The Tropical Fruit Forum

Hey there everyone!

My name is Aaron, and many people call me the 'plant whisperer'. I'm sure that term has been used before, but I've grown to like it and respond to it. I'm currently living in Chicago, transitioning into Southwest Florida (Lee County).

Here are some of the species of plants which I am growing in my apartment in Chicago:

Vanillla planifolia
Piper nigrum
Piper longum
Cinnamomum tamala
Cinnamomum zeylanicum
Myristica fragrans
Synsepalum dulcificum
Pimenta dioica
Amomum kravanh
Averrhoa carambola
Banisteriopsis  caapi 'cielo'
Dipteryx odorata

That last species is a rare spice plant indigenous to the Orionco river basin in the Amazon. My uncle, who is a ship captain near Trinidad, was able to find these trees growing wild in the Trini forest, and after a year of failed germination techniques, I finally figured it out! I recently submitted seedlings to the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Miami and the Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead. Fingers crossed they survive!

I have a culinary degree, but I'm currently trying to get my foot into the botanical world, with the goal of becoming an ethnobotanist. I'd like to discover new spices in the rainforests of India and Central America, and then share my knowledge and plant materials with the world. Wish me luck!