How to Easily Avoid the Alcohol Scandal in Costa Rica
Trees with edible fruits or commercial uses
There are many types of edible fruit producing trees for both small scale, private and commercial uses. Costa Rica can be an adventure of taste exploring all of the different flavors produced by the flora throughout the country.
Achiote (annatto)-Bixa orellana (Bixaceae)
This is a small shrub which produces fruits in January/February and May/July. A dye is extracted from its fruit and it is used in foods, medicines, and beauty products. This tree is common throughout the country in lowland forests.
Guabas - Inga sp (Fabaceae, Mimosoidae)
The guabas are prevalent in the tropical forest. The fruits are large legumes, and the people eat the fleshy and sweet aril that surrounds the seeds. The guabas are often used as shade in the coffee plantations; they have the added benefit of fixing nitrogen, thus improving the soil. These plants are bat pollinated, but are often visited by butterflies, bees and birds. Also, the presence of nectaries in the leaves attract several species of ants.
Aguacate (avocado)-Persea americana (Lauraceae)
This avocado producing tree occurs from Mexico to Colombia. Costa Rica has several species of Persea, and you can find different kinds of avocados in the "Feria del agricultor", a street-sale of vegetables that takes place during the weekends in the downtowns or at the supermarket. The fruits are available during most of the year with peak of production from May to July.
Cacao-Theobroma sterculia (Sterculiaceae)
The cacao trees are found in the lowlands of Costa Rica mainly on the Caribbean side. The pulp around the seeds is sweet and commonly eaten. Cacao seeds are used to produce chocolate by roasting and grinding them. The cacao was frequently used by Mayans and Aztecs.
Jocote - Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae) This tree is often used as living fence, and the fruits are consumed regularly by people. The fruiting season is at the end of the dry season. It has compound leaves that are lost during the dry season (deciduous tree); the flowers are reddish-purple and the fruits are about 5 cm in length.
Tamarindo is a very common tree and a popular drink in Costa Rica. Tamarindo, a famous tourist beach and surfing destination, is named after this tree, because it is found there in abundance.
