Tropical Treasures: The Fruits That I've Missed

Fruits! Fruits! Fruits!

One thing I love about being in the province is that there are lots of fruit trees and there are almost always fruits on the table - all we have to do is go pick them from the trees (or from the ground when they fall). We do not have this in the UAE since everything needs to be bought.

So today let me share some of the fruits I got to enjoy over the past month since we came for vacation.

Dragon Fruit.

During our first week, we had to go daily to my uncle's house (the house I grew up in) because there was a problem with our village's water tank and we did not have free-flowing water for 5 days.

We went to my uncle's house (who was at that time in his house in Makati) to bathe and wash our clothes. Apart from that, we also enjoyed the abundance of dragon fruits!

For some reason, dragon fruits became abundant in our place. I do not remember ever seeing this fruit growing up. Now, there's a lot of them everywhere. Dragon fruit plants are like cacti but they tend to grow around the plants/trees and cling upon them for support. This particular one has grown bigger than the guava tree it is on.

Back to the fruit, I love the bright pink color of the flesh -- it even tastes sweeter in my opinion than the white variety. It's great when refrigerated, so refreshing.

Santol (Cotton Fruit)

I can't count how many times I said "Ang sarap!" (delicious) while eating the very first santol I had after 17 (yes, seventeen) years!

My mother even commented that I should stop talking because I might end up with tummy ache. LOL. But I just couldn't help it. It's like something I cannot describe.

I honestly did not expect to find any more santol because I thought the season was over. I remember this being so abundant around May. Luckily, there are still more fruits from my uncle's yard. He sent me a bag-full again the other day. ❤️ My kids don't like it too much (because of its sour taste) so mommy got it all for herself. jk.

Mango

There were so many mangoes the first few weeks we were here in June. Again, I thought I wouldn't find any more mangoes, but at least there was still a lot of ripe ones. Every morning, my aunt would go to the backyard to pick up some ripe mangoes that fell overnight. That would be our mango stash for the day. :D

This mango in the picture below was from my cousin. I forgot what variety it's called, but it's humongous! But even if it's big, I had to stop myself from eating because I almost finished the whole fruit!

I paired it with shrimp paste -- perfect combo!

Pomelo

This pomelo has better got to give good fruits or else my mom threatens to just cut it off. They said that the fruits are deceivingly big, but in reality, it can only give a small fruit. Most of its size is from the thick, cottony rind.

It did not discourage me though. I love pomelo and I have to get some even if it entails me carrying a long, heavy bamboo meant to pick coconuts! LOL.

It is true though, that it can get a bit disappointing to see the inside of the fruit to be just a bit bigger than my fist when the fruit is almost as big as a basketball! No issues for me, as long as I satisfy my pomelo cravings!

Atis (Custard Apple)

This atis tree next to our house still has many fruits. We just need to be more vigilant and make sure that the birds don't get the fruits before us. :D

Atis is one of my favorite fruits as a kid and now my youngest seems to have found his new favorite, too! It was "love at first bite" for him.

Calamansi

Last for now is the calamansi. It's not really a fruit that you eat, eat, but it is a small lime that is a kitchen staple. I don't find much of this in the UAE so now I enjoy adding this to condiments like soy sauce or fish sauce. The tangy flavor is something so Filipino that takes dishes to a different level!

My kids love it when we make calamansi juice, the lemonade lovers that they are.

There are other fruits that we are enjoying a lot that I failed to add here - like the guyabano (soursop) that we literally have on a daily basis. The guyabano tree in our backyard just keeps on giving, and who are we to say "no", right? Wait, I remember I took a photo of a freshly sliced guyabano a few days ago... here we go.

Yuuummmmm!

And while I'm at it, I guess I'll also add the papaya that competes with the guyabano as to which one gives the most fruit.

Here's my cousin picking up some unripe ones that are great for making atchara (picked papaya).

We are so lucky to be able to have all of these fruits so accessible, and best of all, free! I don't remember eating this much variety of fresh fruits in such a short span of time. I am so thankful for this chance. I'm so happy to be home. ❤️