We are posting up our first lot of seeds for sale in The Apothecary.  This is the season for Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) and so we are offering these fresh seeds as a once off for the year. until they run out.

Just out of interest, when we first moved to Belize 10 years ago, one of the first things that we did was to buy fence posts to delineate a border around our farm.  In Belize, the best wooden posts, which are supposed to last a lifetime are ones cut from the sapodilla tree.  We ordered quite a fair amount and we felt that, out of respect for the tree, we would plant an orchard of them on our farm.

We bought a  wide variation of this fruit from Punta Gorda market; some were round-shaped, others heart-shaped and some very large like grapefruit.  We planted all the seeds from the different morphological varieties and the trees started bearing within 7 years.  It was a long time to wait but definitely worth it.

As you can see from our projects, it is a very good tasting fruit which is ideal for wine-making and culinary delights like curries and pasta sauces.  It can also be used for sweets like fruit tarts, jams and preserves.  Sapodilla has a unique sweet flavour of cinnamon and caramel; the texture is that of a grainy peach.  It is also a very good timber for fence posts and carpentry.  The seeds have medicinal value and can be used crushed up for insomnia and as a natural sedative.  The tree is famous for chicle which can be tapped from the trunk.

To germinate, they can be placed 2 inch deep in moist soil; this will take up to 6 weeks.  The other option is to carefully remove the shell from the seed (this can be a bit tricky) and then placing it in 2 inch deep soil.  The second option allows faster germination …usually within 2 weeks.  Keep the plant growing in a pot for a full year and once you are ready to plant, allow 10 metres (30 feet) between each sapodilla tree.  They get really big!!

For our international readers, you can grow this plant in a green house or indoors and kept like a bonsai.  Check out The Apothecary if you want some seeds.

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