University of California Escholarship Site. Audio may be accessed using the "Supporting Material" tab at the bottom left of the page.":

https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98z5t9df#main

https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98z5t9df#supplemental

From The Union newspaper: Amigo Bob Cantisano, 69, an early pioneer of the organic farming movement whose accomplishments have been featured in National Geographic and the New York Times, died Saturday after an eight-year battle with head and neck cancer. "Cantisano wanted to have his body composted in the world’s first human composting facility, just opened for business this month, Bliss said. Cantisano’s family is accepting donations to help cover the costs with a GoFundMe page and the resulting cubic yard of compost should be ready for pick-up in roughly a month."

https://www.theunion.com/news/organic-farming-pioneer-amigo-bob-cantisano-dies/

From LA Times: "Near the end of his life, Cantisano expressed frustration that organic farming was still only a small slice of agriculture — even as environmental threats increased. But he was never consumed by the disappointment. He liked to swim in lakes and rivers and hike in the Sierra and dance.
“Amigo was about adding life, whether it was microbes in the soil or turning up the music,” Earnshaw said. “He always said perseverance and diligence are the key to getting things to change. And lately I’ve been thinking he was talking about more than farming.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-29/amigo-bob-cantisano-organic-farming-movement-dies-at-69

Demand for avocados increases by 30% per year but that comes at a heavy environmental impact

Avocado cultivation has dramatic consequences and has been linked to water shortages, human rights violations and an environmentally damage. It takes 1,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of avocado fruit.

The demand for avocados increases by 30% per year but that comes at a heavy environmental impact.

DW Documentary:

Growing Jackfruit in South Florida - UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade video lecture

The UF/IFAS Tropical Fruit Extension agent for Miami-Dade County, Jeff Wasielewski, teaches you how to grow jackfruit in South Florida. This is part of the Tropical Fruit Tuesdays webinar series.

How to make a green burrito with bele as the wrap, large leaf edible hibiscus

How to make a burrito with bele as the wrap, large leaf edible hibiscus. Lau Pele Wraps from Hawaii:

See more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3upgRdecLU4

Suggested filling for the burrito:

- cranberry hibiscus
- leeks
- young moringa leaves
- young mulberry leaves
- bidens alba leaves
- turmeric
- hummus
- tabasco sauce

Available for purchase: Kiko's Crump TM South Sea Salad Tree AKA bele Tree - Abelmoschus manihot

https://wellspringgardens.com/products/kikos-crump-tm-south-sea-salad-tree-abelmoschus-manihot

How to propagate bele, large leaf edible hibiscus, from a cutting

From the Philippines: "Bele plant (Hibiscus manihot) - which is also known as aibika, slippery cabbage, Abelmoschus Manihot, Tonga Spinach and sunset hibiscus. This is edible plants or vegetables that easily grow in the Asian countries specially here in the Philippines. We grow it by cuttings and it will be harvest 2- 3 months from the day we planted."

From Hawaii:

Available for purchase:

https://wellspringgardens.com/products/kikos-crump-tm-south-sea-salad-tree-abelmoschus-manihot

Top Plants for a Food Garden in Subtropical Climates

From Rob Greenfield: Pete Kanaris's 10 top plants for a food garden in subtropical climates - Florida gardening.

1. Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius)
2. Moringa (Moringa oleifera)
3. Yuca / cassava (Manihot esculenta)
4. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)
5. Sissoo / Miami / Brazilian spinach (Alternanthera sissoo)
6. Katuk (Sauropus androgynus)
7. Papaya (Carica papaya)
8. Edible leaf hibiscus (Abelmoschus manihot)
9. Cranberry hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella)
10. Okinawa spinach (Gynura crepioides)

Plants available for purchase from Pete’s nursery by visit or by mail.
Details here: https://www.greendreamsfl.com/

Edible roses: Rosa damascena, Rosa gallica, Rosa rugosa

References:

https://www.tyrantfarms.com/stop-and-eat-the-roses-edible-roses-garden/

https://homegardenandhomestead.com/garden-roses-queen-of-edible-flowers/

https://helenalockey.blogspot.com/2020/07/calming-edible-roses.html

Summer salad ideas for South Florida

Summer salad ideas for South Florida:

Bulk greens:

- Bidens alba (edible weed), young shoots

- Egyptian spinach

- Okinawa spinach, longevity spinach, etc.

