Puerto Rico Tropical Fruit Hunting - 2017

All I was missing was a hat!  And maybe some dry clothes.  It was super hot down there this year and humid as hell.  But that combination makes for a fantastic climate for the fruit we love so dear.

So if you would like to hear more of this trips' adventures...click on the green "READ MORE" down below on the right.

First Stop - Florida

It's become a tradition to come to Florida on Sunday morning and spend the day with my buds...hopefully eating some wonderful mangoes.  The other reason is that any flights from Columbus to San Juan would get me there in the late afternoon with at least two stops.  It's a straight shot from Fort Lauderdale and I might as well enjoy the Sunday before we all fly out together Monday morning.

Some of the gang went to PR a little early this year.  John and Patrick took family with them and planned on getting in some quality time together taking in some sites and great food.  So they were absent on the day I arrived.

I had a non-stop from Columbus to Miami...sorry Jay...but no directs to Fort Lauderdale.  But as always, Warren was there to greet me and be my chauffeur for the day...and he wanted to eat some mangoes as well.  

Warren was pretty much my first Florida tropical fruit hunting companion and we've been good friends now for many years.  And now the rest of the gang are all pretty close.  Lots of fine people in this hobby.

Brandon was hosting the fruit tasting and BBQ again this year.  Brandon has a fantastic yard full of all kinds of fruit trees, a lovely home, and even lovelier family...who understands our crazy hobby and allows him to gallivant off with the gang on fruit hunting trips.  What's cool is that they join us as well for some of them.

From left to right is Warren, Harry, and Brandon.  That's all that made it today.  I guess more mangoes for us!

As you can see, we had a few mango varieties to sample.  Thanks to Brandon and Harry for providing this fine bounty.  I say again and again, I honestly do not believe there are any mangoes that can rival Florida mangoes.  Most of the top tier varieties were created and introduced by Zills.  If you have not had the pleasure of trying some of these, by all means make plans to be in Florida during mango season!  While in general, many of the mango's this year were a little off.  Most likely due to a lot of rain.  There were still a few so good they caused me to tear up a bit.

Warren supplied some dragon fruit from his yard.  He's been doing work on creating some new hybrids the last few years.  However, that green skinned fruit you see above?  That is actually a ripe fruit.  This variety is absolutely the sweetest dragon fruit you will ever taste.  It was simply delicious.  I could have eaten several of them.

Time for a little tour of the yard before the BBQ.  Brandon has gobs of jackfruit and mangoes in his yard.  It's pretty incredible.  It was terribly hot and the mosquitoes were attacking us like a military air force with precision weapons.  Brutal.  Even Deet didn't slow down these little bastards!  Did I say little?  Hell no.  These things were not little.  People should keep small pets in the house for fear of being hauled away.

Back to the yard.  Brandon has some really cool things going on out there.  Luc's garcinias, achachairus, multiple varieties of annonas, as well as many others.  Was a real treat to check them out.

Along with more fruit, Brandon fixed us all a wonderful BBQ with sausage and chicken.  Quite a feast and very much appreciated.  I want to thank Brandon and his family once again for not only inviting us into their home and making us feel welcomed, but feeding us as well.

A little later, Warren and I loaded up and we headed to my hotel where he dropped me off for the night.  Thanks again Warren for the fine dragon fruit and for driving me around.  Had an early start tomorrow to catch the first shuttle to the airport at 5:00 a.m.  We had a good flight into San Juan and met up with the rest of the gang.  Our first stop was going to be the Pork Highway for some lechoneras in Guavate.  Then on to Jardines Enaidas.

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Jardines Enaidas - July 24

Our master of ceremonies, Ian Crown, led our tour this year.  Unfortunately, Zaida was out of town so we did not get to see her.  Jardines Enaidas is located in Cabo Rojo in the southwest corner of PR.  

