Bactris gasipaes

[Cindy Adair]

We have 2 of these planted by the previous owner of our farm and have been successful in removing offshoots to keep them solitary so far.

My husband got a gift of some fruit from another tree, but I missed out since I had temporarily lost my appetite on the last day of our visit to our farm. We were told to boil them in salt which he did. At first he said he didn't care for them, but later he commented that the taste appealed to him more after additional bites and that he'd try it again, given the chance.

Anybody out there have a different recipe or suggestion on how to eat them?

[Jeff in St Pete]

Hi Cindy, these are called Pejibaye in Costa Rica. They are usually boiled and served with a dollop of mayo or sour cream. A delicious cream soup is also made from the fruit. Just google Pejibaye Recipes and you will find lots of links for recipes.

[Cindy Adair]

Thanks! The fruit goes by the same name in PR.

I haven't paid for internet access in PR yet since I'm there so seldom so I couldn't research it on the spot. I'll be sure to take your ideas and some from google with me before I go in August!