This would maybe be a good crop to grow more of in Hawaii. This tree was so attractive and productive that it got me thinking cashew might be a viable crop for backyard growers and even for diverse mixed Fruit tree farms.
The fruit are very pretty and interesting to see. We visited a gorgeous tree that was loaded with ripe fruit. The farm is at “Poamoho”.Ī few years ago, My Friend Elizabeth Reigels and I went on a kalo and farm kokua, Gourmet Foodie and Educational event and on the Reppun farm. He invited me to go visit, we could make a holoholo day out of that ! Super sweet guy and he was so helpful. She said “Frank Hinshaw is the cashew guy. Lucas got an email from the Department of Agriculture about a seed giveaway from Hinshaw Farms. She showed me these cute and vigorous keiki, that she is growing on her sunny lanai, protected with chicken wire. Recently my friend Kaui Lucas, who is a Trained Permaculturist, was talking to me about her Cashew keiki trees. We do have some intrepid farmers in Hawaii who are growing trees and even selling products. Today it is mainly grown commercially in Brazil and India. Keep turf grass well away from the root zone. The flowers like it dry, just like mangoes. The attractive colorful and juicy fruit is an adaptation to attract fruit eating animals to aid in seed dispersal.Īlthough it is perishable, we can eat the fruit and make value added products like wine and fruit roll ups.Ĭashew trees favor well drained soils and regular watering to get established. The true fruit contains a single seed, which is generally considered to be a nut. The drupe develops first on the tree, and then the pedicel expands to become the cashew apple. The actual fruit (botanically speaking) of the cashew tree is a yellow or red kidney shaped drupe that grows at the end of the cashew apple. Some call this a “cashew apple” Being Eurocentric they called all kinds of tropical fruits “apples”! The “fruit” that catches our eye is actually a “false fruit” or pseudocarp. The fruit and nut are very interesting to see. The trees can grow up to 40 feet in ideal conditions, we usually find shorter, wider trees here in Hawaii. Bees like to visit and pollinate the flowers. Poisonous relatives are poison ivy and sumac, and the Marking nut tree.įlowers are greenish yellow, fragrant and grow in panicles. Relatives include Fruit trees like Mango, Wi or Otaheite apple, Hog plum (my Honey’s favorite, one grows and Fruits in Foster Garden). Cashews are native to Brazil and Tropical America Cashew is in the Mango family, Anacardiaceae. The Latin name is Anacardium occidentale, (“Ana’ means upward, and “Cardium” refers to the heart). Interestingly the toxic principles in the shell may make a good insecticide! Research continues. That is why I’m happy to buy this heart healthy nut at the store! Juice from the shell around the fruit may burn your skin. You need to harvest at just the right time, and then extract the seed carefully.
If it is not ripe enough, or too ripe Abunai! (Danger in Japanese) It is hard, and possibly toxic to harvest and process the hard-shelled seeds (nuts). The main thing we were taught about cashews, is “Handle with extreme care”. In this section we grow plants with various economic value or potential such as herbs, spices, medicines, food, and even poisons. It’s in the Economic section of the garden. Lots of other useful and yummy things come from Cashew trees.įor years we had a Cashew tree growing at Foster Botanic Garden. It would be a pretty, and fun fruit tree to add to our gardens. Linda Neumann who has a farm on Kaua’i helped me learn more. I found out writing this that you can eat the fruit of cashews and its high in vitamin C and good for your teeth and gums.
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