I know this sounds like a rehash of all the previous years we've gone to Puerto Rico.  I agree.  I get the following from a lot of people...mainly my wife.  "Puerto Rico again?".  Yeah...again.  Why?  Well, it's a beautiful country that has lots to offer.  It has history and culture everyone should experience.  The sites and landmarks are extraordinary.  There are rain forests, jungles, even areas that are close to desert conditions, and all things in between.  Something for everyone.  There's tropical fruit, which is one of our trip's goals.  The areas we were in can pretty much support everything and anything one would wish to grow.  Let's not forget the food.  From the pinchos and rice and beans to mofongos and curries.  From the roadsides to the lechoneras to fine dining.  The food is awesome and one of the things we look forward to most.  Then there is the people.  For the most part, the majority of people we meet in PR are generous and welcoming.  PR is a territory of the US, so no passports are required and the laws and regulations are pretty much the same.  You're still in another country, but...  And it is affordable...to some degree.  Still cheaper than flying to Thailand or Hawaii.  So what is not to like?  Well...still don't like how these folks drive.  It would be difficult to get used to.  They pick a lane and would not move over if God himself were coming up behind them in a monster truck!  But that is my only negative.

So yeah...some people might view our trip as same old same old...seeing the same farms, the same trees, and eating the same fruit year after year.  Seems that way, but to all of us, its more than just seeing and eating the same things.  We've all formed a pretty tight bond over the years and became good friends.  Same with our hosts.  We actually enjoy spending time together and this is our opportunity to do so seeing many of us are from different parts of the country.  I started this back in 2009.  It's a great get away with lots of benefits...like mangosteen, pulasan, and durian!

We met a lot of new and interesting people this trip, one of them being Steven Murray in the green shirt and cowboy hat above.  Steven hails from Bakersfield, CA area same as Ethan.  He also helps manage the Murray Family Farms where they grow an incredible selection of stone fruit and others for farmers markets as well as shipping all over the world.  

Steven is one interesting dude and has traveled all over the world tropical fruit hunting.  He is also asked to be a speaker at many festivals and conferences around the world.  He had an endless supply of stories concerning his farm and trips...constantly entertaining us during our trips to and from the farms.  And boy does he know his trees!  So it was great having him along with the group this year.  

My big regret from this trip is that I really botched the picture taking this year.  My phone takes great pictures but it's a real pain in the ass to unlock all the time.  Your thumb gets wet and dirty and then you are forced to enter the pass code to unlock...it's a work phone so I have no choice.  So I just got tired of screwing with it.  I will bring a normal camera on the next fruit hunting trip.  A big thanks to everyone who supplied some pictures for this blog.

In the pics above, we are going thru Enaidas' rambutan patch.  As you can see, everyone is enjoying them.

Ain't he a stud?!  That's Patrick coming to see what we were looking at I imagine.  It was very very hot out there and he's dressed the most appropriate.  Can't forget the mosquitoes either.  

Always good to pay attention.  Steven came across this fruit and it was a first for me.  A cocoplum.  The inside was snow white with the texture of cotton candy.  Taste was very mild, but pleasant.  Big seed.

Not every year do we bat 1000 when it comes to fruit.  Some just don't cooperate.  I was really looking forward to eating some kwai muk but the fruit was not even close to ready.  The first 3 pics above are some sort of baccaurea I believe.  While on the other hand, the garcinia madronos were spot on and delicious this year.  They were a real treat.

Thankfully, the mangosteens were plentiful this year...and always delicious.  The bright yellow fruit in the pic on the right are the madronos.  The fruit brought back made for a nice snack as well as providing seeds to be sent out.

Again with the lack of pictures...Ian had brought a couple of durian from the farm and shared them with us after the tour.  Nor did I take any shots of the number of plants others were loading up into the vehicles.  Enaidas is a wonderful source for grafted plants.  They have a nice selection of really cool varieties including rambutan and some garcinias.  And the prices are very hard to pass up...especially with characters like us!

A great start to the week.  We thank Jardines Enaidas for once again letting us loose on their farm.  They are wonderful folks with a passion for plants.  Now it's time to head north to Rincon.  I always forget it is late afternoon on a Monday rather than a Sunday.  Then it hits me that we have to drive in the traffic going thru Mayaguez...which is a complete pain in the ass!  

Gwenn rented us a big, 2 story house right on the beach in Rincon.  11 rooms and at least 7 bathrooms.  Several kitchens too.  We filled it up.  I think we had around 20 people total.  By the time we got to the house and unloaded, it was getting time to get cleaned up to meet Ian for dinner as is our norm.

Getting some of the gang ready to leave for dinner was harder than others.  Steven??  LOL!  He passed out as soon as we got back from Enaidas and we had to pound on his door to wake him up!  But he made it!  

