It’s cocoplum season again in South Florida. What are cocoplums you may ask? Well one thing they are not is a new type of coconut or plum. Instead they are a type of Florida native shrub (sometimes tree) often used in landscaping. This time of year they produce a round fruit with a thin outer skin, sticky inner flesh and a huge seed. If you are a slightly adventurous eater and like to consume seasonal, local food then these are the fruit for you.
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| Native Florida grown cocoplum bush with edible purple skinned fruit, West Palm Beach, Fla. Copyright 2018 by Helen A. Lockey |
The downside of cocoplums is that they often contain more seed than fruit. This detail might make you reluctant to spend too much time harvesting them but when you find a perfect, sweet, juicy one it makes it worth the hours of searching.
The outer skin of the fruit can vary in color from pale yellow to red, and even purple. The white interior flesh can have a mouth feel that varies from dry to chewy to juicy to slimy and sometimes very mealy. The shiny leaves of the shrub have an almost oval shape to them and often feel waxy.
If you source the fruit near the beach it might be a bit saltier than ones sourced further inland. The plant like to grow in sandy soil.
And as always with wild foods, make sure you know the source very well, and that the plants have not been sprayed with any chemicals. If you are unsure about the identity of the fruit, check with an expert before eating it
For those interested the botanical name of this plant it is Chrysobalanus icaco. And a good source of expert plant identifiers can be found through the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach.
If you find some safe, untreated plants and fruit, pick only what you will consume and leave the rest for the animals in the forest.
