April 25th, 2012
Excalibur Fruit Trees, Ornamentals, Palms, Orchids, Exotic Fruit Trees, Certified Grower, Landscape Design, Installation, Lake Worth, Florida, Palm Beach County
A little road trip took me from Delray en route to Excalibur Fruit Trees, located at 5100 Fearnley Rd., Lake Worth, FL 33467. Tel. 561-969-6988. Website? www.excaliburfruittrees.com.
From Delray Beach all you have to do is get off on the Lantana Exit, then, go west until you pass the intersection of Jog Rd. Next road, which is Fearnley, take a right and go all the way to the end. Excalibur is on the left hand side. Park by the rock wall on the right. Got it? Pretty easy.
This fruit tree farm surprised and amazed me, at the same time. I did not know what to expect when a landscaping company in Delray sent me to them. I was really looking for a fig tree for my neighbor, Felix, who loves them. I have a huge tree in Delaware but to tell you the truth I had not seen them, here, in Florida. Seems to me that it would be the perfect climate.
Last Saturday was a little rainy in South Florida, but that did not stop my quest for the fig tree.
Richard and Linda Wilson also live on this farm. Linda told me that the farm has been around for about 35 years. They, themselves, have known each other since school. Richard is a 5th generation and Linda is a 4th generation.
The farm is huge. You will find ornamentals, orchids, palms, and so many rare fruit trees. It opens Mondays through Saturdays. They close on Sundays.
I jumped with my driver in a golf cart. She and I spoke Spanish. I am sorry to say I did not get her name. She knew the farm well and has worked there for years.
As we were going through the different isles of this farm, she stopped when I asked her if they had guava, or guayaba in Spanish. I used to pick this fruit from trees in Puerto Rico. My great grandmother used to make what they called “casquitos de guayaba”, which were the shells of the guava in syrup. This fruit has practically disappeared from Puerto Rico. I think they are proned to worms. The one that she picked at the farm was resistance to worms. Even though it looked green, fooling the worms, it was ripe.
As I bit into it, tons of childhood memories came afloat.
Sapodilla was the next fruit she picked for me to try. I did not know, at first, what it was. The first thing I recognized was the 3 seeds it had. They looked like black beans. As I bit into it, I remember that it Puerto Rico this fruit is called Nispero, and one of my mother’s favorite. So sweet.
Sapodilla is native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The fruit looks like a potato, inside it is pale yellow to earthy brown. It will not ripen until it is picked. The tree is tall and it bears fruit about four times a year.
Another stop and there were the fig trees. In Delaware, my fig tree bears fruit towards the end of the summer when it is nice and hot. I get about 600 figs. Then, all leaves will fall during the winter. In Florida, they way to deal with a fig tree is plant it now. Let it bear fruit during the summer and next February pruned about 3 inches or so. The tree will look ugly. You might even think is dying. Your friends will laugh at your green thumb. Don’t despair; it is going through a process. If by any chance it develops brown spots during the summer, please call your local landscaping company, or check Excalibur’s website for what you need to do.
Fig trees
My driver gave me 2 red fruits. They were small and called the Miracle Fruit. It is native to west Africa. It is a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids, bitter, and sour foods. Foods will then taste as sweet as candy. You are supposed to put them in your mouth, chew for a minute or two, swirling it around, then swallow it. This alternate state will last 1/2 hour to 2 hours. This fruit is used in the preparation of food for people that are sick, making their foods taste better in a natural way. More info? visit http://www.miraclefruitusa.com.
The Black Sapote or Black Persimmon was so interesting. The fruit is green on the outside; the fruit flesh is rich and dark brown in color. Almost custard like. Sometimes it is called the Chocolate Pudding Fruit. The outside gets darker and softer as the fruit ripens. It is a native fruit from Mexico and Guatemala. Cultivated here, in Florida, the Philippines, Dominic an Republic, Cuba, and Hawaii.
Full of calcium it can be blended with milk, cream or ice cream. There is a sweetness to it and people use it to make brownies or ice cream. No caffeine or calories!!
Then, I saw the little yellowish fruit. I thought it was an orange, but it turned out that it was a red lime. Before Florida widely cultivated limes, red limes were commonly used. Good in cranberry sauce, chutney, and marmalade. The juice is also used in gelatin dishes and custard or chiffon pie.
I enjoyed the trip and could have stayed longer. After talking to Linda for a little bit, it was time to go. I paid and off I went to take Felix his new fig tree. They were coming for drinks. A surprise!!
Talk to you later….have a good one!!
Tags: Certified Grower in Lake Worth, Certified Grower in Palm Beach County, Delray Beach, Excalibur Fruit Trees, Exotic Fruit Trees, Fig trees in Palm Beach County, Florida, Fruit Tree Farm, Lake Worth, Landscape Design & Installation, ornamentals, Palm Beach County, Palms, Rare Fruit Trees in Florida, Rare Fruit Trees in Palm Beach County, South Florida, Tree Farm in Palm Beach County
Im interested in buying 2 small Royal palms ..refered by farmer John thank you
Do you have mahogany trees, bismarkia palms, and alexandria palms?
You need to give them a call.