The terrorist attack in Paris and other tragedies occurring around the world reminds us again to give thanks for living on this little speck of paradise we call Hawaii. Sometimes, it seems better to stay at home, but just about that time, an opportunity comes to reach out and share our good fortune with others. America’s Farmer to Farmer Program funded through Peace Corps and several nongovernmental groups like Partners of the Americas give folks here a chance to volunteer to help others. If you are interested in short-term volunteer service you may check out peacecorps.gov and Partners of the Americas.
If you can take the time to have a really amazing experience, Haiti is just a short distance from Florida. Haiti is a beautiful country that shares the island of Hispanola with the Dominican Republic. Compared with almost 30,000 square miles of land surface on Hispanola, our 4,000 square mile island is a mere speck. Although Haiti is considered one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere, it has wonderful scenery and delightful people. Because of an undeserved reputation, few folks visit there. The Dominican Republic as its neighbor is noted for talented baseball players, great beaches and wonderful scenery. Unlike Haiti, it has a booming tourism industry.
The tropics have many places with as much beauty as Hawaii, and there are many places where you can find friendly people. What is unique about Hawaii is that not only are we a beautiful and friendly spot, we also have a form of government that allows us to live in relative safety and prosperity. Our form of government attempts to allow for rule of the majority with protection of the minority. It is just enough capitalistic that it rewards free enterprise and just enough socialistic that most folks have food, shelter and medical care. Now some readers would disagree, but compared to most tropical African, Asian or American countries this is rather unique. Haiti fought for freedom from the French centuries ago, but its own internal politics have left it a country where one never really feels safe. Most people live very close to hunger and ill health. They are enduring, tenacious and hard working, but without an environment that allows their talents to prosper, they struggle to thrive. Some of the farmers with whom we have worked, would be millionaires if they were living in a place like Hawaii.
In America, Thanksgiving for some may be all about eating too much rich food and the worry that the weight gain is likely to continue through New Year’s Day. Unlike much of the tropical world, we don’t usually have to worry about from where our next meal comes. However, this time of the year should remind us to sincerely give thanks for all the many blessings around us and be willing to share when we have the opportunity. Not only do we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, we are blessed with the abundance of a great variety of food crops. Many fruits grow wild along the roadside and in our gardens.
Hawaiian gardeners may grow tropical fruits like bananas, citrus, mangoes and avocados, but we should not overlook some favorites from warm, temperate climates like low-chill apples, peaches, loquats, pomegranates, figs and persimmons.
Persimmons are among the favorites and may be found in the market now. Eating persimmons is an easy way to sweeten any day the healthy way. Also known as the “kissing fruit,” the persimmon tree grows here and produces heavy crops. The rather familiar name comes from the puckering qualities of unripe fruit. As you bite into the fruit it can remind you to make love not war.
Aside from the amorous tendencies, the persimmon has long been a popular dooryard fruit in the cooler upland sections of Hawaii. The generic name, Diospyros, literally means “food of the gods.” This prestige began ages ago in China and Japan.
The flavor of the fruit is excellent. It is a concentrated food because all of the sugar is quick, energy-producing dextrose. However, most persimmon varieties are astringent or puckery, until fully ripe.
Persimmons do best upon lighter upland soils that are well drained. You are in luck if your property has a good soil but if it doesn’t, be sure to spend some time on improving the soil with fertilizer and compost.
Persimmons like full sunlight and ample “elbow room.” So, the planting site should be an open space no closer than 20 feet from the nearest tree canopy.
If the planting site is a lawn area, practice clean cultivation around the trunk of the tree. In removing weeds do not dig deeply, as many feeder roots of the tree grow close to the surface of the soil.
Fertilizer requirements for persimmons are vague. But the trees seem to thrive on applications of a good garden fertilizer mixture containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potash plus minor elements. A standard type such a 1-1-1 is satisfactory. Where the soil is high in nitrogen, look for a bloom aid formula low in nitrogen. Apply the fertilizer in the spring as new leaves flush.
Two close relatives of the persimmon can also add interesting and delicious fruit to your garden and table. The black sapote, Diospyros ebenaster, from Mexico is grown occasionally in Hawaii.
The tree is evergreen, up to 25 feet, with a fairly compact rounded habit and handsome in aspect. The leathery leaves are bright green and shiny. The fruit is round, from two to five inches in diameter, and dark olive green at maturity with a conspicuous persistent green calyx like the persimmon. The thin skin encloses a soft, pulpy flesh that is a dark chocolate brown in color and gives the name to the fruit. The pulp is soft and sweet. Addition of orange, lime or lemon juice improves the flavor of the fruit that may be eaten fresh or cooked.
The mabolo (Diospyros discolor) is rare in Hawaii except on Round Top, above Honolulu, where it can be found growing wild. This Philippine tree is of medium size, with leathery, oblong, pointed leaves four to 10 inches long, light and smooth above, much paler and more or less silky or hairy beneath. The fruits are three to five inches in diameter, covered thickly with short, reddish brown hair. The flesh is cream colored, rather dry, sweet and aromatic, usually with several rather large seeds. Seedless forms are known to have moister and sweeter flesh of good quality.
Check with area nurseries for these fruit trees and more to make your home gardening fruitful.