EAT MORE FRUIT!
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Selection of foraged fruit found in Hawai'i |
When you think of Hawai'i and fruit, bananas, pineapple and coconut come to mind. This post is about the variety of fruit that can be found growing in the wild on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Much of the tropical fruit discussed today were found growing in the gulches of Mauna Kea.
AVOCADO:
There are different kids of avocados to be found. Smaller green ones and larger darker avocados. Both are good. The larger darker avocados are richer.
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box full of green avocados |
The larger darker avocados are blackish purple when they are ripe. When they reach that ripe-point, you have to process them quickly otherwise they go bad, fast.
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ripe dark avocado |
They make an amazing guacamole.
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mmmm! the most delicious guacamole |
GUAVA:
There's a lot of guava to be found on Hawaii.
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guava of all sizes |
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close-up of a guava |
Guavas are very nutritious. They are sour and have a very high vitamin C content. They have a lot of seeds inside of them that are harder than grape seeds and about twice as large. They have a very tangy unique flavor that makes things taste tropical.
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inside of a guava |
Coming from the upper midwest, I gave the guavas the old "applesauce" treatment. I covered them with water, added sugar and cooked them for an hour or so at low heat. Then I pressed them through a sieve to separate out the seeds.
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cooking guavas to make guava sauce |
I came up with the most delicious guava sauce. You can use it on pancakes, add it to a smoothie, put it in cake recipes, have it with yogurt.... the possibilities are endless.
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an abundance of delicious guava saucePAPAYA:Papayas are plentiful here, too. They are much milder tasting than the guava. They are rich in vitamin A and C. There are many recipes with papaya. Even using green papaya. When you handle a green papaya you should wear gloves. They feel kind of sticky, which is actually an enzyme that works like meat tenderizer. Some Hawaiians marinate their meet with green papaya skin to tenderize the meat.
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PASSION FRUIT:
Passion Fruit is called Lilikoi in Hawai'i. It also carries a very tangy distinct, tropical flavor. I like to add it to smoothies with banana. It gives many dishes a tropical taste enhancement. The seeds in it are not as hard as guava seeds. The taste of passionfruit has grown on me since I've arrived in Hawai'i.
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ripe passionfruit is supposed to be wrinkly |
POMELO:
Pomelos are big. They taste sort of like a grapefruit except that it is milder.
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pomelo whole, pomelo cut open |
I made pomelo-ade with the pomelos I had and it was very refreshing.
STARFRUIT:
These will add exotic shape and taste to your salad.
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whole starfruit |
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sliced starfruit |
