An all volunteer garden

Beautiful chard

Fruit trees

I planted all kinds of things in that bed where the chard is last summer and nothing turned into food except the cherry tomatoes. After cleaning up the bed and wondering what to do next I noticed a small but unmistakable chard leaf had popped up. I've been babying it and eating it ever since. All I can think of is chard  and maybe many leafy vegetables do better in cooler temperatures.

The fruit trees all came up from the compost but except for the papaya they were moved for more space. The citrus on the left  (we're unsure which) is almost a year old. The 3 papayas are just a few months old. The day before yesterday Lorena noticed a new plant and said it was a Guayaba so we moved that over to the lower right. I would have just pulled it up but Hugo confirmed it's Guayaba. A couple of years ago some kids from the Prepa came around with plants as an assignment. I put a Carambola in my yard but had them plant a Guayaba across the street in front of a neighbors but it's not being watered or cared for. Now I have one !!  Love the flavor in liquados but the seeds can break a tooth.

Just had to do it

That was a three level Almendra and if you are familiar with that kind of Mexican Almond tree you know what I mean by three levels. It was almost up to my incoming electric and up against the wall if I didn't keep cutting. Main problem with against he wall was ants like Almendras and they would go up the wall rather than climb the truck of the tree.

The other thing is Almendras are extremely dirty trees and are constantly dropping fruit and leaves.  I've been paying a neighbor to help keep it clean but I'm lucky if they come over once a week and it really needed every other day.

The final problem was local kids like the Almonds and if they were not climbing the tree they were hitting. it with sticks or rocks. Kids falling 3 meters onto the cement sidewalk is not something I need. Then they have to mash them with rocks on my sidewalk to get to the nut.  Tons or work, makes a huge mess and stains my sidewalk purple .... and then they might draw on the wall.

Just called my neighbor Juan with a chain saw and it took him 20 minutes including cutting it up on the ground. BTW .... these Almonds are nothing like North of the Border Almonds I'm used to

No mas Almendra 

First Sapodilla

Hugo noticed all the flowers thinking tons of fruit and I said that the tree has had those flowers for a long time and nothing comes of it. Looked around the back side of the tree and suddenly saw the first fruit. We had totally missed it. So now it looks like many of those flowers will turn into fruit after being 2 years in the ground. Don't think I've seen these in the market so tasting this one will be a first. Sounds exotic and even more so that it's a chicle tree.

Scientific name: Manilkara zapota.  Also known as nispero or chico sapote, this member of the Sapotaceae family is native to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and Central America. Distribution of the fruit and trees began before Columbus discovered the New World, and now they can be found across the globe. 

Today the plants are cultivated almost exclusively for commercial fruit production, but the sticky sap called latex was also coveted by indigenous Americans. In fact, the sap is the original source of chewing gum or chicle in Spanish. 

The name "zapota" ultimately derives from the Nahuatl word tzapotl by way of the Spanish zapote.

Sapodilla fruit

Sapodilla flowers

Sapodilla in the market

Tropical Fruit Nursery - Sapodilla

Stealing mangoes

Well not really because the owner of the lot next door lives miles away and most of the fruit just falls. Two huge, very old mango trees fill the whole lot and almost overhang my second floor. I have to call CFE (power company) a coupe times a year to cut one tree away from my electric lines.

The first picture is an older one in an orchard but it's basically what I look at from my roof.  I noticed a few were almost ripe and got the "gancho" off the garage roof.  The gancho is just a long bamboo pole (also a hook) with a bag tied to the end for snagging fruit. I got one and Hugo noticed a few more.   Multiple large mangoes was too much for the old bamboo pole and right about mid-point it snapped.  No major damage to the fruit and Hugo says we might be able to get a new "fruit picker" at a hardware store.

Mangoes in nearby orchard

Gancho for mangoes or avocados 

Our score

I did a Google search for "stealing mangoes" and the instances are many and the consequences very serious. Even ran across a game called Steal The Mango which might end in death.  I didn't play it so you are on your own.

