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View Full Version : Mangosteens and other tropical fruits found in Knoxville!


bigdog
06-15-2009, 09:50 PM
I have heard of an Asian market here in Knoxville called Sunrise Supermarket (http://sunrise-supermarket.com/), and that they had some tropical fruits, so I went to check ot out today. I bought FRESH mangosteens!!! That's unheard of in Knoxville! I also found longans, lychees, "burro" bananas (looked like 'Orinoco'), and some guava and such. They'll have rambutans in next week! I first tasted all of these wonderful fruits in Thailand last year (fresh), and have really missed the taste of a fresh mangosteen. What a treat!

Anybody else get tropical fruits in your area? Besides the usual mangos, papayas, etc.

Gabe15
06-16-2009, 12:28 AM
I'll leave the fruit stories of Hawaii out of this one, it wouldn't be fair!

As for Colorado, I too have seen 'Orinoco' labeled as 'Burro' at a few different markets (a natural foods store and an Indian market), 'Manzano' bananas once, lychee, rambutan...probably a few other random things but nothing like having the wide fresh selection in Hawaii!

bigdog
06-16-2009, 09:18 AM
Gabe, you have it made in Hawaii, as far as fresh, tropical fruits go, I'm sure!! That isn't fair...:ha:

That was one of the neatest things about Thailand; the open-air markets with tons of fresh fruits that I'd never seen, and some I'd never heard of. They were really cheap there too! I'm almost embarrassed to say what I paid for 2 bags of mangosteens...Let's just say that they were $5.99/lb.! Oh well. Worth every penny today. I'll probably kick myself later for spending so much on fruit, LOL.

Simply Bananas
06-16-2009, 09:29 AM
We have a great Asian Market here in Charleston call H & L (Hand and Lung). It has been open just over a year. They have Namwah Bananas, and on occasion banana flowers of some type. They have had rambutans before and they even have frozen Durians. There is live striped bass and tilapia crabs and sometimes frogs. We have been enjoying a canned grape juice drink called Sac-Sac which actually has 20 peeled grapes in with the juice.

Bob
06-16-2009, 10:42 AM
In this area we get all sorts of things, frozen durian, dragon fruit. Plenty of fresh vegetables. bok choi, lemongrass etc. The only thing I havent seen is a good variety of bananas. We get Chiquita, yellow and green plantain, finger bananas and occasionally what I believe are ninos . These are just labeled organic from Ecuador and don't ripen green but are the tastiest of all. They're definitely not Orinoco's though.

Tog Tan
06-16-2009, 12:56 PM
That was one of the neatest things about Thailand; the open-air markets with tons of fresh fruits that I'd never seen, and some I'd never heard of. They were really cheap there too! I'm almost embarrassed to say what I paid for 2 bags of mangosteens...Let's just say that they were $5.99/lb.! Oh well. Worth every penny today. I'll probably kick myself later for spending so much on fruit, LOL.

Frank, come here, the mangosteens are cheaper than in Thailand - only $ 3.30 for 3 kg or 6.6 lbs! I will treat you till you drop of asthma! :ha: Well, that's what the locals believe, too many mangosteens cools the body down. The thing is, they come around the same time as the durians which heats up the body, so the mangosteens balances the body's chemistry during the fruit season.

Fyi, here are the local names for it;
Thai = Mangkut
Malay = Manggis
Chinese = Sarn Chuk

bigdog
06-16-2009, 02:12 PM
Frank, come here, the mangosteens are cheaper than in Thailand - only $ 3.30 for 3 kg or 6.6 lbs! I will treat you till you drop of asthma! :ha: Well, that's what the locals believe, too many mangosteens cools the body down. The thing is, they come around the same time as the durians which heats up the body, so the mangosteens balances the body's chemistry during the fruit season.

Fyi, here are the local names for it;
Thai = Mangkut
Malay = Manggis
Chinese = Sarn Chuk


I've hear the same thing about them cooling the body down. They say if you eat too much durian, you can overheat, so you're supposed to eat mangosteens afterwards. Pretty neat!