Here's a few pics of the house above.  A view of the beach from patio out back is nice.  I had a room to myself, which I prefer...instead of finding out too late that my roommate snores.  I put off joining the majority in house renting for the last few years opting instead for one of the local hotels/resorts.  I'm really glad I switched up this year.  Not only was it more convenient having everyone in one spot, but it was great hanging out in the kitchen shooting the shit or outside enjoying the views together.  I really enjoyed it.  

Dinner this first night with Ian was at the Shipwreck.  Only about half of us went.  I've always enjoyed the food and staff here.  This night, while the staff was on point, the fish sandwich I ordered fell way short of expectations.  The skin was left on the fish and it was like rubber.  Had a hell of a time taking a bite let along trying to chew it.  Had to end up just cutting the skin off to enjoy any of the fish.  But hey...that's the very first time I've been disappointed here and we usually eat here every year.  The wings Brandon and I split were very good.  I know...of all the "fresh" things we could have gotten as an appetizer, we got wings.  Worth it.  The beer was cold.

We had an awesome time at dinner with Ian.  His sister Mish...hope I'm spelling this correctly...joined Ian on this trip.  She was a very nice addition to our group and I really hope she enjoyed her stay and our company.  Dinners are long, drawn out affairs with this many people and squaring away the check usually is beyond our abilities.

Back to the house.  Everyone is beat!  Not much chatting going on and we hit the rack.  I slept great on the bed in my room and it was icy cold in there too.  We'll all be ready for Ian's farm tomorrow.

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Ian Crown's farm - July 25, morning

Always up early for our first tours of the day.  As is the norm, Tuesday morning has us up and on our way to Ian's farm.  Some of the family members stayed behind to enjoy the beach and chill.  Hey...trekking across this terrain in the heat and humidity is not for everyone.  It's everyone's vacation and they have every right to choose how how they spend it.

As you can see, the day is starting off absolutely beautiful.  We get a move on because it normally tries to rain around noon or so.  We had a couple new guys join us.  Paul, who had contacted Ian prior to the trip and was invited to join.  He is from Chicago.  Nice guy and another tropical fruit crazy.  So he fit right in.  Adam was another.  He was doing a theobroma study while in PR and has spent time on Ian's farm in the past and has also stayed with Felipe.  Both were a welcome addition to the group.

Pulasan were just a little bit from their peak ripeness.  These should have been so dark reddish/purple as to be nearly black in color.  They were still delicious even so.  I don't think there is anyone out there who could find fault with a top variety pulasan.

Baccaurea ramiflora.  Again...we are always a week or two away from this fruit being at its peak.  Has a very nice flavor, decent flesh to seed ratio, and the trees produce a gang of them.  Still a little tart at this stage but one can taste the potential.  Like most trees on Ian's farm, these are accessible only by carefully sliding down a treacherously steep hill.  Makes getting back up to the trail a real battle.

Steven collecting some abiu...one of his favorite fruits.

Here several of us are going down the trail to check the pedalai tree out.  It's completely loaded with fruit in several stages.  The trick is to find one that we can reach!  The fruit looks like a car wash mitt...kind of like Ethan's head!!  The flesh is very delicate tasting and to me has a hint of banana flan.  Very similar to marang.

Durian!  This is the big gun.  Ian had a wonderful year for durian too.  Many of his trees were loaded.  Our jobs...well some of the guys' job was to head down the hill and look for fallen durian to bring back up.  It's a dirty job, but some fool had to do it!  The fruit falls and can roll for quite a while before hitting a weed break.  Given the horrendous spikes on these damn things, there is no easy way to carry several of these fruit.  But we did and some paid a painful price with some stabs to the flesh.  All part of the package.  No fruit is easy to obtain and makes the appreciation of eating it all the more.

Achachairu.  This is one delicious garcinia.  The trees produce an abundance of fruit.  The snow white flesh is like a sweet cotton candy.  One of my very favorite fruits.  Ian's trees were completely loaded.  It was a real treat to watch first timers taste these fruits and others.  

Well that's a nice pile of durian to eat.  There were several varieties, unfortunately Lindsay wasn't here to tell us what they were.  We even stripped another pedalai.  All the durian was fantastic and a few of them were outstanding.  The flavors had a complexity of caramels, floral, and more.  I don't have the palate to pull individual flavors out like some people can, but I know what tastes good...and these tasted really good!  I'm not the fanatic that a few of my friends are, but each time I taste durian, I appreciate it more and more.

