cultivars, nobody knows

[irun5k]

So, I have pretty much decided to stop asking the cultivar of tropical fruit that is for sale.  Over the years I've found that the few people that know what they're selling will usually label it, and the other 95% have no idea.

We have a great Asian themed farmers market here in Pinellas County.  I bought a jackfruit recently from "The Jackfruit King."  By all measures, it seems to be a significant operation, a custom-branded box truck filled with Jackfruit.  They looked at me like I was an idiot when I asked them what variety of Jackfruit it was.  Based on taste and appearance though I'd say they're selling multiple varieties.

This is true of almost every vendor at every farmers market, fruit stand, etc. I've ever visited.  Also we used to live on Kauai and nobody knew what they had there, either.  There are definitely a few exceptions here and there and of course if your'e trading fruits with fellow gardeners it is a different story also.

Not a big deal in the scheme of things- I'm usually happy enough to find fresh tropical fruit and in some cases I can identify the more distinctive cultivars myself.  What is your experience where you live?

[Epicatt2]

Great question, 'irun', and I agree that buying fresh fruit as you describe, can be a sort of 'flying blind' experience.

Hoping that your question will elicit some interesting responses from various of our experienced fruit lovers.

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

[Oolie]

Depends on who planted/manages the grove.

There's certainly a large market for fruit by cultivar. I'd say keep meeting people, establishing contacts, you will find what you're looking for if you keep displaying interest.

[pagnr]

They looked at me like I was an idiot when I asked them what variety of Jackfruit it was.  Based on taste and appearance though I'd say they're selling multiple varieties.

How about the style or flavour of Jackfruit, ie crunchy, bubblegum, orange etc Maybe exact named cultivar is too broad.
For some fruits, the country of origin may be meaningful to people from other cultures ie Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian.
They would know well the fruit types from their own country, and those from neighbouring countries in SE Asia.
Possibly Durian is the exception where named cultivars are known and sought out.
I have always found that a knowledge of fruit and interest in other cultures around fruit to be a genuine point of contact, even if I too look like an idiot at times.

[Bush2Beach]

This is certainly a pet peeve . Particularly in California, where it is I believe not legal or at least uncouth to sell produce at a farmers market stand not grown by the that Farm.
I can't say it has gotten better over the years , but some booths are excellent and some are not. Find your favorites and go from there. Murray family farms is the gold standard I have seen in CA .
Kashiwase and Frog Hollow stand out to me for 10+ varieties of named stone fruits in season. Many places you ask what kind of Peach or Nectarine they say "White". I would not make a good poker player as the look of disdain is surely noticeable, (suck teeth)..
Brokaw is always good with their named Avocado varieties but I learned they spray poison so that sucks.
Hawaii you almost don't bother , they look at you like your crazy , I look at them like they are crazy. There are some farmers that rep only what they grow, but that is the minority and doesn't exist at all at the 2 biggest markets .
One major issue is  there is a ton of stolen produce sold by thieves or middlemen without any regulation or inspection,  the farmers market booths have no idea and all have the same standard response when asked what cultivar "very sweet" .( incredibly annoying for Durian in particular) 2. You can see the Costco boxes of Mango, Pineapple and somehow even Banana sometimes sitting behind the booth, no shame or even idea of why that's wrong. They are just hustling hard .
I will always gravitate towards a farmer selling their goods they grew at market . These are my hero's and folks I can usually relate to well.

[fliptop]

irun5k, when and where is the farmers market? Thanks!

[fruitnoob]

irun5k, when and where is the farmers market? Thanks!

I am pretty sure it is the weekend market at The ICOT Business Center. 13600 Icot Bvld in Clearwater
Sat & Sun. I think they open at 7 and close at 3.
they have some interesting mangoes there that I couldn’t find elsewhere, but for the most part, it’s a tourist trap.
i bought unknown dragon fruit cuttings and sugar apple trees there, and they are doing great this year.

[fliptop]

Thanks!

[JR561]

Irun5k, thanks for starting this thread.

This made me change my approach.

I guess this is how it is, and I need to stop wasting time asking what cultivar is this?

The ones who know will tell you.

[irun5k]

irun5k, when and where is the farmers market? Thanks!

I am pretty sure it is the weekend market at The ICOT Business Center. 13600 Icot Bvld in Clearwater
Sat & Sun. I think they open at 7 and close at 3.
they have some interesting mangoes there that I couldn’t find elsewhere, but for the most part, it’s a tourist trap.
i bought unknown dragon fruit cuttings and sugar apple trees there, and they are doing great this year.

Yes that is the place!  I would disagree on "Tourist Trap", most of the customer base comes from the local Asian American community and there are is a lot of locally grown tropical fruit; I believe many of the vendors came from the Mustang flea market when it closed.  There are also various prepared food vendors so you can get your halo halo, pancit or a number of other things that aren't easy to find locally.

[irun5k]

Irun5k, thanks for starting this thread.

This made me change my approach.

I guess this is how it is, and I need to stop wasting time asking what cultivar is this?

The ones who know will tell you.

That is 100% my experience, if they know, it will be labeled.  I've actually never gotten an answer when something was unlabeled and I had to ask.

A couple times we had vendors at the summer Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete that were selling all kinds of mangos or lychee and they knew exactly what they were.  It was really great to try and compare Brewster, Sweet Cliff, Emperor, etc. lychee at one booth!  They had a family farm in Pine Island.  The mango guys had a farm somewhere unexpected... I think make it was Lake Wales.