- malabar spinach

- parsley

- katuk leaves

- mulberry leaves, young shoots

- soursop leaves, young shoots

- muscadine grapes

To add some spice:

- moringa leaves, use sparingly as it can be very spicy in large quantities

- cranberry hibiscus leaves have a peasant sour/vinegar-like taste

- turmeric leaves, young shoots

- galangal roots, use sparingly as it is spicy

- green onions

- perennial leek/chives, see examples here: https://www.kitazawaseed.com/seeds_chinese_leek.html

- peppers, recommended: Numex Suave Orange, https://www.johnnyseeds.com/sale/numex-suave-orange-habanero-pepper-seed-3024.html

You can eat the entire sunflower plant, not just the seeds

How to Grow Microgreens (video)

How to Grow Microgreens from Start to End - Complete Microgreens Growing Guide, by California Gardening channel:

Seeds and instructions ho to grow peas:

https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/pea-sprouting-speckled-organic?variant=39470787592

Tithonia diversifolia (tree marigold) as a chop-and-drop mulch and fertilizer in Florida

Tithonia diversifolia is a species of flowering plant that is commonly known as the tree marigold, Mexican tournesol, Mexican sunflower, Japanese sunflower or Nitobe chrysanthemum. It is native to Mexico and Central America but has a nearly pantropical distribution as an introduced species.

It has shown potential in raising the soil fertility in soils depleted in nutrients. This plant is a "weed" that grows quickly and has become an option as an affordable alternative to expensive synthetic fertilizers.

It can be grown as shrub of hedge

Tithonia diversifolia is 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) in height with upright and sometimes ligneous stalks in the form of woody shrubs. The large, showy flowers are yellow to orange colored and 5–15 cm wide and 10–30 cm long.

It works as a fertilizer but it takes a lot of work

Harvesting and distributing this fertilizer over the land by hand is very labor-intensive. The best yields come when T. diversifolia is grown off the land as to not take up growing space. For this reason, when time spent on labor has been factored, this approach may not be beneficial to a farmer.

Tithonia diversifolia can be used as organic fertilizer biomass. For this use, the plant is first grown in hedges around the edges of harvest land. The green stems (not the woody stems), leaves, and flowers can be removed from the plant at a farmer selected time, though it is recommended that cutting every 5 months will give a plentiful amount of nutrients in the biomass. The biomass can also be used as a mulch and can be left on top of the soil to decompose into the ground.

How to propagate

Cuttings root very easily, just like cassava, in fact, you can grow them together.

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L3gcvS0oZQ

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithonia_diversifolia

https://growerjim.blogspot.com/2014/08/tithonia-diversifolia-bolivian-sunflower.html

http://www.thesurvivalgardener.com/meet-amazing-giant-sunflower-that-fixes/

https://www.echocommunity.org/en/resources/61d7b231-5e4e-4448-82d0-51d83a5025e8

Yaupon Tea - America's Original Native Caffenated 'Tea' Plant

Ilex vomitoria, commonly known as yaupon or yaupon holly, is a species of holly that is native to southeastern North America.

The word yaupon was derived from its Catawban name, yopún, which is a diminutive form of the word yop, meaning "tree". The Latin name "vomitoria" comes from an incorrect belief by Europeans that the plant caused vomiting in certain ceremonies.

The plant was traditionally used by Native Americans to make an infusion containing caffeine. It and another plant in the Rubiaceae family, Galium aparine, are the only known plants indigenous to North America that produce caffeine. The plant is also widely used for landscaping in its native range.

You can buy the tea and the plants from Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA: https://www.yauponbrothers.com

Yaupon Brothers offer an Yaupon cultivar called "Schilling's Dwarf." Living up to its name, it grows to 4 feet tall, and 4 feet wide. Trimmings can be used to to make your own yaupon tea. All Schillings Yaupon trees offered by Yaupon Brothers are male, meaning that they do not develop berries. They do have cheery flowers in the spring which attract a wide range of pollinators.

These little Yaupon trees will thrive anywhere in the southeast USA. They are hardy to USDA zone 7, and tolerate temperatures down to 10 F for short time periods.