The longans and lychees I bought don't taste near as good as I remember them being in Thailand! I was especially disappointed with the longans. Real nutty-tasting, and just not that good. My girlfriend said that the lychees tasted like a mild cleaner, LOL. I liked them OK though. Still not the same as in Thailand.

I did get some frozen durian too. They are supposed to have some fresh durian and rambutans in next week! Hope the rambutans aren't as disappointing as the longans were. They have lots of the veges too, and fish, meats, etc. They had the "baby bananas," "burro bananas," and a plantain of some sort. Fun to discover something like this though!

Thanks,

Frank

musaboru
07-04-2009, 12:31 PM
I'm the minority prefering Longans over Lychees. I love that flavor, as you describe is somewhat nutty and I like it paired with the sweetness and texture of the fruit. Lychees are kinda tart and tougher. Then again, I think lychees are overrated, I mean a fresh ripe navel orange is way better to me.

Fresh mangosteens, oh man, that is the best I would bet. Here I can only find the frozen ones้. I wish someone did mail order for fresh mangosteens.

PT DUffy
07-05-2009, 07:37 AM
The problem is that neither are good container plants in the long run. Both seem to fruit as small trees but the Longans get to large pretty quick. I've been told that 'Emperor' Litchii is good for a couple of yrs as a container specimen, you just have to air-layer or buy a replacement every few yrs if you don't live where they can be planted out....

supermario
07-07-2009, 12:33 PM
Here in South Florida, we are lucky enough to have a ton of different fruits that are usually not found north of Orlando. There are even varieties of Apples, Peaches, and Olives that will grow and fruit here! You can actually try most tropical fruits for free at the Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead.

Most tropicals I've tasted have come from friends or the Fruit & Spice Park. I've tasted: Sugar Apple, Custard Apple, Atemoya, Jaboticaba(awesome!), Grumichama, Lychees, Longans, Loquats, Muscadine Grapes, Starfruit, Sapodilla(my favorite), Mamey, Cashew Apple, Guava, Canistel(eggfruit), several types of Bananas, Black & White Sapote, and many many more I can't remember.

Unfortunately, I've never had the pleasure of tasting a mangosteen.

ewitte
07-07-2009, 06:10 PM
I'm going all out seeing what I can find this time when I'm down in Peru.

ewitte
07-08-2009, 06:25 AM
Lol surprised you found it. Saw this in a 2006 article

"In North America, fresh mangosteens can be found in Canada and Hawaii but they cannot legally be imported into continental United States due to concerns that they transport insects into the country."

oops

"There was an import ban in the US that ended in 2007"

ewitte
07-11-2009, 05:04 PM
Yes I got a Durian too

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=19202&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=19202&ppuser=3805)

Alexander
07-19-2009, 04:24 PM
Fresh mangosteens are the best tropical fruit there is. And best thing is to go to some place in South East Asia where you find local variaties on the local markets.

Alexander

Ohio'sBest
07-20-2009, 02:17 PM
I believe the reason for the ban was the fruit fly scare. Can a person grow a mangosteen tree in the USA?

ewitte
07-20-2009, 03:06 PM
I do not see a reason why not if the temperatures are kept in check. It wouldn't like temperatures in the 40's or over 90 from what I read. Most likely greenhouse. BTW I hear they are growing them in Puerto Rico now.

Ohio'sBest
07-20-2009, 04:28 PM
No ban on plant importation?

ewitte
07-20-2009, 05:33 PM
They do grow from seeds as long as the fruit is not irradiated ;) From what I hear though is several years just to ge a foot or so tall.

bigdog
07-20-2009, 08:18 PM
We started one from seed earlier this year, and it is excruciatingly SLOW! A new pair of leaves will open every few weeks.

I have no idea about plant importation. You can check the USDA website for a list of plants that you cannot import, but I don't have a link for that. I would think that importing plants would be fine, since Mangosteen trees can't even grow in South Florida. They just can't take anything below about 50F.

Frank

ewitte
07-21-2009, 11:24 AM
It would be really cool if they were able to be dwarfed and grown in a greenhouse. I'm thinking after my hydroponic banana goes back outside putting the seeds indoors under the LED light. It can stay there a long time if its as slow to growing as I hear lol.