A great morning at Ian's is in the books.  As predicted, it is starting to rain as we are loading up.  We are on our way to Juan's farm and we hope these are just some passing showers.  Storms can get really wild up here in the mountains.  They have a tendency to knock down trees across the road or completely flood sections with raging torrents.  All this is usually accompanied by some of the harshest lightning we've experienced.  But so far so good.  It's not far to Juan's.

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Juan Miranda's Farm - July 25, afternoon 

Juan has been generously opening his farm to us for many years now.  It's always a pleasure to visit.  I know I've stated this before, but I'll say it again, Juan has an incredible farm that provides incredible growing conditions for a huge range of tropicals.  From flowers to fruit, Juan has it.  The soil PH averages around 4.5 and the fruit trees absolutely love it.

The pics above show just how much work keeping a farm down here can be.  Juan and one helper cleared these few acres by hand since January and has already planted out a gang of rambutan and pulasan.  Every time we visit, there is crazy progress like above.  The guy never seems to stop working.  This comes from a deep passion for the land and his plants.  The ridge above the cleared section was done the last year or two.  Those trees are only a few years old and already have unbelievable growth and most are already producing.

We had invited Paul and Adam to join us as well today and they followed us from Ian's.  Always nice to show new folks around, especially those who appreciate the experience and opportunity as much as we do.

The above pic gives a better scale view showing just how large an area this was.  All the bamboo and trees below were what was cleared above.  Gnarly work I'm telling you.

Standing beside a grafted pulasan.  This plant is maybe a year from grafting.  Love that soil!  Oh yeah...notice how bright and sunny it is?  This was just after our first ass soaking.  We waited beneath some trees for about 20 minutes while it poured down.  Thankfully no lightning.  But we were wet.  Wet like we walked into a pond. 

The rain was nice enough to wait until we got at the very bottom of the valley.  The clouds rolled in and they unleashed swimming pools of rain onto us.  I cannot recall ever being rained on this hard before.  It was not letting up either.  There was no sheltering from it.  We grinned and bitched for a little while and then decided we better get our asses up the hill before all hell came down it!

The trail going up was like walking in a fast moving stream.  The water was just rushing down the hill.  Slippery too.  But Juan being the gracious host that he is, continued to educate us along the way.

But what about the fruit?!  Juan normally has an abundance of different fruits for us to try.  Chief among them is his pulasan followed by marang.  Unfortunately, the weather gods were against us this year.  Rambutan was late and still green.  His pulasan just didn't produce like he hoped.  The marang was loaded, but like the rambutan, we were just a tad early.

But it's not all about the fruit.  Yes, it is a huge part of it, but we are also there to spend time with these folks and learn some things as we go.  So we did get to spend time with our friend and we always learn.  The rain was not letting up much and this system seemed to be settling in for the long haul.  Everyone was pretty much fed up with it and physically beat as well.  So we beat a hasty retreat.  We all felt bad for leaving Juan so quickly, but man, we really were wiped out...and soaked.  It was time to head for the house and get out of these wet, stinking clothes!

Dinner was at Tamboo this night.  Half the gang with the families left early to split things up a bit and help speed things along.  They wanted to get back a little earlier too.  This place is right on the beach and is a favorite for locals and tourists alike to witness stunning sunsets.  Normally there is a hell of a breeze coming in off the water.  Tonight there was nothing.  It was a very uncomfortable dining experience.  

Brandon and I once again got wings...but our own portions!  They were good.  I truly forget what the hell I had for a main course.  I'm sure it was good.  The beer was cold and went down well.  Time to call it a night.

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The Late Felipe Osborne's Farm.  July 26 - morning.

The tropical fruit community suffered the loss of Felipe in March of 2016.  The man was involved in so much.  Not only did he have such a diverse tropical fruit and plant selection, he wrote articles for various publications, and hosted the occasional grad student wishing to study his plants.  He was known by many from all over the world...and he left many friends behind who miss him still today.

I've mentioned lots of times before what a character Felipe was.  We would hang onto every word that came out of his mouth.  I bet he had a story behind every single tree he planted on his farm!  He was a hell of a man.

The farm is up for sale now and by this time, may already have been sold.  We can only hope that whoever purchases this farm will attempt to continue what Felipe started here.  There are probably varieties of garcninas, theobromas, herranias, and more not found anywhere else on the island or any state in the US.  It would be criminal for someone to let all this go.