Rearranging the garden

Both lots on either side of me are vacant. One is for-sale for too much and the other I met the owner once but don't know who he is. I say that because growing stuff here is so much fun and I just don't have the room with 2 lots. Bananas, limes, star fruit (carambola), Chico Sapote, papayas, sugar cane, various vegetables, flowering shrubs and decorative palms.

The papaya was tired with only small fruit so I replaced it with the small palm that has been hidden under the huge bananas in the back corner.  In front of the palm is the new Moringa which I've been interested in for awhile.  It's grown a few inches there but I'm surprised how tender the "trunk" is.   It will out distance everything around it in a few months but still too young to flower this year I think.   I cut the large sugar cane and shared with neighbors so only smaller ones left.

The second foto was an attempt to show the Star Fruit flowers but they are 3 meters high so couldn't get close.   Makes me wonder how I'll reach the fruit in a few months. The tree is not strong enough to support a ladder.   Will have to consider a pruning plan to keep every thing in reach.  I had one fruit last year and looks like I'll have many more this.

Carambola in the center and higher than the 3 meter wall.   Last Neem in a bucket below it.  Buckets on the left are various veggies.  In the low foreground is my Avocado that has done nothing for 2 years.  It looked sick a few months ago and leaves were weird and falling off.   I sprayed it and all the leaves fell off.   Within a week it had all new leaves and the whole tree was growing like crazy.   Would love to someday have my own Avocados. 

Finally the Laurel tree which used to be totally root bound and less than a meter high when I bought it from a Gringa that was leaving Melaque.  I actually split the pot and have two Laurel plants/trees almost identical. 

First Carambola

Just had to brag about my first and only Carambola. I thought I saw a few more flowers about a month ago but this turned out to be the only fruit. Strange things happen with the first crop of many trees. Also because it's my first, I picked too soon and it's quite bitter. Will wait longer next time and try to improve it with limon (lime) and salt in the meantime.

A Limon for Shoe

This limon (lime) tree was root bound in a small pot in Shoe's back yard. Rather than let it die unattended I brought it home along with one or two other plants. At that time it was only about 2 feet tall and probably 2-3 years old. I've had it for 2 1/2 years and it's never had fruit.

Now it's about 2 meters tall, I planted it too close to the palapa and it has spines. Was getting ready to cut it back, wrap it up and transplant it in the community jardine. Last night Lorena noticed a few flowers and the small limon so I decided to keep it until it's fruit bearing season is over. In the meantime I'll eat a few of Shoe's limones and think of him.

More of my neighbors cooking

A few days ago my neighbor asked if she could use my oven (horno) and I assumed theirs didn't work or they didn't have one.   Many people use just a cook-top and don't have a full stove.  I told her sure but I haven't used it so unsure if it works (used stove).

Yesterday they wanted to bake a pastel or a cake .... and by her description it sounded like a sponge cake with a lot of other things thrown in.

They brought over a big metal pot covered with aluminium foil and I didn't really look inside.  I asked if they knew at what temperature and for how long and I assume they guessed at 200 for 45 minutes.   The oven did work and about an hour later they came back to check, decided it was good and time to pour the "agua" over it.  The "agua" consisted of sugar, Jamaica (hibiscus), cinnamon and maybe more.   Then back in the oven for another 20+ minutes.

When it came out and we tasted it I got a better description.   Toasted bread, tortas or maybe even tortillas ... anything bread like.  Fruit, raisins, coconut and nuts.   The "agua" was to give it flavor beyond sweet and keep it moist.   This morning I thought of "bread pudding", looked it up on the Internet and that's exactly what it was.   Recipes call for a preheated oven at 350 ... but my oven only goes to 305.   We must be on the metric system here and maybe 200 was correct.   Anyway it was good, I got a big plate and they enough to feed a large family.   Had to borrow the foto as my camera does not do well in low light.

