One of the first things we planted when my sister and I moved to this little farm was a starfruit (carambola) tree. We bought it at Echo in Ft. Myers, my favorite nursery for tropical food plants, making sure to get the sweet variety.
It will soon be two years since we planted that little tree. It had put on a lot of nice growth in that first year, and although it bloomed heavily, it never set any fruit. That’s okay. We wanted some size on it and we got that.
Then came the Big Freeze early in 2009. We lost the papaya which had unripe fruit hanging on it and apparently lost the starfruit and the banana. We lost a lot of flowering plants as well and even a blueberry, which should have been able to handle the 28 degree temperature.
The banana soon put out several new shoots. We may have lost the original plant but the root was still okay and we now have a lovely clump of three banana plants.
The papaya was a total loss, as was the blueberry.
After several months, just about the time I was ready to give up hope and dig out the starfruit, I noticed some tiny buds way down on the plant. It was alive!
We don’t have a starfruit “tree” now. It’s more of a bush but a big one. It’s grown to the point where it is a bit taller than I am, all in a single summer.
Best of all… the starfruit is blooming now.
I don’t know if this was a grafted tree or if it’s growing on its own roots. If it’s grafted, we may not have the variety we originally purchased. Time will tell, I guess. For now, I’m just thrilled to see the tiny pink blossoms scattered along the stems and branches.
Carambola, otherwise known as starfruit, is a delightful tropical fruit. It looks rather strange at first, but when cut into slices, the weird wings on the fruit make perfect stars that can be used as a garnish or simply an attractive serving.
Starfruit or Carambola
The carambola or starfruit (Averrhoa carambola) is native to Southeast Asia and was probably introduced to Florida about 100 years or so ago. It’s a small tree that usually bears fruit twice a year… once in June and again around October. That’s not engraved in stone, however. For instance, one year my tree started blooming and bearing fruit in early May and never stopped until Thanksgiving. The same tree this year, still hasn’t bloomed yet, as of this writing. The fruit ripens rapidly and varies in size from 4 to 5 inches long and 2-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. I’ve seen bigger fruits…. and I’ve seen smaller, but regardless of size, they’re all delicious.
The fruit is golden yellow when ripe and it has 4 to 6 deep ribs or wings along its length. Thus, when you cut it into slices, you get star shapes. Which is why the common name is “starfruit”.
There are two versions of the carambola: sweet and tart. Actually, there are variations within the versions, as well. I know my Dad’s tree is extremely sweet while mine is just a bit less sweet. I had a tart one before Hurricane Charley hit, piling debris from a neighbor’s house on top of my young tree and killing it.
Tree ripened carambolas are far superior to those ripened on a shelf indoors. And, if you happen to have the tart variety, or even one like mine that isn’t so intensely sweet, it helps to strip off the very edges of those ridges and discard them. I’ve heard that there is a concentration of oxalic acid in those ridges that seem to spoil the flavor. I’ve eaten the fruits after trimming the edges and also without trimming… it all depends on your taste buds and the individual tree, I guess.
The young carambola tree may be damaged or killed at temperatures below 29 F., although a mature tree can handle temperatures as low as 21 F. for brief periods of time. It grows well in Zone 10 where we rarely see anything below 30F., but you can also grow it just a bit further north or in a protected area.
And, if you are dieting, don’t pass up the carambola fruit. A cup of raw carambola contains just 43 calories and about 10 grams carbohydrate. With 29 mg vitamin C and 207 mg potassium, it can definitely be included in your “good for you” list of fruits.