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VANILLA...

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The Vanilla Queen's Blog

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StarApple2

Star Apple

Star Apple, Chrysophyllum cainito, is a member of the Sapodilla family and is native to Central America and the Caribbean.  It is cultivated for its

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Soursop

Soursop, Annona muricata, is a broadleaf evergreen tree native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America, where it is known as guanabana. 

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Rambutan

Rambutan

Rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum, is closely related to lychee and mamoncillo.  It is native to Malaysia, but is cultivated in many areas of the world.  In

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Pomegranate

Pomegranate

Pomegranate, Punica gran, is an ancient fruit native to Persia (Iran).  It is both a tropical and sub-tropical plant that has been cultivated and naturalized

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Pineapple

Pineapple

Pineapple, Ananas comosus, is native to Southern Brazil and Paraguay, and was passed along through indigenous tribes up to the Caribbean, where Columbus first encountered

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PassionFruit

Passion Fruit and Lilikoi

Passion Fruit, Passiflora edulis, known also as “‘Maracuya,”  “Parcha” and “Maracuja,” is a delicious fruit that is native to Southern Brazil, Paraguay and Northern Argentina,

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Papaya3.jpg

Papaya

Papaya, Carica papaya, and of the genus Carica, is native to tropical Americas, from Southern Mexico, to Central and Northern South America.  It was cultivated

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Nopal

Nopal

Nopal, Opuntia lasiacanta, is the paddle of the prickly pear cactus. The cactus itself is native to the Southern U.S., Mexico, and Central and South

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Noni

Noni

Noni, Morinda citrifolia, also sometimes called “cheese fruit” (or even “vomit fruit”) is native to Southeast Asia, but was spread spread throughout Oceania by the

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Musk Melon

Muskmelon, Cucumis melo is a species of melon that has evolved, through breeding, into a variety of the melons now grown worldwide.  It originated in

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MiracleFruit2

Miracle Fruit

Miracle Fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is a simple berry that looks like a pomegrante seed, and has the remarkable ability to turn the sour taste of

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Mangosteen

Mangosteen

Mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana, also known as Purple Mangosteen, is usually referred to as mangosteen. It is a tropical evergreen tree that grows from 20-80 feet

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Mango

Mango comes from the genus Mangifera.  It is indigenous to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, and cultivated and distributed widely in the world.  The

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MameySapote

Mamey Sapote

Mamey Sapote, Pouteria sapota, is native to Southern Mexico, Belize and Northern Guatemala, but is now cultivated in much of the Caribbean, Central America and

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Longan2

Longon

Longan, Dimocarpus longana, fruits are similar to lychees but come from a different family of plants, Sapindaceae.  They are known in Chinese as “dragon eyes”

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CitrusSlices

Citrus Fruits

Lemon, Citrus limon, a most valued resource for culinary and medicinal purposes, is used in most parts of the world.  Its origins are a mystery,

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Durian

Durian, known in Southeast Asia as the King of Fruits, is a fascinating member of the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family.  It has the

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DragonFruit_Pitayas

Dragon Fruit

Dragon Fruit, also known as Pitaya, is the fruit from a variety of cactus species, primarily from the genus Hylocereus.  They are similar to the

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Carambola (Star Fruit)

Carambola, also known as Star fruit, is the fruit of the Averrhoa carambola tree.  It is native to Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka, and is

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Dates

Dates come from the Date Palm, Phoenix dactylifera, a mid-size palm that frequently has more than one trunk growing from the same rootstock.  Because it

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