While a few of us got to see a bit of the farm last year and eat some incredible durian, it was by no means a given that would would get to visit the farm this year.  Ian was close to Felipe and he wife, Elba.  So we left all of this up to him.  We certainly wanted to respect any decision Elba would make.  As it turns out, Elba was more than welcoming.

We met Elba for the very first time last year.  She impressed the hell out of all of us.  What a strong and beautiful lady.  Gracious and hospitable...to a bunch of strangers...welcoming us all, wet and dirty, into her home.  Incredible.  Maybe she saw a little bit of Felipe in each of us.  She told us to tour the farm and enjoy.  By the way, if you have not seen earlier blogs of Felipe's farm and home, the above two pictures is the view from most of the rooms.

We started off lazy by going back up the driveway first.  Turns out this bit was the only easy part of the visit.  That's Patrick and Noel above.  We had the whole gang today minus the family members.  We took what used to be some trails leading off the drive but man, they were nearly impassable.  There was remnants of cinder block steps in some places and you could barely distinguish what was once a maintained trail.  We followed one that dead ended us into a wall of over grown salak.  No way were we gonna try and push thru that!  So we went back to the house to try the trails out back.

Above was just one of many of Felipe's cacaos.  

In the bottom left pic above from from to back is Patrick, Ian, Adam, and Ethan.  Bottom right is Ray and Gwenn with Steven, Brandon, and Noel in the background.  Adam again joined us for this tour.  Several years ago he was a guest of Felipe's and stayed with him for a time while doing some research.

The above area was pretty much the only spot we found where we could walk without fear of being swallowed up by some man eating plant.  Unfortunately, that particular trail petered out leaving us no choice but to claw our way back up the hill.  

Garcinia magnifolia.  Giant of a tree here and Brandon was trying to get a few fruit for everyone.  They were very delicious and right on the mark this year.  In past years, they've been hit and miss...the fruit being a little past prime.  Everything is really getting over grown and hard to get to.

This was another garcinia Steven happened upon.  Ethan recalled Felipe talking about this fruit.  He didn't have a proper id and Felipe being Felipe, called it his "one nosed garcinia"!  Steven said it was very tasty and was as good or maybe better than achachairu.  I emailed Jim West down in Ecuador about the id.  He just said it was one of those "garcinia sp.".  In other words, no one has bothered to classify it yet.  Another Florida buddy, Adam, found what he thought might be the fruit on Jim's sight and he had called it Madruno de Monte.

Rain was trying to move in and it was just a slippery and treacherous mess on what little bit of any trail we could find.  So back to the house we trekked.  Feasted on some durian while waiting for Elba and Mish, Ian's sister, to return from some shops.

While we were out on the farm, Elba and Mish went out and bought some lunch meat, bakery items, and soft drinks!  Unbelievable.  Once again she not only invites us into her home, she feeds us!  

Ahhh yes...there was Coke.  I was complete.  We stood around and chatted with Elba for quite some time.  She told us about her and Felipe first being in PR.  They were in San Juan and met this gentleman who had a home Felipe fell in love with.  Completely open air concept.  Asked the guy on the spot if he would design him a home.  The guy turned out to have studied and/or worked under Frank Lloyd Wright!  This is the home the guy designed...and it truly is awesome.

Elba took us all over the home giving us the grand tour.  The little alcove-like structure you see above is just outside of their main bathroom.  Again, completely open and that alcove has no roof.  The shrub in the corner is actually the shower.  Notice the on/off handle near the ground?  Pretty wild.

What a morning...and heading into the afternoon.  Elba...from the bottom of all our hearts, thank you for your kindness, hospitality, the stories and memories.  We wish you the best.


We made it back to the house in good time and it was absolutely gorgeous out.  I had some items to send out so Ethan ran me up to the post office real quick...allowing me to get this chore out of the way.  

​​Some of the gang who stayed behind this morning was out and about.  We were going to hit the beach and water.  It was great.  We just hung out in the water and shot the shit.  Noel and I walked down the beach to this enormous hotel beach bar.  This place was hopping!  We ordered this crazy large coconut drink that was served right in the coconut.  A big bastard too.  There had to be about 32 oz. of drink in there.  I think Noel said there were 4-5 different rums and he wasn't kidding.  I didn't drink much of that...not being a fan of the heavy handed liquor.  So back to our little stretch of beach.

