figs

Neighborhood Trees

by

If you wander your local neighborhood what kind of trees do you have?

Here are a selection of my local neighborhood trees and a lot of them are fruit trees 🙂 with a few mystery trees thrown in – do you know what they are?

Papaya Trees

Such a thin sparse tree...but it still produces fruit
Such a thin sparse tree…but it still produces fruit
How can such a small thin looking tree still produce fruit? Where there is a will, there is a way!
How can such a small thin looking tree still produce fruit? Where there is a will, there is a way!

A big thank you to Beatriz of gardeningB.com for pointing me in the right direction – these are actually Papayas not Mango as I incorrectly identified. See, I need all the help I can get 🙂 

However, I’m going to keep this fun Mango fact here 😉 because it’s so interesting.

Mango Mystery – Solved
Mangos are distantly related to a few plants that you’d probably never guess: the cashew and pistachio.

Fig Trees

You can see why Adam and Eve used Fig Leaves to cover themselves - they're huge!
You can see why Adam and Eve used Fig Leaves to cover themselves – they’re huge!
A vibrant, green fig tree
A vibrant, green fig tree

Did You Know?
Fossil records date figs back to between 9400-9200 B.C.

Avocado

They are not my favorite fruit
They are not my favorite fruit
They are extremely popular and nice as Guacamole
They are extremely popular and nice as Guacamole

Fun Avocado Fact
Avocados will not ripen on the tree. They must be picked from the tree to initiate ripening. The leaves supply a substance that prevents ripening. The best way to store avocados is to leave them on the tree; they will store for 7 months or more when left on the tree.

Now it’s your turn..

I need some help identifying what the following trees/fruit are? Any clues?

Really not sure what kind of tree this is?
Really not sure what kind of tree this is?
Do You Know What This Is? Is this also a Fig?
Do You Know What This Is? Is this also a Fig?

and then of course there was this tree…

Large and nicely displayed in oversized plant pots but do you know what it is?
Large and nicely displayed in oversized plant pots but do you know what it is?

and this was underneath it…a good clue and useful to help identify it. Does this help?

Can you eat this? Looks like something you would dry and put out at Christmas time.
Can you eat this? Looks like something you would dry and put out at Christmas time.

If you can solve the mystery, please leave a comment below.

I’ll leave you with one last photo – a collection of mini balls that were under a palm tree. They’re definitely the fruit/seed from the palm tree (usually green when still attached) but to me they look like eyeballs. I guess Hallowe’en must be on my mind, even though it’s a couple of months away, and the colors reminded me of Fall/Autumn.

Not really eyeballs but it was such a funny collection I just had to snap a picture.
Not really eyeballs but it was such a funny collection I just had to snap a picture.

If you liked this, you may be interested in other food and drink articles
Witch Finger Grapes and The Most Tasty Cocktails