The tropical fruit industry was synonymous with mango, lychee, pineapple, papaya, banana, guava and avocado. Now there are so many different exotic fruits from all over the world just waiting to be discovered and cultivated. Tropical fruit growers are adventurers and explorers just waiting to bring their bounty back to the islands. Excursions take them to the jungles of Malaysia, Borneo, Thailand and Central and South America. If you have the opportunity to talk with tropical fruit growers, their enthusiasm will be transmitted to you.

You don’t have to be a commercial grower to plant and enjoy exotic fruit trees. Many fruit trees in Hawaii got their start in someone’s backyard. Hawaii residents enjoy avocado, mango, lychee, banana, papaya and various types of citrus, such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit. Passion fruit, known as lilikoi, is making a comeback. Gardeners can find the common yellow fruit, the purple fruit and, more recently, the soft-skinned Jamaican lilikoi. Breadfruit can be found in gardens and is often cooked and eaten by people in the South Pacific islands. Jackfruit is related to breadfruit, grows into a large tree and bears large, heavy fruits along the trunk and branches.

Now is a good time to try fruits such as atemoya, jaboticaba, mangosteen, longan, rambutan, langsat, dragon fruit and the many other exotic fruits that are adaptable to Hawaii’s climate. Gardeners in the cooler climates in higher elevations like Kula, Maui, and Kamuela on Hawaii island grow persimmon, peach, loquat and other fruits that gardeners at lower elevations might have trouble growing. Take a stroll through the Sunshine Market or any of Hawaii’s “local” markets and you probably will be able to see some of the different tropical fruits making their presence on the shelves. Try one! You could be inspired to plant a tree of your own.

In addition to enjoying fresh fruit, people use different fruits to make jams, jellies, pies and dried fruits. Recipes and ideas for using some of these tropical fruits are plentiful. Have you tried jaboticaba wine?

The Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Association is active in Hawaii. Chapters are on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, East Hawaii and West Hawaii. Visit the HTFGA website at hawaiitropicalfruitgrowers.org to find out how to join a chapter. You can learn a lot from other tropical fruit growers. Most are willing to share information with fellow fruit enthusiasts.

Information in this column came from Richard Ebesu’s update to a University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources extension publication by Ken Takeda and Richard Sakuoka. Ebesu is an extension agent with the Kauai Extension Service.