12 Spring fruits in season in Haiti right now

Acerola (Barbados Cherry)

Taste: They have a tart to sweet flesh.

Application: They are best eaten fresh, and soon after harvest. Barbados cherries can also be pureed, juiced, or cooked down into jams, jellies, or syrups.

Nutritional Value: Barbados cherries are an excellent source of vitamin C.

Cashew Apple

Taste: The flesh is spongy, fibrous, juicy, and stringy. Cashew fruit is highly aromatic with sweet, tropical flavors mixed with an astringent taste.

Application:  The fruit can be consumed raw, and the flesh is commonly boiled or simmered into jams, preserves, and chutneys, steamed to reduce the bitter flavor, candied or added to curries, soups, and stews.

Nutritional Value: They are an excellent source of vitamin C and magnesium, contain copper, potassium, and iron. The fruit also contains fiber as it is a digestive cleanser.

Jackfruit

Taste: The texture is similar to a banana, mango, or pineapple in terms of being dense and fibrous.

Application: Unripe jackfruit has a mild flavor and meat-like texture, and can be used as meat substitution. 

Nutritional Value: The jackfruit is a healthful source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, and some other essential vitamins and minerals.

Mamey

Taste: They are sweet with a touch of sweet potato and persimmon.

Application: They are best suited for fresh preparations and as a flavoring for beverages and desserts. They can be cut similarly to avocado and eaten straight, out of hand.

Nutritional Value: It is an excellent source of fiber to stimulate the digestive tract and vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, protect against free radical damage, and reduce inflammation. They are also a good source of potassium to balance fluid levels in the body and contain other nutrients, including vitamin E, magnesium, copper, iron, phosphorus, and riboflavin.

Mango

Taste: The flavor of sweet and is sometimes balanced with a slight tartness.

Application: Mangoes can be used in both raw and cooked applications.

Nutritional Value: They are a good source of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and potassium. They also contain natural enzymes that assist in breaking down proteins.

Papaya

Taste: They have a firm, juicy flesh and boasts flavors of peaches, melon and berries.

Application: They can be pureed, juiced, diced to add to salads.

Nutritional Value: They are an excellent source of beta carotene and vitamins A, C, E and K. They have moderate amounts of folate, potassium and dietary fiber. A beneficial enzyme, papain, is present in papaya and is believed to aid digestion.

Pineapples

Taste: The flesh is soft, fragrant, moderately juicy, and tender with a candy-like flavor.

Application: They are best suited for raw applications as their sweet flavor is showcased when consumed fresh.

Nutritional Value: They are a good source of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can help boost immunity within the body and protect against free radical damage. They also contain vitamin B6, manganese, fiber, potassium, folate, copper, and bromelain, which is an enzyme that can help increase digestion.

Spanish Lime (Kenep)

Taste: The pulp is sweetly acidic and can be compared to a cross between a lime and a lychee.

Application: The small fruits can also be used to make beverages, desserts and jellies. In Haiti, and the Caribbean, the small fruits can also be used to make beverages, desserts and jellies.

Nutritional Value: They are a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, phosphorus, and fiber. The fruit pulp has been used to help treat digestive issues and hypertension in the Caribbean.

Star Apple

Taste: They have an aromatic tropical sweet flavor with nuances of apple, lychee and persimmon.

Application: They are most often enjoyed raw as is but can be used in a number of dessert and beverage preparations as well. They pair well with mango, oranges, condensed milk, coconut milk and whipping cream.

Nutritional Value: The pulp has vitamin C, calcium, and phosphorous. Its pulp has also been found to be rich in phytochemicals aka antioxidants, which have been shown to help to prevent certain cancers and support a healthy immune system. The pulp has been used to treat sore throats and reduce the inflammation associated with pneumonia and laryngitis.

Tamarind

Taste: The flesh is tender, succulent and green with a highly acidic flavor.

Application: best eaten fresh and can also be used to make beverages.

Nutritional Value: They contain magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, and some amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), folate, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), copper, and selenium.

Tropical Almonds

Taste: They have a tart to sweet flesh

Application:

The seed can be pressed for cooking oil.

The leaves of the tropical almond tree are used for medicinal applications like treating skin conditions, wounds, digestive problems, liver, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer.

The root is antimicrobial and can be used to fight infections like staph and e-coli.

Nutritional Value: The seed contains protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, thiamin, and niacin.

Water Apples

Taste: The flesh is white with a spongy and airy weave and a high water content, slightly crunchy and juicy with a light, sweet flavor.

Application: They are best suited for both raw and cooked applications but are most commonly consumed fresh.

Nutritional Value: They have been found to contain oleanolic acid which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.