My new fruit trees

Well the almond tree (almendra or almendro) is not exactly new since I've had it for about 6 months. The winds from hurricane Jova knocked it over and I replanted it a little deeper. Many almendra trees went down during the hurricane. Now that the storms have passed there is a new threat ... the neighborhood kids. The tree is planted just outside my sidewalk on the street to eventually shade the house. This morning the kids were beating at it with a stick. Why they would want to do that I have no idea ... but who knows what goes thru the mind of a 5 year old.

The foto below is not mine but an example of what mine might be someday. You can almost see the layering (levels) of the branches. I always thought you had to "Bonsai" trim them ... but that's the way they grow.

So that got me thinking that I just bought 3 more trees last week at a great vivero (nursery) up the coast in Emiliano Zapata. Huge place and really worth a stop if you pass that way. The three are; Carambola (carambolo) or star fruit, Chico Zapote and a coastal Avocado (aquacate).

I had the idea that a Chico Zapote would be a small to medium sized tree but as you can see below they can get huge. Gonna take some trimming. The Carambola looks just right and I love the fruit when it's fresh. I wasn't paying attention when I planted the Avocado and put it in the wrong place. It's now in transplant shock so I hope it survives.

Almendra (almond) tree

Carambolo (star fruit) tree

Huge Chico Zapote tree

Dog exercise to the mangoes

When exercise time comes, or lets doing something together time, we usually head out the back road into the farmland. Our primary destination is usually a shade tree to cool off before the return. To the west of the road are mango orchards, some old with huge trees and younger orchards where you can pick most of the fruit from the ground. So mango season is here and the local markets will soon be flooded.

Yesterday was a "lets doing something together time" for the dog and I and it was not that positive. We took a ride (in car) up to the local dam at the base of the mountains. Found out she does get car sick, maybe too soon after eating. After that we tried Cuatecomate beach but too many people and too small a beach. The west end of Melaque was better but Coyota is afraid of the ocean and terrorizes the beach with her energy. Hopefully she will calm down when she gets a little older.

The older mango orchard with fruit

Favorite shade tree with Coyota

Fruit in the yard

So far quite amazed at the weather and not surprised that so many varieties of fruit grow here in the Lake Chapala area - although a little over a week is not much of a weather monitor.

The avocado tree was cleaned out by my landlord just after I'd agreed to rent. I doubt there will be more this season. The mango tree looks far from season but healthy. Only four stalks of sugar cane. Palms of the decorative sort only (5). The tangerine tree is loaded with sweet, juicy and full of seed fruit. The guayaba is badly pruned with most over the wall into my neighbors yard. Both large and small limes - large the size of lemons - small like key limes. The apple tree has been butchered from bad pruning and I'll try to clean it up this winter. And I've never seen a pomegranate tree but I have one.

I'm tempted to get down on Mexican gardeners and the way they treat fruit trees ... but I've known gringo friends up north that have done much worse. It's not easy and even I could use a little (Internet) help with the apple.

Pomegranate and flower


Tangerine


Large Lime with bug


Apple

Pitaya season

It's now pitaya season. The cactus-type fruit enjoys a six-week harvest during May and June. Most that you'll find in this area are grown in the Jalisco highlands near Guadalajara, and sold in local markets and on the streets.

Pitaya is similar to tunas, but a little smaller and you don´t have to deal with tuna´s huge seeds, pitaya´s seeds are like dragonfruit´s seeds (pitahaya). It is very watery, fist-sized, and drips juice as deep and staining as wine - but only slightly sweet.

An important point to note: Pitaya is different from Pitahaya – a columnar cactus with similarlooking fruits native to northern Mexico. Over the last 200 years, writers in the U.S. and Europe have confused the two names to the point of absurdity. In central Mexico, youwill find the two fruits being sold in different bins, with the less desirable Pitahaya at a cheaper price. In the U.S., you will find Pitaya sold under both names!

Pitaya in the market

Pitaya cactus