Dinner with Ian tonight was one of our favorites.  The Lazy Parrot's downstairs pool bar/grill.  Everyone joined in the fun tonight.  Brandon and I once again had wings for an appetizer and they were fantastic.  We followed this up with a delicious personal pizza.  I normally get their salad...which is the best salad I've ever had.  But was just too much food.

The younger kids enjoyed the pool before dinner while the rest of us enjoyed telling stories and laughing.  A great evening for all.  We had a big day and had an even bigger day planned for tomorrow.  ​​

I want to end this portion with some great memories that started back in 2009.

"Every fruit is someone's favorite."  Felipe Osborne.

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Ian's Farm - July 27, all day.

The last day of our trip always puts us back at Ian's for another tour of different parts of the farm and some seed and scion collecting.  Today was a big day.  Ian had invited several neighbors and other friends to the farm for a tour, fruit tasting, and a pot luck.  A big party!  What a way to end our trip.

Ian doing what he loves best.  Some might say just plain talking, leading, educating, talking about the farm, or being in the company of like-minded tropical fruit fanatics.  I say all of the above and he enjoys every minute of it.

We had a big group today and the pic only shows a portion.  Some stayed back under shade while some took off for other parts of the farm hunting fruit, scions, and of course more dropped durian...the rest of us thank you for your efforts!!  And it was another hot freaking day.

Ian under a jackruit tree.  Many jack and champedak here on this part of the farm.  Unfortunately, none were ripe enough...although I guess someone later did find one.  

We walked our asses off today.  I think it is the most we've covered in one day in a long long time and everyone was feeling it.  We were all soaked from the heat and humidity and just plain beat.  I am seriously lacking pictures this year and this tour in particular.  I was just fed up with the phone.  Definitely bringing a camera with me next fruit hunting trip.  Have I said that before?

Some partial group shots.  We had some younger fruit hunters in the pack this week.  Patrick's daughter Autumn...in first pic on far right, and John's son Conor, first pic and standing in the middle.  These two are seasoned fruit hunters and have accompanied us for several years now.  Both love durian!  Conor never fails to slip and/or fall and bust his ass on at least one of the tours every year.  This year was no different.  In fact, this was a "sore" year for Conor.  He slipped in the mud at Juan's and busted his ass pretty good.  On another day they stayed back to play at the beach, Conor was absolutely nailed by some jellyfish.  His body looked like someone had put branding irons all over him.  After being sprayed with something John found at the store, Conor was soon back in the water like nothing happened.  Kids.

Send the youngsters up the trees for fruit!  We are in the rollinia section.  Lots of green ones and one yellow fruit begging to be plucked.

Sharing some pedalai with a couple new group members.  They couldn't get over the texture of the skin!  Looks and feels alien.  I like it, but the pieces are a bit small and I think marang still tastes better.  These trees get enormous and the fruit is terribly difficult to reach.  Most cannot be reached.  Beautiful tree though.

My wife always complains that I'm hardly ever in any pics.  Here's a couple thanks to Gwenn.  In the first pic, I'm underneath one of the bigger durian trees.  It's loaded!  I was headed down to see if any had fallen and was easily spotted.  No such luck.  In my defense, I was easily distracted by some low hanging mangosteens which were screaming for attention.  Next pic was just clowning around.  Must have been early since I still had some dry spots on my shirt.

We once again went thru gobs of durian.  Not everyone was a fan.  But like we all experience, the more times you try it, the more you come to like it.  It is a pretty fantastic fruit.  I'm still not a fanatic about it, but I've come to appreciate and look forward to eating it.

The potluck was a great success too.  Lots of food.  Another big thanks to Esther on the dishes she made.  Delicious!  Everybody had plenty to eat.  It was getting on towards the middle of the afternoon and if I could have found a spot to lie down, I would have.  I've still got to go collect some mangosteen scions to bring home.

Let's talk mangosteen for a minute.  Some of us have been fortunate enough to find this wonderful fruit in limited markets back home in the states.  Not often, but sometimes.  So it is not just fruit from Thailand you see, it may come from right here.  Fruit from Thailand must have the sepals removed...the bright green petals on top of the fruit seen in the pic on the left.  Their fruit must also be irradiated.  Ian can leave the sepals on, which markets definitely prefer, and his fruit does not need to be irradiated.

Once any of this fruit hits the market, people are a little shocked at the prices.  Well don't be, and I'll tell you why.

