We have been making lots of fruit salads (like this 100% home-grown one)!
Though we can grow food year-round here in Puerto Rico, summer definitely gives us an extra boost in abundance. Here in Rincón it is mango season and avocado season is just around the corner, but those two main crops are not the only things! At our little finca we are harvesting so many bananas, quenepas and passionfruit we just can’t keep up with eating them all!
A bounty filled with eggs, bananas, quenepas, passionfruit, mangoes, and sapodilla
We had thought about bringing some to the farmer’s market since we couldn’t eat them all, but we never did. So we decided to go around and drop some fruit off with friends and neighbors. People were so grateful it was incredible! It is amazing how sharing your abundance creates a reciprocal reaction. Our neighbors gave us mustard greens and avocados or said they would bring down plantains later, other friends offered starfruit, the mail people were super excited about the fruit, especially the passionfruit.
One of our friends wrote a beautiful post about being thankful for a meal composed of friends’ gifted food. We randomly gave a guy on a bench a bunch of bananas and he blessed us in Spanish! And our other friends gave us some fruit they had dehydrated and took us around their neighborhood where some empty lots filled with huge ripe mangos and avocados were just dripping off the trees! These are not just regular mangos and avocados but rather varieties I have never seen in my life. Awesome things!
Just a little of the abundance in return from friends
Humongous mango on the left and our little “common” mango on the right
We had so much fun just getting out and handing out a smile and some fruit that the returns we received far exceeded what we gave. It’s a great reminder that giving IS receiving! We are so thankful for the food we can grow and the people and animals we can feed with the food. And when you share your abundance it becomes “soul food”; it nourishes the soul as well as the body! What’s even more cool in this simple cycle of giving is that all of our banana trees were also gifted to us by friends! Abundance and gratitude all around!
These banana bunches are HUGE and HEAVY!
And a pineapple soon to be harvested!
That is awesome and it is what life should be about! Giving and sharing your abundance with others makes your hearts and souls blossom. Blessings to you both!
Oh, and your fruit salad is making my mouth water, lol. 🙂
Love this! Makes me miss home!
Glad you have these experiences. Still, that is nothing compared when what happens when a hurricane or tropical storm goes through Puerto Rico; not saying you want to live through one.
When a hurricane is sure to pass people cook all the food they have on the fridge; since it´s going to spoil later with no electricity. And since, of course, is way too much food for each family (as we´re talking about cooking everything and they can´t eat it all) people go around the neighborhood sharing the prepared food and giving some of theirs in return.
…not to mention that people help each other with the preparations for the storm as well after.
You know, when you go and read what tourists have to say about Puerto Rico they say the best thing the country has to offer are the Puerto Ricans. As they´re very friendly, help you when needed and makes you feel welcome.
Your fruits and veggies are wonderful. We have a big avocado tree that gives alot of fruit and guava tree and lemon tree. My hubby who has the green thumb also planted cherry tomatoes that I have been enjoying for a couple of weeks now, we have 2 tremendous cucumbers and 3 watermelons also. Many lemons, peppers and eggplant. Unfortunately we don’t have any mangoes or banana plants but love the things we do have . Enjoy!!!