Growers of tropical fruits in Florida are beginning to see more crops coming into season as warmer weather arrives for the year. Conditions in recent months have so far been relatively favorable and growers are anticipating good spring and summer seasons. Supply will still be short on spring fruits, due to the after-effects of Hurricane Irma. By summer though, most crops will have fully recovered."We're currently seeing the bloom on a number of fruits, including green mangoes, lychees and longans," said Bob Petrucci of Fresh Gardens in Homestead, Florida. "Unfortunately we lost the entire Black Sapote crop due to damage sustained from Hurricane Irma, and growers are still having issues with some of the other tropical fruits like star apple. Many growers received significant damage because the Hurricane passed right through the center of the state, damaging trees. It's estimated that there was $150 million damage to avocados alone. However, as we start seeing the summer crops bloom, things are looking positive and we expect to be fully recovered by the summer."
Specialty crops
Hearts of Palm (pictured right), is one of the specialties of Fresh Gardens, and supplies have been very steady all year long. The company mainly sells it to restaurants and it attracts a high price. Another of their specialty fruits is a type of star fruit, originally from Taiwan.
"We're known for our Hearts of Palm," Petrucci said. "These are available year round and we import them from Guatemala. Supplies of these have been very good as weather conditions have been favorable in that region. One of our summer fruit crops is a specialty star fruit variety called 'Fwang Tung'. It is originally from Taiwan and tastes incredible. Because it's not sold in stores, we make it available as a U-Pick option, so it's a rather exclusive fruit."
Promoting tropical produce
Fresh Gardens have approached several ways in which to promote not just their produce, but tropical fruit in general. From running tours to offering U-Pick, Petrucci said they make an effort to raise interest in tropical fruit and promote its consumption.
"We are well known for our tours where visitors can tour the farm, sample the fruit and learn about all the fascinating fruits that you don't see a great deal of in supermarkets," he said. "It's a great activity for visitors to Florida who may otherwise not have a chance to see tropical fruits being grown. In addition, we run a Tropical Fruit of the Month club. Every month, we feature and promote a particular variety of fruit that is currently in season and members of the club receive 5lb of fruit each month. This month we're featuring Mamay, followed by Pink Guava in April, which will be coming into season very shortly."
For more information:
Bob Petrucci
Fresh Gardens
Tel: +1 (305) 245-8388