Cashew ( pardon me!)

[islandcassie]

The cashew tree in our garden is about 7 years old and has been cropping heavily for about 4 years. We grew it from a nut which germinates readily if the nut is kept with the apple. They sprout within 7 days. The tree is now about 20ft tall and about as wide across. Last year we had about 7kg of raw nuts which realised about 2kg of edible nut. This year looks like being a good year for the fruits/nuts as the tree is covered with blossom. Each apple only provides 1 nut - which is why they are so expensive - plus the processing is difficult. Currently our internet access says that I can't post pictures! Heyho! The price of living in paradise!

[Chrisg]

That is a lot of nuts (or are they seeds not sure they are true nuts?).

The only time I have ever seen a tree is in Ghana, and it was more like a small bush with 5 - 10 fruits on. I thought they only stayed small to to hear the size of yours :shock:

How do they process they? And do you eat the fruit out there?

[islandcassie]

OK Chris - I have taken new photos as the tree is just coming into full fruit. The cashew apples are full of atropine and are not especially delicious - so we don't eat them, but some Dominicans like them. Christina our maid roasted them for us and it is a long hot process as the double skinned nuts have a caustic oil between the skins which needs to be burnt off. Then the nuts need to be shelled, and I am surprised that they are not even more expensive!!! The nuts grow outside the apple which is just a swollen stem. The bats love our fruits as they become ripe and gnaw them overnight.






I have to say that the novelty of the tree has worn off, especially as we don't eat the apples, and the nuts are so tedious to process and the small blossoms ( of which there are thousands for months on end) clutter the paths and fall in the pool.

[Chrisg]

The leaves look good as well. Is it ever green?

We have pretty much tried everything else int h uk, but don't know of anyone trying Cashew tree.

[islandcassie]

Yes - evergreen and the nuts germinate very readily when they are planted with the apple - 5-6 days to get a shoot. Very easy to grow but they are reluctant to germinate without the apple. The fruit ripens faster than anything I have ever seen - from green stem to apple size in 5 days, and then red ripe in 24 hours. Pick them then or else the bats will gnaw them overnight and the ripe fruit will squish on the ground by morning. We took a quantity of apples into a Dominican friend tonight, and she was delighted as they are her favourite. I must admit that the fruity aroma they were giving off was delicious. As the tree is loaded with fruit, I will be trying on a daily basis to give as much away as I can as the apples are very perishable. The mango season is in full flow and they are delicious and string-free, so sorry cashews but mangos rule!!

[islandcassie]

Carmen was thrilled with the cashew apples as she had tonsillitis, and her grandmother told her that cashew was good for sore throats! She said she hadn't had any cashew for about 15 years as there were none around where she was. A result for me as the fruits are coming down like rain in the high winds we have had.