Musings in Miami: Fruity & Spicy

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Fruity & Spicy

Hey fellow Miamians! Have you been to the Fruit & Spice Park? I think this place is totally cool. If you don't know, it is 37 acres set aside by the Miami-Dade County Parks and Rec Department in the Redlands. Because this area has a tropical climate like no other in the US, it can host over 500 varieties of fruit and spice trees from all over the world. There are 150 varieties of mango, 75 different types of bananas, over 70 bamboo specimens and then countless other exotic edibles (and non-edibles). The cost is $8 for adults, $1.50/children 6-12, under 6 is free, and it is open every day of the year except Christmas.

Jackfruit

My sister was in town for a conference and spent an extra day here so we could play, and we headed off for this park. It was a hot day, but the trees are so fantastic and shade is abundant.... and it is a nice way to spend an afternoon.

They always have interesting fruits available to taste, and while you can't pick anything off the trees, whatever is on the ground is fair game. You aren't supposed to leave the park with fruit, but we took big bags and got away with a couple of mangoes and mameys.

So the park is laid out primarily by geography: Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, etc. Most of the trees have labels on them as well - MOST of them.

Like these.

And then we found things we couldn't identify like this little nugget of goodness. We sampled this in the Visitor's Center before we entered the park and loved it. And no, by "nugget of goodness" I am not talking about my sister. I am talking about the fruit. And no, I'm still not talking about my sister.

Here's another one we couldn't identify, but luckily there was a sign! There was an entire "inedible" section....

This was one of my favorites. From a distance, the blossoms really did look like fried eggs!

I liked the "sausage" tree too (insert inappropriate joke & giggle here).

We saw so many things - cocao, kola, tamarind, tumeric, lemon grass, star apple, peach, carob, cinnamon.... so very cool! One of the things I love about living in Florida is the access to so many exotic fruits. I have become a fruit eater. I really have always enjoyed vegetables more (I like my fruit in the form of liquid fermentation....), but when Mameys are in season, I'm happy -- they are like a cross between a sweet potato and a papaya and absolutely yummy. The papaya and mangoes are amazing here too. I have fresh-from-someone's-tree mangoes on my countertop (I didn't steal them, friends did!) Oh and lychees.... I have fresh lychees in my fridge as I type this too! Lots of work for a stupid little morsel, but oh! That morsel is so yummy!