Schilling's dwarf holly grows in sun or light shade in soils from dry to wet, withstands drought when established and is highly salt-tolerant, making it suited to seaside plantings. Schilling's dwarf is a selection of the native yaupon holly, which grows naturally without irrigation on the dunes along the Atlantic Ocean. Growth rate is slow to moderate. Plant 4-5 feet apart for mass planting. Be sure to set plants several feet back from a walk, driveway or lawn area, because plants grow wider than tall and often require pruning to control their lateral growth. Be sure to leave the bottom of the plant much wider than the top so that lower foliage is left on the plant. If you attempt to shear vertically, the lower branches will be shaded and often lose foliage. This will give the shrub an unsightly, dark, leafless bottom.

Schilling's dwarf trees are shipped from Plant Click, from Raleigh, NC.

https://www.yauponbrothers.com/collections/shop-now/products/live-yaupon-tree-1-gal

They have an active YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1hGFk-WriknjdCK0iqF0MQ/videos?

From Rob Greenfield:

References:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/04/429071993/heres-the-buzz-on-americas-forgotten-native-tea-plant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria
https://www.yauponbrothers.com/pages/about-yaupon-turbo
https://marblebotanics.com/blog/2018/10/7/make-your-own-yaupon
https://marblebotanics.com/blog/2018/7/19/yaupon-intro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_drink

LSU Champagne Fig Tree

LSU Champagne Fig is a hybrid releases from the Louisiana State University (LSU) agricultural program. It is a cross between 'Celeste' (female) and C1 (male) which is a Capri fig from California.

LSU Champagne produces small fruit with yellow to green skin and golden flesh. It's a green fig, just like Ischia, Kadota, etc.

Champagne has a slightly rounded end that tapers towards the stem and a short neck. The eye is partially closed on mature fruit.

Where to buy: https://www.gurneys.com/product/fig-champagne-fig

LSU fig breeding program has been very productive over the years, since 1950's. “Figs are fun to grow and collect. You can grow them in 5-gallon or 10-gallon pots and put many different varieties in a backyard.” The LSU AgCenter revived O’Rourke’s research in 1990 and began releasing new varieties. “Since then, we’ve released LSU Purple, LSU Gold, Tiger, Champagne and O’Rourke, which we named after Ed,” Johnson said. Read more here: https://www.lsuagcenter.com/portals/communications/news/news_archive/2015/june/headline_news/figs-remain-popular-louisiana-fruit

References:

https://www.figdatabase.com/variety-details/660/lsu-champagne
PDF article

Wampee (Clausena lansium) fruit tree

Clausena lansium, known as wampee or wampi, from the Chinese word for yellow skinned fruit. It is a species of strongly scented evergreen trees 3–8 m tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to southeast Asia.

Its leaves are smooth and dark green. White flowers appear in late March. The fruit is oval, about 3 cm long and 2 cm in diameter, and contains two to five seeds that occupy ~40-50% of the fruit volume. The tree reaches a maximum height of 20 meters. It grows well in tropical or subtropical conditions, and is susceptible to cold. Wampee trees grow well in a wide range of soils.

The wampee is cultivated for its fruit, which is a grape sized, fragrant citrus. Its skin and seeds are often eaten along side the pulp, much like kumquat. Apparently, wampees grow quickly and produce from their first year.

Let's hope citrus greening disease does not affect wampee in South Florida.

Where to buy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/303115536225

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clausena_lansium
https://urbantropicals.com/product-category/fruit-trees/
https://www.fairchildgarden.org/Portals/0/docs/CTPC/Javier/OCASSIONAL_PAPERS/Occasional_Paper_No_19.pdf

Red jaboticaba (Plinia cauliflora x aureana) is called "Precocious" because it can fruit in 3-4 years

Red jaboticaba, Plinia cauliflora x aureana, fruit tree is a seedling hybrid, also called Precocious Jaboticaba. This makes for a very fast fruiting plant. Can fruit in 3-4 years, as opposed to 6-8 years for regular jaboticaba. Great tasting and dwarfing habit.

Where to buy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/302476125938

Plinia cauliflora, the Brazilian grapetree,jaboticaba, is a fruit tree in the family Myrtaceae, native to Minas Gerais, Goiás and São Paulo states in Brazil. The tree is known for its white-pulped fruits which grow directly on the trunk.

References:

PDF
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabuticaba
https://www.pepesplants.com/jaboticaba.html

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