Ohio'sBest
07-21-2009, 01:16 PM
All the info I found at USDA was on the fruit itself, not plant material.

supermario
07-21-2009, 03:50 PM
I found some info on the mangosteen that I found by searching the terms: "can i import mangosteen tree?". I will post a link to the site where I found the following info:

'Although efforts have been made to grow orchards, because of their finicky growth patterns and unpredictable harvest times, mangosteen trees are mostly found along the banks of rivers or lakes, as the tree roots need almost constant moisture.

Because of governmental regulations, import of the fresh mangosteen fruit into the United States is illegal. Fears of introducing the devastating Asian fruit fly into the country have mainly kept the fruits themselves from crossing the borders, although occasionally one may find a mangosteen fruit on the shelves of a small Asian grocery store. And because mangosteen trees only grow in certain climates, attempts to cultivate the fruit within the country have yet to "fruitfully" succeed.'

Here is the link to the full article: Mangosteen - The "Queen" Of Fruits (http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/health_food/fruits/mangosteen_the_queen_of_fruits.html)

I have found rare fruits at an oriental mart before. As a matter of fact, I stopped by one today and bought some longans. They also had jackfruit and another fruit that looked like jackfruit, but with pronounced spikes. I think it was called Durian... **nope, not Durian if the picture posted below is accurate.

supermario
07-21-2009, 04:47 PM
Found a site that sells the trees. Claims it is legal to import the trees in the US.. I only briefly looked at it, so research it well and buy at your own risk.

Site: Mangosteen (http://www.mangosteengrower.com/html/mangosteen.html)

Ohio'sBest
07-21-2009, 06:11 PM
Thanks supermario. Seems to be in Hawaii.

ewitte
07-21-2009, 07:24 PM
'Although efforts have been made to grow orchards, because of their finicky growth patterns and unpredictable harvest times, mangosteen trees are mostly found along the banks of rivers or lakes, as the tree roots need almost constant moisture.


Interesting can I hear hydroponic?

Ohio'sBest
07-21-2009, 09:00 PM
Interesting can I hear hydroponic?


7-11 years to fruit though.........................sounds like a Pecan tree.

ewitte
07-21-2009, 09:15 PM
Well technically thats why most trees you buy a few years old already ;)

Ohio'sBest
07-21-2009, 09:17 PM
Well technically thats why most trees you buy a few years old already ;)

They offer a one year and a two year old......................LOL

supermario
07-22-2009, 10:33 AM
They offer a one year and a two year old......................LOL

LOL @ 1 and 2 year olds. That reminds me of another fruiting tree that takes FOREVER to give fruit...The Jaboticaba. I went by Pine Island Nursery looking for some and they had what looked like 2 year old plants in pots for $50. In reality, the tree grows so painfully slow that they were actually around 5 years old!(Takes about 10 years to see fruit)

I ended up going right around the corner and found trees 3 times the size for $85. I have seen trees that size with fruit on them in the past, so I shouldn't have to wait more than a year or two.
:woohoonaner:

Fruiting Jaboticaba trees sell for no less than $350 down here! I would imagine a large mangosteen tree would be insanely expensive.

Ueberwinden
07-22-2009, 02:12 PM
Jungle Jims in Fairfield Ohio (Cincinnati) has quite a selection of food from around the world.

Michael

Simply Bananas
07-26-2009, 06:39 PM
Got back from the Hang & Lung Asian market on Rivers Ave.(in Charleston) a little while ago. Got a good haul of Namwah Thai bananas, Banana Hot Sauce, and a dragon fruit. Had a durian in the cart, but it would have cost $15 so we put it back.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=19904&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=19904)
Water, sugar, banana, salt, onion/garlic powder and some colors with numbers.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=19903&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=19903)

Ohio'sBest
07-26-2009, 06:49 PM
Looks like a hedgehog and smells like an old folks home.........Durian

Gabe15
07-27-2009, 01:20 AM
Saw 'Manzano's the other day at Whole Foods. They looked terrible, I think they were stored too cold and couldn't ripen properly. I got a few, compared to fresh 'Manzano' they were terrible, but they were ok.

