Cashew apples grow freely in this part of the world. They yield around summer and continue yielding for about 5 months.
My husband had picked up a cashew apple with the seed from a wayside tree and brought it home. I planted the seed and it grew into a beautiful tree. It gave us immense joy – the joy of the sound of the fruits falling down, the birds and squirrels having their fun enjoying the fruit and we picking them up for eating the fruit apple, collecting the nuts and with the cashew apples making juice and wine.
This joy lasted for twenty odd years until one fine day the tree started withering the reason being that it was attacked termites which we had not noticed.
I was devastated watching it die. Here is a video clip that I created in memory of the tree:
The cashew apple is rich in vitamins, iron and calcium. It is best had in juice to avoid its astringency, as for making the juice the astringency is removed by steaming fruits first and then extracting the juice. It is mixed with sugar syrup for better taste.
Cashew apple is also used to make delicious wine.
The nuts are processed in factories. The outer cover is used to extract oil which is used to make paint and other items.
The cashew nuts have great demand world over. Cashew nuts are reported to more than 15 health benefits.
http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-cashew-nuts/
There are several factories around to process cashew nuts and many own cashew groves bringing in rich dividends. Most countries import cashew nuts in great quantities.
There is a special liquor called ‘Feni’ which is a favourite of many
One sapling came up on its own in our garden probably left by the tree that died and now we are hoping to get cashew apples and nuts.
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Thanks for this introduction to the cashew apple, Grace. This is a fruit I have not encountered here yet. I will have to keep an eye open, in case it might find its way to one of the markets in the big city near us.
I can identify with your feelings about your beautiful tree. It's a unique experience to grow a tree from seed, and it is always devastating when a beautiful tree meets a sad end.
I watched the leaves drop and the sound they made A big portion of the garden was strewn. And strangely the tree was laden with flowers before this happened.
I really like to munch this kind of fruit. I also like eating cashew nuts and it costs an arm and a leg in my country. It is so sad that the cashew tree of yours ended its purpose. I hope you can still have the chance to plant another cashew tree.
One sapling has come up probably from the see that the mother tree left behind. I had a few cashews already this year.
Yes looks good and will tasty in eating but I have not eaten the fruit still but I have not seen it in my country but in city may be the fruit in the villages of my country. Those who have eaten the fruit are happy as have eaten ind honey and manna dew.
Medical science says about these things about cahsew apple...
Food Value Per 100 g of Fresh Cashew Apple*
Moisture 84.4-88.7 g
Protein 0.101-0.162 g
Fat 0.05-0.50 g
Carbohydrates 9.08-9.75 g
Fiber 0.4-1.0 g
Ash 0.19-0.34 g
Calcium 0.9-5.4 mg
Phosphorus 6.1-21.4 mg
Iron 0.19-0.71 mg
Carotene 0.03-0.742 mg
Thiamine 0.023-0.03 mg
Riboflavin 0.13-0.4 mg
Niacin 0.13-0.539 mg
Ascorbic Acid 146.6-372.0 mg
I want to a few rods in praise of cashew apple so that the readers could know its importance in life. The cashew is native to and northeast Brazil and, in the 16th Century, Portuguese traders introduced it to Mozambique and coastal India, but only as a soil retainer to stop erosion on the coasts.
It flourished and ran wild and formed extensive forests in these locations and on nearby islands, and eventually it also became dispersed in East Africa and throughout the tropical lowlands of northern South America, Central America and the West Indies.
It has been more or less casually planted in all warm regions and a few fruiting specimens are found in experimental stations and private gardens in southern Florida.