Locust, Algarroba (Hymenaea courbaril). The shell is hard. Inside are dark seeds covered by a sweet edible substance. The seeds we used to play a game. We'd bore a hole in the middle of the seed, attach a string and try to break the opponent's seed. If you missed a number of times the opponent then tried to break yours. Some guys soaked their seeds in kerosene, which made them more "rubber-like" thus harder to break. Puerto Ricans call the locust "miel en cajeta" (honey in a box) for short. The real term is "mierda en cajeta" (feces in a box). Though the fruit tastes great the aroma it exudes is not that pleasant. |
Papaya (Crucians call it "popeye"), lechosa, fruta bomba. When ripe the green fruit turns a yellowish color. Can be used green or ripe. Delicious as a drink and when made into a candy. I have known people who use the green fruit in soup. Can also be used as a tenderizer. This picture was taken in 1988 at Titi Guilla's house. She had a wonderful garden filled with flowers and fruits. Carica papaya |
Passion Fruit (Parcha) At left: The flower. Incredibly beautiful. (Photo taken on 10/25/2015; NY Botanical Garden.) At right: The fruit grows on a vine. Yellowish when ripe. Delicious when made into a juice. In Estate Coble, I remember my aunt's outdoor shower being covered by a passion fruit vine. Passiflora edulis |
Pomegranate Pomgrana, granada. The pulp inside is very juicy. There are hundreds of seeds inside! Can be made into a drink. Pumica granatum |
Coco Plum, Icaco Scientific name, Chrysobalanus icaco. When ripe the fruit is pinkish in color and soft to the touch. Inside is a sweet white flesh. Found mostly on or close to the beach. Some plants can now be found around the Henry Rohlsen Airport. As kids, we were told that if we ate too many we'd become constipated! (E gon cak yo up!) I remember riding in the back of Pin's (Pablo, a cousin), truck heading to the Sandy Point beach for a picnic. There we'd feast on coco plums! They grew abundantly in Sandy Point! |
Sour Sop, guanabana The fruit is in no way sour! Delicious when made into a drink. Some people add milk to the drink. I prefer it with just water and sweetened to taste. Ma also made frozen ices (lindy). Great as an ice cream flavor. The leaves of the tree make a great tea and are said to have medicinal properties. Annona muricata |
Custard Apple, Corazón Another delicious fruit. Can't remember when was the last time I ate one. Annona reticulata |
Local plums, jobos Found throughout the island. Are usually yellow when ripe but a variety turns red. Not much flesh on the seed. If not mistaken, the plums and custard apple were photographed in Paco's back yard. |
| 02/24/06, 05/24/20 |
| A Sample of the Fruits of St. Croix, Page 2 |
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Other fruits we ate but not featured in Fruits 1 and 2 are/were - Mango (kidney, belly-full, grafted, etc), mamey (sapote), genip, jojo plum, hog plum (grew on trees in James' pasture close to St. Patrick's School), cherry (usually tart), tamarind and others. Each one had its season. We knew where and when to look for them. There was a cottony fruit that grew in a pod on a vine. It was very sweet. Cannot remember the name. See St. Croix 27B for more fruits and vegetables. |
April 19, 2020 - I began cleaning out my closets a while back since I decided to rent the small room of my apartment to a friend. I had to shift things around which had been stored in the closets to make space. In so doing, I decided to get rid of the many photo albums I had stored in the foyer closet. Damn, I did not know I had that many photo albums. Before shredding the photos/postcards and souvenirs, I looked at them and decided to keep a few. I will post what I saved and scanned on various pages. Some photos and postcards may be posted on other pages. Everything posted will be as scanned without adjusting the photo for color, clarity, etc. What you see is what you get. Watermark will not be added. No kallaloo here, just simplicity. Below are the photos/postcards/souvenirs being added. Keep in mind, some may be duplicates. Enjoy!!! |
| Icaco (Coco Plum), 1988 |
| The story goes, if you ate too many you'd end up constipated. True or False? |
| I decided to add these two photos of pumpkins. St. Croix, Agriculture Fair, 1986. |
| Cashew |
| Quick, quick. Name me two fruits that have external seed(s). |