Pronounced “jah-bo-tih-CAH-bah,” the fruit looks like big, dark purple, round grapes, but it’s in the same family as guava. Once they’re fully ripe, store any uneaten fruits in the refrigerator and eat within a few days. If we specify to “eat when the fruit softens,” that means to keep the fruit at room temperature until ripened and softened. But whether grown in Dade County or Orange County, all of these fruits show up at Orlando-area farmers’ markets and Asian and Caribbean groceries. Some fruit trees are very tropical and thrive only in South Florida, while others can handle a bit of frost and will grow up into Central or even North Florida. But others languish in obscurity in Florida, enjoyed mainly by a few exotic-fruit enthusiasts and by expatriates from the fruits’ native regions. The world’s tropics and subtropics are home to a huge wealth of edible delicacies, with many fruit trees brought from around the world to the Sunshine State.Ī few of these warm-climate fruits, such as oranges, avocados and mangoes, have achieved widespread popularity. Our benign climate also offers us local culinary treasures: all the wonderful fruits that grow in our state. Situated at the Southeastern edge of North America, we enjoy warm sunny days and gentle subtropical breezes during months when most of the continent shivers.
In Florida, we appreciate our greatest natural resource, the weather.