Author Topic: Aguaje harvest  (Read 1975 times)

Finca La Isla

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Aguaje harvest
« on: January 30, 2020, 08:04:04 PM »


Aguaje is the common name we give to mauritia flexosa, a particularly large and beautiful palm from South America. It’s very tolerant of wet, swampy land but will adapt to generally wet tropical climates. It’s said to be the most useful palm of its region as it’s appreciated for thatch, etc.
what we’re interested here is in the fruit. You can wait for the fruits to drop or climb and cut a large bunch that must have been 50kg. The un ripe fruits are kept in water which gets changed every day or two. As the fruits ripen they turn a brighter red and soften. The skin gets soft too and is easy to wipe off the surface of the pulp. The aguaje pulp is a savory fruit almost like a cheese, kind of like safou as well. We’re really enjoying it.
Peter

Frog Valley Farm

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2020, 07:02:05 AM »
Looks interesting.  How big is the pit?

Finca La Isla

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2020, 07:11:53 PM »
The seed is large, about 3.5-4cm by 1.5-2cm there’s about 7-10mm, (1/4 “) of pulp around the seed.
Peter

Raulglezruiz

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2020, 04:24:35 PM »
Looks tasty do you eat it raw? How many years to fruit from seed..
El verde es vida!

Finca La Isla

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2020, 09:42:03 PM »
Good question.  Yes, we eat it raw.  This harvest was not on my farm but one about an hour from here. It’s a very big Palm and I don’t have any reliable info on how long it takes to produce.  I feel it would be over five years.

fruitlovers

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2020, 01:19:03 AM »
Thanks for the report. I'm interested in this palm. Am about to plant 12 trees in entrance driveway. Saw them growing wild in Brazil, where it is called buriti. Majestic looking very large palms. Ate the fruits there in Brazil. I thought they tasted quite oily. Also had some candied jam at roadside stand made from buriti. The fruits kind of look like ivory nut palm fruits. Extremely rare here in Hawaii.
Oscar

Felipe

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2020, 03:13:44 PM »
It is very popular in the Peruvian Amazon, where it is usually consumed as a sweet drink called aguajina, which is very rich and tasty.
The fruit has very high carotene and oil content. The raw fruit tastes likes olives IMO, it is not sweet...

The palm is probably the most impressive palm I have seen..

Finca La Isla

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2020, 08:03:15 PM »
It’s really a great thing and the palms are very impressive.  The thing is that I have it planted next to a talipot Palm so it’s barely noticeable in that context.  Poor thing😢.
Peter

fruitlovers

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2020, 02:16:30 AM »
It is very popular in the Peruvian Amazon, where it is usually consumed as a sweet drink called aguajina, which is very rich and tasty.
The fruit has very high carotene and oil content. The raw fruit tastes likes olives IMO, it is not sweet...

The palm is probably the most impressive palm I have seen..
Do you know how that drink is made? These palms can grow right inside puddles of water. Good to plant in areas that get flooded easily.
Oscar

fruitlovers

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2020, 02:19:07 AM »
It’s really a great thing and the palms are very impressive.  The thing is that I have it planted next to a talipot Palm so it’s barely noticeable in that context.  Poor thing😢.
Peter
Once they're fully grown they will be noticeable, even next to a talipot palm.
Oscar

Finca La Isla

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2020, 07:40:02 PM »
I REALLY like your idea of the drive lined with aguaje, way, way better than roystonia.  But imagine the entrance lined with talipots!

fruitlovers

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #11 on: February 08, 2020, 05:54:06 PM »
I REALLY like your idea of the drive lined with aguaje, way, way better than roystonia.  But imagine the entrance lined with talipots!
Saw the talipot palms in Thailand. Truly gigantic. Probably too large for this driveway!
Oscar

Felipe

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Re: Aguaje harvest
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2020, 04:39:11 PM »
It is very popular in the Peruvian Amazon, where it is usually consumed as a sweet drink called aguajina, which is very rich and tasty.
The fruit has very high carotene and oil content. The raw fruit tastes likes olives IMO, it is not sweet...

The palm is probably the most impressive palm I have seen..
Do you know how that drink is made? These palms can grow right inside puddles of water. Good to plant in areas that get flooded easily.

it usually grows in flooded areas.

aguajina is just made of water, boiled fruit pulp and sugar ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk4c7o01Ljo

also a very common and tasty drink made of camu camu is very easy to prepare: boil the fruit for a few minutes in water, remove the seeds and fibres and ad sugar....