The Fruit

Planted over the years, some of the following are fully grown while others may be quite small. There have been some accidents and some trees didn’t make it. I have a variety of trees for a reason. If I had planted just Valencia Oranges, I would have had acres of them. Unless I had a buyer I would sell them at farmers markets. If another farmer also had some also, he might have to drop his price, a I would, just to sell them all. That would not be fair to him, so variety is the answer. Also if a particular blight happened, I would have other crops to rely upon.

Here is the current (2025) list and description of what I am growing:

 

Acerola (Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry) – A small, bright red fruit that is tart-sweet and very high in vitamin C. Considered exotic outside the tropics.

Allspice (Pimento, Jamaica pepper) – A spice berry with a warm flavor that blends cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove notes. Exotic, mainly used dried in cooking.

Black Sapote (Chocolate pudding fruit) – A dark green fruit with custardy flesh that tastes like mild chocolate pudding when ripe. Very exotic in flavor and rare.

Brown Turkey Fig – A soft, sweet fig with earthy berry notes. Familiar in warm regions but still somewhat exotic in Hawaii.

Calamansi Lime (Calamondin) – A small citrus with sour juice and a hint of sweetness, used often as a flavoring. Exotic and widely used in Filipino cuisine.

Cara Cara (Cara Cara Navel Orange) – A seedless, pink-fleshed orange that is sweet with berry-like undertones. Less exotic, though visually striking.

Cassia Cinnamon (Chinese cinnamon) – Strong, sweet-spicy bark with a more robust flavor than true cinnamon. Exotic as a spice source.

Clemintine (Clementine, Algerian tangerine) – Small, easy-to-peel citrus that is very sweet and less tart than mandarins. Familiar, not strongly exotic.

Coconut (variety unspecified) – Known for both sweet water and creamy flesh. Very familiar in Hawaii but exotic elsewhere.

Curry Leaf (Sweet neem leaves) – Aromatic leaves with a citrusy, nutty taste used to flavor Indian dishes. Exotic in Hawaii.

Dancy Tangerine – A classic tangerine with deep orange peel, tangy-sweet taste, and easy sections. Familiar citrus, not very exotic.

Eurica Lemon (Eureka lemon) – The standard store lemon, tart and acidic. Common and not exotic.

Finger Lime (Australian caviar lime, multiple varieties) – Cylindrical citrus with tiny, bead-like juice vesicles that burst with tangy lime flavor. Very exotic.

Ice Cream Bean (Guaba, Inga) – Long green pods with fluffy, sweet pulp tasting like vanilla ice cream. Quite exotic and unusual.

Improved Meyer Lemon – A sweeter, less acidic lemon with floral notes. Familiar but considered special compared to standard lemons.

Keitt Mango – Large late-season mango with sweet, mild, and fiberless flesh. Known but still somewhat exotic.

Kona Coffee – World-famous Hawaiian-grown Arabica coffee, smooth with rich, balanced flavors. Familiar luxury crop, not exotic locally.

Lilikoi (Passionfruit, variety unspecified) – Tart and fragrant pulp with tropical perfume-like notes. Exotic and highly prized in Hawaii.

Mamey Sapote – Large brown fruit with soft salmon-colored flesh tasting like sweet pumpkin and almond. Very exotic.

Mountain Apple (Malay apple, ʻŌhiʻa ʻai) – Bell-shaped red fruit with crisp, watery flesh and mild floral sweetness. Exotic to those outside Hawaii.

Pink Lemon (Variegated pink-fleshed lemon) – Lemon with pink-striped peel and pink interior, tart with a hint of berry-like flavor. Exotic in appearance.

Rollinia (Biriba, Wild sugar apple) – Yellow fruit with soft, custard-like flesh tasting like lemon meringue. Very exotic.

Sapodilla (Chico, Nispero) – Brown-skinned fruit with sweet, malty flesh tasting like brown sugar and pear. Exotic and uncommon.

Soursop (Graviola, Guanábana) – Spiny green fruit with soft white pulp, tart-sweet like strawberry and pineapple with creamy texture. Very exotic.

Star Ruby Grapefruit – A deep red-fleshed grapefruit that is sweeter and less bitter than common varieties. Semi-exotic.

Starfruit (Carambola) – Yellow star-shaped fruit with crisp, juicy flesh that is sweet-tart. Exotic yet familiar in Hawaii.

Tabata (Tabata orange, possibly a tangor) – A local citrus variety with balanced sweetness and acidity. Exotic due to rarity.

Tangelo (Minneola tangelo, Honeybell) – A hybrid citrus, juicy and tangy with both orange sweetness and tangerine tartness. Familiar hybrid but somewhat exotic.

Tanger (Tangerine, general type) – Sweet, bright orange citrus, usually less tangy than mandarins. Common, not exotic.

Valencia Orange – Juicy orange often used for juice, sweet with light acidity. Common and not exotic.

Washington Navel Orange – A seedless, sweet orange with easy-to-peel rind. Familiar and not exotic.

White Kadoda Fig – Pale-skinned fig with honey-sweet, mild flesh. Somewhat exotic compared to darker fig varieties.

White Sapote (Casimiroa, Mexican apple) – Soft, creamy fruit with flavor like peach-banana custard. Exotic and delicate.