Patty in Wisc
08-04-2009, 11:38 PM
I have heard of an Asian market here in Knoxville called Sunrise Supermarket (http://sunrise-supermarket.com/), and that they had some tropical fruits, so I went to check ot out today. I bought FRESH mangosteens!!! That's unheard of in Knoxville! I also found longans, lychees, "burro" bananas (looked like 'Orinoco'), and some guava and such. They'll have rambutans in next week! I first tasted all of these wonderful fruits in Thailand last year (fresh), and have really missed the taste of a fresh mangosteen. What a treat!

Anybody else get tropical fruits in your area? Besides the usual mangos, papayas, etc.

Today I stopped at my local Pick&Save Metro Market (excel. store with rare produce) & I looked to see what they had in produce. I bought a Dragon Fruit w/ magenta flesh (one left), A (very unripe) cherimoya, a mangosteen (first time ever!) a a few lychee nuts (also first time ever)!! And, a red banana.
I tasted Cherimoya before but this one was very hard. Just unripe.
The dragon fruit was pretty good but bland cuz it was old. I was surprised at how small the mangosteen is! Had a very hard shell & soft inside...just OK (maybe cuz it was old). I never saw lychee nuts but they were weird. very soft inside & kinda bland but good. Will plant the seeds...or is that what I was s'posed to eat LOL? The red banana was perfect ripe & was good. What is the plant called? It just said "red" banana.
Rare to see any of these here! What a thrill! Now, I'd love to try Jackfruit & Durian :)

supermario
08-05-2009, 11:12 AM
I tasted Cherimoya before but this one was very hard. Just unripe.
Cherimoyas are difficult to judge while on the tree. If picked at the right time, it should feel like a ripe mango. I believe they do not ripen well if picked too early, but I'm not sure.

The dragon fruit was pretty good but bland cuz it was old.
In my opinion, dragon fruit isn't all that great. Even the sweetest varieties seem a bit too watery. I'd compare them to a watermelon, but with less sugar.

I never saw lychee nuts but they were weird. very soft inside & kinda bland but good. Will plant the seeds...or is that what I was s'posed to eat LOL?
I've never heard anyone call it that before. :) Lychees are not nuts.. I think they are technicaly berries(any experts out there?) Good varieties are sweet, flesh seperates from seed easily, and most will produce a small aborted seed(called chicken tongue seed) instead of the one that looks like a 'nut'. :)
To eat a lychee, you just peel the skin and pop it in and work the flesh off the seed in your mouth.. Or you could remove the flesh from the seed with your hands like I do. I prep a bunch and then sit down and scarf 'em down.

Oh!..and PLEASE try them cold. Pop the package in the fridge for about an hour or so and your good to go. Soooo much better! Longans too!

As for planting lychee seeds.. here is some info from Purdue's web site:

Propagation

Lychees do not reproduce faithfully from seed, and the choicest have abortive, not viable, seed. Furthermore, lychee seeds remain viable only 4 to 5 days, and seedling trees will not bear until they are 5 to 12, or even 25, years old. For these reasons, seeds are planted mostly for selection and breeding purposes or for rootstock.

You can read the rest of the info here: Lychee (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lychee.html)

Unfortunately, lots of the world's best fruit are not propogated by seed.

The red banana was perfect ripe & was good. What is the plant called? It just said "red" banana.

I think it's called 'Cuban Red' or 'Jamaican Red'

supermario
08-05-2009, 11:23 AM
I just wanted to mention...

I can't speak for the rest of the country, but Publix is big here in Florida. I've seen Jackfruit, Durian, and a few other fruits sold in cans there. I found them at the very end of the canned fruit section, but have seen it in the 'ethnic' section a few times.. maybe your local grocer has such a section and you just haven't noticed it. I know that was the case with me!

Anyways, I purchased the Jackfruit and was surprised at how good it was! Being that Jackfruits can weigh up to 80lbs, I figure the canned stuff is the more reasonable option. :)

The durians were a whopping $10 per 12oz can!