Orlando/Tampa area

[akanonui]

Is there anything in the way of interesting tropical fruits around the Orlando/Tampa area? Is the Tampa botanical gardens any good?

[Doug]

Seems like Flying Fox is in the Orlando area. Maybe you could message him for info. He's a regular poster here.

[floridays]

Just north of Orlando is a place called Green's nursery in Zellwood. They carry a lot of Zill's mangos as well as other tropical fruits. It might be worth a stop just to visit.

[akanonui]

Thank you all for the info. I will be snooping around trying to find anything rare and exotic. I hope the Cuban and Asian groceries will have some things as well.

[SunshineState]

As far as Tampa Bay nurseries Jenes in St Pete, Kerbys in Brandon in that order.

If you can make it Saturday, Mustang Flea Market in Pinellas Park has a huge Asian vendor section out back( to the west of the main flea market) you'll find tons of homegrown lychees, mangoes, jackfruit, Canistel... Also a few venders sell fruit trees mostly mangoes

I'd pair up Jenes and the flea market if I were you.

[akanonui]

I will try to go to Jene's and the flea market. Today I went to Caribbean Supercenter and found breadfruit, june plum, quenipa, and fresh guatemalan rambutan. I also passed by 1st Asia Supermarket but didn't go in, though I might return. In the 'Chinatown' I saw a vendor selling various assorted plants including dragonfruit and some random things, which are useless to me as I flew here. If I find something that I can't pass up i'll package it and ship it via FedEx. Any vhance I can find Canistel, Mamey, Mamee apple, White Sapote, Arrayan, Custard apple, or anything else like that around here in Cuban/Latino grocery stores?

[akanonui]

Update: So far I have found fresh mamey, hua moa bananas, june plum, quenepa, rambutan, breadfruit, muscadines, sugar apple, cherimoya(even though it's vastly out of season), pond apple, various star fruit and dragon fruit, jackfruit, and a few other random as well as jarred chonta, frozen acerola, cupuaçu, caju, cacao, jaboticaba, and guanabana at various markets. I have visited The Florida Botanical Gardens(meh) and I have heard of Liên Hoa Oriental Market which carries fresh gac and canistel. I was just wondering if there are any more places that might be worth while in my 3.5 days left here to do. I would also like to find duhat, canistel, wax jambu, jaboticaba, inga, white sapote and that sort of thing somewhere around here if possible. I wish the markets near my house carried more then just the regular jackfruit, dragon fruit, lychee etc. but this is as good as I can get it.

[Tropheus76]

Most of those should be able to be found in Central FL if they are in season. Jabo's are in season if the one I ate off my neighbor's tree the other day is any indication. Most of those trees exist here. Canistel despite my neighbor having  a couple is more tropical and you would likely need to head south to find them, but since you found rambutan, I don't see why you wouldn't find it either.
 

[JonathonForester]

Hey where did you find the Hua Moa bananas?

[akanonui]

I found the hua moa bananas labeled ''hawaiian plantains'' at the Caribbean Supercenter in Orlando. They are about the thickness of 4 bananas, almost round, so that was an indication. I know from having family in Hawai'i of Tongan decent that you can cook them green, but also eat them fresh like a dessert banana when yellow, so I waited until it was ripe and tasted it. Almost the same as a regular cavendish but with a cantaloupe aftertaste.

[JonathonForester]

I had some at fruit and spice park 2 weeks ago, I think I'm going to order one from going bananas! It's so dense and tasty.