Author Topic: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions  (Read 450 times)

SplorKeLZ

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what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« on: October 31, 2024, 05:46:42 PM »
i hope to go to costa rica next summer and want to know what to look for, google was no help at all here so I came to everyone here ;D. i really like foraging so I want to to a little bit of exploration through the jungle as well as looking through markets visiting farms etc. what should I look for? i want to find various Annona, Garcinia, myrtcacea, sapotacea, theobroma and I want to try chupa chupa too if I can. what is in season? and others also if anyone knows any local guides or has any general advice that would be appreciated. also, are there any poisonous species in the mentioned genera or any others to avoid?

thanks!!!
« Last Edit: October 31, 2024, 05:49:41 PM by SplorKeLZ »

Rob From Sydney

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2024, 06:05:54 PM »
I'm not sure, but doesn't Costa Rica have giant soursops?
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Finca La Isla

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2024, 08:02:41 PM »
July is a tad early for some of the best fruit but it depends as the seasons on some fruits can be early or late easily. We won’t know until about May how the season is shaping up. We always have chupa chupa in August and September. There could be lots of garcinias, including mangosteen as well as durian and many others.
Costa Rica has lots of good farmers markets, fruit stands by the road, and areas concentrated in fruit orchards. There’s lots of fruit for sale around Orotina on the central pacific coast, then the Thursday farmers market in San Isidro, Perez Zeledon. The area of Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean coast is where we are and it’s a hub for fruit.
Peter

Rob From Sydney

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2024, 08:43:24 PM »
If you're looking looking to go foraging/fruit hunting, Inaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/) might help. They have information on trees, as well as the locations of where trees have been found. You might be familiar with it.
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Satya

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2024, 01:16:12 PM »
I'm not sure, but doesn't Costa Rica have giant soursops?
Don't know about other areas but what is sold here in Perez Zeledon is very big and very sour, it's not even eaten as fruit, only juiced adding lots of sugar. Never had a good soursop in Costa Rica, like I had in Saint Lucia for example, in markets and in the jungle alike, was the sweetest fruit and very aromatic. But maybe it's like with pulasan, I just didn't find the right one yet  ;D

Satya

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2024, 01:50:09 PM »
I visited 2 fruit farms in July, and there were lots of fruit to taste. Even durians  ;D
All the Don Carlos and Jesse Blenn videos on my channel that i've been and still releasing for the last year  :o  have been made in July.
This is Jesse Blenn's farm tour: https://youtu.be/a2TlbYmqe1M

SplorKeLZ

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2024, 05:19:24 PM »
If you're looking looking to go foraging/fruit hunting, Inaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/) might help. They have information on trees, as well as the locations of where trees have been found. You might be familiar with it.
I have looked through I naturalist before but I didn't find it helpful because  it required me to know the specific species where I wanted to find species that I don't know of yet but it turns out you can search by genus! thanks a ton!

Rob From Sydney

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #7 on: November 02, 2024, 11:12:18 PM »
If you're looking looking to go foraging/fruit hunting, Inaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/) might help. They have information on trees, as well as the locations of where trees have been found. You might be familiar with it.
I have looked through I naturalist before but I didn't find it helpful because  it required me to know the specific species where I wanted to find species that I don't know of yet but it turns out you can search by genus! thanks a ton!

Your're welcome! I would also recommend looking for Soncoya (Annona Purplea), by the way...
Good luck finding some rare fruits!
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SplorKeLZ

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2024, 01:53:19 PM »
July is a tad early for some of the best fruit but it depends as the seasons on some fruits can be early or late easily. We won’t know until about May how the season is shaping up. We always have chupa chupa in August and September. There could be lots of garcinias, including mangosteen as well as durian and many others.
Costa Rica has lots of good farmers markets, fruit stands by the road, and areas concentrated in fruit orchards. There’s lots of fruit for sale around Orotina on the central pacific coast, then the Thursday farmers market in San Isidro, Perez Zeledon. The area of Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean coast is where we are and it’s a hub for fruit.
Peter
currently in my early state of planning, I do want to go to Puerto Viejo, I am also looking into the oso peninsula and the children's eternal rainforest areas. what are some of the garcinias that may be available? I'm interested in G. magnifolia if it is in season. also do you know if I will be able to find plinia sp especially p. salticola. I am also wondering about any rarer annona/duguetia, the only duguetia I know of native to CR is D. Confusa , do you maybe know of any others if they would be in season?

thank you!

Finca La Isla

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Re: what to look for in Costa Rica in July? and other questions
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2024, 08:38:03 AM »
Some of the garcinias we have in production are mangostan, parvifolia, forbesii, magnafolia, brasilensis, intermedia, madruno, prainiana. There’s probably more.
I recommend going to the Osa, but not really for looking for fruit. In that general region I would go to the San Isidro farmers market that is held on Thursdays. Two guys there specialize in rare fruits. Tonny Gracia has a large stand there and there’s an expat named Wade who sells some good stuff. Nearby is the farm of don Carlos. He produces some good durian and other rare fruits. You can find him on Facebook.
Two places in CR with very large roadside fruit stands are by the highway 27 in the vicinity of Orotina and also on the hwy 32 near the turnoff for Sarapiqui.
The farmers market in Puerto Viejo is on Saturdays.
Peter

 

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