Fruits in July - Santol

Santol, Sandoricum koetjape,  is a distinctly tropical fruit, believed to be from Indochina and Peninsular Malaysia but naturalized already in the Philippines. Maybe it came here when there are still land bridges among Asian countries (theory mine)! Just like avocados, which i posted before this, santol in our property are also volunteers except for one tree. This special tree in the property was planted when I was still in college, because a Thai friend gave me a Bangkok santol fruit. I planted a seed which eventually became big and now producing lots of fruits.

We have two varieties, the native whose fruits are smaller and more acidic, and the 'Bangkok santol', which is bigger and sweeter. Native santol is diploid (2n=22), while 'Bangkok' is tetraploid (2n=44), this explains the bigger fruit size. It is reported that Fairchild Botanical garden has a Bangkok santol tree, and there are other trees in Florida. Some Bangkok santol fruits are exported to the US, so they call it 'Manila' santol.

If eaten fresh, the mucilage around the seed is the most preferred part. The thick pulp can also be processed into pickles and/or jams. It can also be used as souring agent to fish recipes.  Other provinces in the country also have many recipes for this fruit. The trunk is also very good for furniture making.

Some fruits in season in July to August: santol, avocado and atis (custard apple)

 The top canopy of our fruiting Bangkok santol tree (taken last year). Last month that right branch broke at the base because it was not able to keep the weight of too much fruits. It hit the electric wires that gave us a few hours of blackout. It also gave a loud sound which scared all of us.

photo with the broken branch

two weeks after the branch fell

 fruits at different stages of maturity

immature green fruit

ripening fruits 

a fallen ripe fruit

these are fallen fruits, so had lots of bruises

The pulp is rich in pectin that bruising exposes it to fast browning. Those big ants share some of the pulp, while that wound was done by birds while still on the tree.

Because we are far from Metro Manila, we don't sell these fruits. Nobody also buys from us to be brought to the markets, so they are just left on the tree or left to rot. One enterprising man in our area who for sometime harvest our fruits for the market already died. So our fruits don't reach the consumers.