Fruit Tree of the day: Carambola
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Today’s tree is the carambola, otherwise known as starfruit. In cross-section, it really does look like a star!
You may have seen these in the store before, though store-bought ones don’t taste nearly as good. They damage really easily in shipping when ripe, so they need to picked 2 weeks early when they’re still green. Unlike peaches, they don’t continue to ripen when taken off the tree.
Even off the tree though, starfruit still taste pretty meh, like a mild citrus flavor with hints of its own thing. The great thing about the tree is the sheer quantity of fruit you get. The season lasts 6-8 months, (around Tampa Bay, late August through February, though some places in Florida get two distinct seasons) and during that time the tree will never have less than a couple hundred starfruit on it. I’ve tried juicing, (it tastes really good juiced, especially mixed with orange juice) making into pies, (it makes a really good “apple” pie) and putting in fruit salads, and I still end up with tons of fruit rotting on the ground… which is actually a good thing, if you want to plant tomorrow’s Fruit Tree of the Day alongside it.
Best of all, these trees take zero maintenance. My neighbor lets me pick them, as she doesn’t really like starfruit. So I know she doesn’t fertilize or prune, and I don’t think she waters that much either. And yet she still gets those yields! This is definitely a good citrus replacement if you don’t want to deal with HLB. Also, now I always snicker when I see individual fruits “on sale” for $2 apiece. 
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I’ve only had it a few times and meh is a good descriptor. Just tasted tart to me. Similar to dragonfruit that it looks awesome, but it’s disappointing to eat.
POPSOCKETS! ROAD ROCKETS! SONNY CROCKETT! AWESOME!
@RiotDemon Fresh ones taste a little less tart and a little less meh.
Still not something I’d actively seek out or pay a premium for, but I definitely always want to have a tree simply because of the quantity of free easy fruit.
Also, pies. They make a realllly good pie. Even people that have never had starfruit like the pie. Just take your favorite apple pie recipe and put in starfruit instead. I actually had one person swear up and down he was eating apple pie, while others said it tastes better than apple pie and made them like starfruit when they hadn’t before.
@Weboh next time someone brings in a box to work, I’ll make sure I grab some for pie. Sounds good.
@RiotDemon I like them but as they are expensive I only do it to add a decorative element to a fruit salad or fruit platter
Ok do you peel it or eat the rind?
@tinamarie1974 You just trim off the very edge of each fin.
D U R I A N
@mike808 I had fresh durian once. It was an experience.
@mike808 Don’t worry, this is on the list. Near the end of it, since I’m focusing on trees people in the contiguous US can actually grow.
@mike808 @RiotDemon That’s probably because it wasn’t really fresh, unless you had it in Thailand. It was frozen for months and shipped halfway around the world, so the flavor profile changed a ton.
@mike808 @RiotDemon @Weboh I also had fresh Durian once, the evening before I stepped onto an airplane for a 24+ hour journey home. It was an experience for everyone.
@mehcuda67 @RiotDemon @Weboh
Let me guess, that was you across the aisle from the flatulent Parisian cheesemongeur, and nobody noticed.
@mike808 @Weboh yeah, it was at an Asian grocery store. The owner was super sweet. She fed me fresh steamed pork buns and then asked if I ever had durian before. When I told her I didn’t, she drug a triple bagged durian outside and cut me out a chunk. The taste was, okay, but to me, the smell is not worth the hassle.
@mike808 @RiotDemon @Weboh I chickened out on trying it in Thailand - the closest I came was durian ice cream, and one bite was enough for me.
I love your goat month
@Star2236 Aw, thanks! I have about 10 more of these lined up, and then I’ll have to find something new… 30 days is a lot longer than you think it is.
@Weboh
You could do flowers or plants that are native to Florida. I always want somebody to do shoes and purses.
My Dad made syrup from soft, ripe carambola. It was really good on pancakes.
@PocketBrain Interesting! I’m always looking for ways to use up more carambola. Do you have his recipe?
@Weboh
No recipe, but probably couldn’t go wrong by pureeing it with a little water and dissolving some sugar into that at a low boil.
Maybe a drop of vanilla wouldn’t hurt.