Remember all of the pics of the steep hills most of the trees are growing on?  Some are so steep, Ian's crew start digging small footpaths in the sides of the hills about 10 years ago.  The farm is networked with these paths.  While these definitely help out, there is still nothing easy about navigating them...and they still have to reach the trees.  These guys work their asses off believe me.  But we're just getting started.

In order to ship mangosteen to the states, the USDA makes sure that the fruit is clean...free of disease and of course free of insects.  The pic above on the left is the first step.  The fruit must be washed.  Leaving the sepals on comes with a cost.  The next step is to make sure no insects are hidden away beneath those sepals and just washing the fruit in water does not dislodge anything.  The second pic above shows the crew using high powered air compressors to send blasts of air beneath those sepals.  This is not only loud, but very very time consuming.  Every individual fruit to be shipped must have this done thoroughly.  If the USDA finds any insects in just a few fruit, the entire shipment could be refused.  The fruit must also be sorted to weed out damaged fruit.

This is a lot of effort.  So the next time you see exotic fruit like mangosteen in the market, you will understand the cost a little better.

Long ride back to the house.  It's late Thursday afternoon and our last evening before traveling home on Friday.  We've got seeds and scions to prepare.  Ethan and Steven had plants to finish packing.  So that is what we did over a few beers.  I had already sent some seeds home via mail:  pulasan, marang, and one of Felipe's one nosed garcinia that Steven was kind enough to share.  All the rest would come home on the plane with me.  They just had to be spic and span for the USDA inspectors.  Just more pulasan seeds and a bunch of mangosteen scions had to be clipped and/or cleaned up.

Dinner tonight was at La Copa Llena.  Another restaurant right on the beach.  This is one of our favorites...always serving a black fin tuna dish of some sort.  The wait staff is always fun and attentive.  Ian seems to know the owner as well for she stopped by often.  Maybe all the attention stems from the durian disaster of last year and they were keeping close tabs on us to prevent a repeat?  Naw...would we do such a thing twice?

As you can see, some of the gang opted to go hit downtown Rincon instead.  There is always a little fiesta on Thursday nights with lots of merchants in the park.  

No wings tonight.  I got the black fin tuna poke last year which was stellar, but wanted to try something different.  The appetizer on the left was chorizo, peppers, onions, with a fried egg on top.  Sop it all up with some bread.  Very good.  Main dish on right was black fin tuna in a coconut curry.  Delish!  Washed all down with a few Coronas.  We were all so full, we felt like we needed to be carted out of there.

A bittersweet evening though.  It was time to say farewell to Ian and his sister Mish.  After wishing them safe travels home, the rest of us headed back to the house to finish packing.  We hung out at the kitchen table yapping for a while while Ethan finished up his seeds and scions.  He was going to be a while.

We were up early.  Ate some breakfast and said our goodbyes to everyone.  It was a great trip and I believe everyone had a good time.  Ethan, Steven, and I loaded up the car and got started to San Juan.  Nice ride back.  No issues.  We had plenty of time to stop off at a post office in San Juan and mailed out Ethan and Steven's plants and other stuff.

Steven was staying on in San Juan for the night and then driving back to the west side of the island to spend a couple days with Bryan Brunner.  Ethan and I each headed to our security and USDA check points.  Only had one hiccup on the way home.  Had a minor delay out of Atlanta but still got home in time to relax with my wife and dogs.  Saturday would be busy planting seeds and grafting mangosteen scions.

The two grafts pushing growth in the center of the picture are Luc's garcinia grafted onto my big Imbe tree...recently cut nearly all the way down.  I have some improved brasiliensis grafted on the Imbe in back also doing well.  All the remaining grafts are the mangosteen scions I brought back from PR.  16 grafts total all done on Saturday morning, July 29.

Two weeks later, I have several mangosteen grafts pushing growth.  Now it is way too early to celebrate, but this is encouraging.  There is concern that mangosteen and Imbe might not be compatible for grafting.  Only time will tell.

Couldn't resist finishing up the adventure with a picture of a "homeless" Noel.  Gwenn and Ray booted Noel to the curb in San Juan leaving him with all of his worldly possessions in a shopping cart.  Actually, Noel was staying for a few more days in San Juan to visit with family.  But he plays the part well!

Well, that's all for this adventure.  I will post grafting updates on my Facebook page when there is something noteworthy to post.  I'm hoping to go to Thailand next year.  Going to bring back a few pulasan plants if all goes well.