CindeeA, isn't that a terrific book?! I love mine and re-read it often.

Jaboticaba is an attractive tree that has fruits that look/taste like thick-skinned grapes. They are very slow-growing and need plentiful water. I've had 2, 1 died after the hurricanes, the other is struggling onward. Neither flowered or fruited. You won't find the fruit in stores. You would need to visit a local nursery or property that has fruiting trees. I'm lucky, I can just go to Excalibur to taste fruits.

Lychees are kinda difficult to grow. I have 3 varieties, and they continue to disappoint me. The leaves get brown edges from wind damage, they have picky pruning needs, and are often poor producers. I saw zero fruits on the many trees at Excalibur this year, and Lychees online also had a poor season. The fruits are weird. They have a bumpy pink/red exterior that you crack, shell-like. The interior is translucent, slippery, with a mild flavor that is hard to describe. I'm not that fond of them. I'd much rather have a Banana or Peach(G).

Longans are beautiful trees! They are easy to grow, fruit at young ages, but get HUGE! The fruit is similar to Lychee, but with a brown shell. I prefer them to Lychees in all ways.

Do you have a Whole Foods Market near you? If so, they carry Lychees and Longans, in season. So do some Oriental Markets.

Have you tried Sugar Apples? They are easy to grow, small, taste incredible and are soo cute!

Lisa

There's a couple of places. ECHO on Bayshore Rd had the plants and some samples in their office and the Rare Fruit Group meet in the Lee County Extension Service building on Palm Beach Blvd. periodically.
I just bought a soursop from ECHO, I had a drink made from it last fall on vacation and it was delish!

I totally agree with those taste descriptions, except that I love Lychee. It has this inexplicably addicting funk to the taste that keeps me coming back.

Two other really tasty treats are the cheremoya and the mamey sapote, and you can usually pick one of each up at a good Publix. The cheremoya is like a non-acidic pineapple, while the mamey sapote is like sweet pumpkin pie or sweet potato. It's delicious eaten out of hand, but the Cubans make a drink from it that is amazing.

WOW thank you guys. You gave my taste buds a wake Up call!
Barb-Lady talked about a sale this weekend at Echo (been there with Amber and her sis) can't go this weekend though.
Lisa, your details really help me a lot. I don't know if there is a Whole Foods Market near, I will have to check. And the Sugar Apples? Are they crisp? I like more crispy, crunchy fruits, not mushy. I grew up in Michigan in a fruit growing canning area where apples were crisp as morning snow crystals. I don't like soft fruits too much. I also love the fruit n nuts of blackberries and raspberrys and pomegranates where the seeds give ya crunch to go with the sweet fruit and juices.
Amber-I remember you speaking of the cheremoya and the mamey sapote. Will have to look for them and read more about them.

Thanks again, ladies! So much to think about....

How about prickly pears or dragonfruit? Anyone had notable success with these?

Lychees are a highly desired fruit for most Americans who have tasted them. I like them, but prefer longans, my wife prefers lychees. Lychees grow fine, but need a lot of watering, and protection from wind when young. Sugar apples and atemoyas taste fantastic, usually when I eat them they're in between crisp and mushy, they're somewhat soft.

Gary

CindeeA, Sugar Apples are not crisp at all. Rather custardy, and meltingly soft. Have you tries fresh Figs, or Jamaica Cherry (Muntingia)? Both are sweet, with a delicous crunch from tiny seeds. I'll try to bring some of both to Treefrog's party.

Drangonfruits have an interesting, firm texture, with a nice crunch from the seeds too. I like mine chilled, with Key Lime juice.

Mamey Sapote, as mentioned above, is wonderful! You want the fruit to feel soft on the outside. If it is firm, it is not ripe. They will ripen on the kitchen counter. I like cinnamon on mine(G).

Do you like Persimmons? There are crunchy varieties.

Gary, what am I doing wrong with Lychees? Mine are protected on 3 sides from winds (but any mild breeze causes the leaf burn), well watered and fertilized as instructed by LycheesOnline. Yet they grow excruciatingly slowly. I have Brewster, Sweetheart and Mauritius. My Emperor died last year.

Lisa

Thanks, Gary and Lisa. I have never tried any of these and also been interested in Persimmons. I think I can get a taste of persimmon at Publix, think I've seen them there. I have a couple dragon fruit plants, though none have flowered or fruited for me yet. Actually, Gary, I think you sent me one! The Jamaica cherry also has my interest. There are so many fruits unknown to me. My dad was always interested in unusual fruits and would bring home different things for me to try. I have had dates and figs before, never fresh though, usually dried. At Christmas Dad and I would stuff pitted dates with cream cheese and nuts. YUM! This new book is fascinating, even Dennis has picked it up a few times. Coco Plums are edible??? Never knew that. The birds steal all mine, but since the book claims they are only 'fair' quality, that's ok! I had a barbados cherry plant that died on me, from neglect, so never got to taste it. That is another I'd like to try. Lisa, If you can bring some samples of anything, that would be great.