I found something new... Mangosteen

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mangosteen.html#Description

I was really wanting to get some seeds, but it actually sounds too difficult in my Z7b location.

Have you ever heard of a Mangosteen fruit?

I know they sell the juice at Sam's...(is this the same thing as Xango juice?)

earthling, thanks for your reply! I don't know. Your info is news to me! I sat through a Xango Juice demo Thursday night. That's what piqued my interest because I had never heard of it. I guess if Sam's has it, then Costco might have it, too. I'm gonna check it out. I guess if I buy my own, and it's mangosteen juice, it ought to do the same as the Xango juice would do. Think so?

I just did a google search and yes, they are the same thing...I was tempted to buy it, heard some good things about Xango juice but at $25.00 a bottle, its a little pricey....the mangosteen juice (at Sams) was $17..so a little cheaper. Still undecided on buying it, tho.

I DID plant a pomegranate this past spring and am hoping to get fruit from it...hopefully reap some benefits from that fruit. Also have persimmons growing but they are still too young to bear fruit..

You would have gotten a bargain. The guy with the presentation wanted $35/bottle. I told him before he came that I wasn't going to buy anything. And I didn't! Good for me :)

Good luck with your pomegranite. Did you grow it from seed?

No, I got it at a local nursery, it really thrived during the hot, dry summer we had, so I have high expectations for it.

$35 a bottle sure is pricey...you need to check at your local Costco or Sams because I know at the Sams I go to, they sell it. You could get 2 for the price that guy was wanting..LOL

Yes, good for you,...!!

Right! I'm gonna go to Costco and ask at the desk if they have it. I hate to 'search' for stuff in a store that big! It sounds like it is the cure for the world. And the taste he gave me wasn't bad, so I'm gonna try it on my own. :)

Hi,

Yes, the Xango is spendy stuff. I used to be a distributor, but I quit because of the Sodium Benzoate preservative, which in combination with vitamin C can turn into a carcinogen (see recent Consumer Report article). Obviously a juice like Xango contains lots of natural vitamin C, so I just didn't feel good about representing this product anymore... Too bad, because other than the preservative, it is great.

essentialplanet, thanks for the info. I'll look on the bottle when I find it to see if there is any Sodium Benzoate in it.

u can find mangosteen fruit in the freezer section of any oriental store: they are either the whole fruit or in the form of ice cream under the Magnolia brand from the Phil. they are really pricey since i have known of their existence. they are grown in the forest in the Mindanao [the 3rd biggest island] in the Philippines. they maybe pricey but it is worth the money u spend cuz they are sooooooooooooooo gooooooooooooooood!!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangosteen , http://chetday.com/mangosteen.htm , http://www.mendosa.com/mangosteen.htm , http://livingbyheart.tripod.com/xresearch/id72.html

hope u find the real thing like i had eaten long time ago. these days, i just have to be content with the Mangosteen flavored ice cream. good luck! or u can buy Mangosteen flavored bakery products at any Filipino bakery.

this site is only for information purposes http://www.caoh.org/mangosteen.html?ovchn=GGL&ovcpn=Mangosteen+Elixir&ovcrn=mangosteen&ovtac=PPC&gclid=CN7n6p2ctogCFQSjYgodRSmiiQ

Ma Vie is right!

that is how I have my wonderful Papaya trees- bought the original papaya at the store. Since then I have grown 46 papaya trees most of which I have given away, the others have so many papayas I cannot eat them all. They turn out to be the most sweet and delicious I have eaten for a loooong time. of course I'm a bit partial then :)
Rj

Rj,

have u tried the Mangosteen flavored ice cream. if not, u should go to the nearest oriental store and try them. the flavor is awesome. if memory serves me right, it is almost a cross between coffee and chocolate.

when eating ripe papaya, we sprinkle some lemon juice on the papaya meat. the acid in the lemon balances the sweetness in ripe papaya.

Thanks MaVie and Rjudd. I appreciate the links and the comments.

it is always a pleasure to share info. u are very welcome :).

MMM, I don't think so- I will have to try that. We definately have a bunch of asian stores to choose from.
I have tried lime on the papaya before, but I like it sweet. My friends and I have discovered Papaya Margaritias...now there is something that balances the sweetness! mmm..they are delicious.

so is mangosteen a pretty looking plant? Is it a tree? I may pick one up at the asian store while I'm there.

They say it is really hard to grow. Good luck. You need to google it.

far as i can recall, Mangosteen is only harvested by the natives who lives in the virgin forest in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. it is really difficult to acquire.

Rj, we need lots of research to do to learn more about Mangosteen's culture. next problem... where to acquire the seed???? LOL!!!

I will look for it here. There is a super HEB market that will order it if they don't have it. That is where I buy some of my Thai ingredients for cooking.

From what I read, you can get it, or seeds of it, at ethnic markets.

okay...that is where I will head.
If I find some, shall I collect one for you?

Most of the commercial crop of Mangosteen is grown in the Phillipines, Indonesia and Thailand, but as stated, there is a ban on importing fresh Mangosteen from asia to prevent spread of the asian fruitfly.
I have had Mangosteen that was grown in the Caribbean and Hawaii. A report from Australia indicated that the tree needs to be at least ten years old before it will bear fruit. They are just getting harvests now.


http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/2006/09/mangosteen-revisited.html

now that's is some great info!

I googled it and found that it is difficult to grow, so I abandoned my thought of growing one. I think there is the male and female thing with the fruit...

Yes...sounds like a fuss, although I will admit- I read the same thing about Papaya trees. male and female. I planted them anyway just because I liked the tropical look. Wasn't I surprised when every last tree, all 9 of them bore fruit.. The luck of the draw, picking a papaya at the store- and it didn't fit any category. Matter of fact, nothing fit much about what I read.
Of course your talking to a guy who hopes his coconut tree survives the winter....lol!

u got my vote Rj, if ur coconut grow, provided u do not get frosty temperatures. i hope ur zone fits in, cuz as i recall my grandparents coconut plantations were located in higher, cooler grounds. more power to u and ur coconut.

if i know u real well, i know u will give mangosteen a try. hey watch out with ur planting, at the rate u are going u might lose ur house to ur plants LOL!!!!!

rjudd, please keep me informed if you do decide to do the Mangosteen. I'm an interested party :)

Okay - I sure will. Where there is a will, there is a way! I have some friends a work from the Phillipines, they go home often, so I'll flirt a little and see if an aquisition might occur.

I did a practice drill tonight of my "keep the coconut alive" plan. I put an old fuzzy bath room rug down fuzzy side down on the coconut- followed by a very light frost cloth wrapped with a heating pad. ( I can just open the window from the living room and do it"
then I took a Thai bamboo umbrella stand, and an old mid sized umbrella, and drapped a heaving frost cloth over the whole tree. I'll probably only be able to do that this year..it is over 6 feet tall already. it was a 6 inch sprout at the end of last feburary.. oh yes...it will ive this year. the previous 45 degrees didn't even phase it. the directions had me freaked out - saying that it pretty much croaks under 50.

Great post! Glad to hear you know 'how' to take care of it. Good luck!