Fauche Fruit Update by Cory

Dried up cacao tree, September

When we returned to Haiti last September we flew into Cap Haitian and spent a day at Fauche.  I also made a trip the last week of January but we didn't blog about those visits.

North Haiti had the worst drought last summer that the people there can remember.

Some of the spring crops like peanut were lost and gardens lay fallow until fall.

 Normally winter is very rainy but this year the drought continues, with no rain for the past 6 weeks or more.

Cacao starting to produce again, January

Cacao was the most popular tree to plant in north central Haiti for the past few years, with some nurseries being helped by a USAID program.

 World chocolate prices are good and it is profitable to grow but unfortunately it is one of the most drought sensitive trees.

Most of the cacao trees near the mission are making a good recovery and starting to produce again.

 Some died and most had large branch dieback.

Peach palm planted in '15

The peach palms are doing well.

Production was less due to the drought but a few of the trees from Costa Rica are starting to produce.

I still think they are one of the best trees to plant for quantity and quality of food produced while protecting the environment.

The fruit is rich in calories, vitamins, high quality protein and oil.

Haitians like the flavor, which is a mix of the popular flavors of sweet potato, squash and corn.

Filling, nutritious, good flavor fruit, the floating oil is from the fruit

February 2015

Same garden January 2019. The owner of this rented garden was allowed to farm it normally the first 3 years, then he left it fallow to graze during the drought, the forage peanut we planted next to many

of the palms grew into excellent pasture.

I did NOT challenge to hug the spiny peach palm. I expect the spineless type to be more popular than the spiny.

First fruit (not full grown) from seed brought from Costa Rica in '14

Rambutan seedling, also from Costa Rica

Trees and from Fauche to Delice

Please pray for Gener (below) and his family. His wife and newborn premature daughter have been in the hospital for several days.

Acai, a unique flavored fruit good for juice and ice cream, popular in Brazil.

 Peach palm, acai and cupuassu flavors bring back memories of my time in Brazil. (I think Santarem had a better market for jungle fruits than Manaus and Belem)

 I can't taste the acai in some of the products like acai chocolates sold in the USA.


Champedak, related to jack fruit, has very smelly peel (bad), but pulp has sweet fruity flavor, I think the seeds are the best part at least from the tree we have.

If boiled they are like boiled cashew nuts, which are popular in sauces/stews in Haiti.

Cupuasu [brown and fuzzy] in background, is an excellent fruit for juice and jelly, related to chocolate but it takes longer to start producing.

The fruit on the jar is custard apple. (January photo)

First week back home in 2017.

The week started out cool and rainy. The last couple of days the weather alternated between rain sprinkles and brief sunshine. Saturday afternoon we returned to cool, cloudy with occasional sputters of light rain-continuing into Monday morning.

Due to the rain the local school didn't start last week but sounds like classes today.  Cory did not get across the river to see the far gardens.

He did make some cuptuasu jelly!

We worked to repair the goat house, as the wires rusted and no longer held it together.

Mom and baby watched with interest.

The cool rainy weather has not been good for the local goats as we hear that one hospital employee lost 4 of his in recent days.

No adoption news or updates on the Délice phase one funding proposal. Getting hard to wait.

We did Skype with our member care folks on Thursday and appreciate their care and prayers.

Most of the items we returned with have found their places, while other items moved during cleaning and organization. Being stuck in the house due to rain provides time for office work as well as cleaning and organization.

The cleaning is always needed after we've been gone for a few weeks or more, especially when it's been raining. Kris's folks will be coming next month, one week after we return from a medical team with the Lutherans, so it's good to get a head start on the cleaning.

Thursday stirred up many memories and feelings being the 7th anniversary of Haiti's big earthquake.

More emotions Saturday with it being the third anniversary of our adoption chart being accepted into IBESR, Haiti's children's social service office. How we pray to exit soon or just hear some news on what is happening with the case.

No real news since we heard of yet another report being requested on Dec. 2nd. Please continue to pray that our family can wait well, praising and trusting the Lord even with the deafening silence of no news surrounding us and reminding us that F is not yet home. More thoughts and prayer requests on our adoption blog.

Saturday, we cleaned and organized the kitchen cupboards. One gets used to using storage containers to protect foods and spices from bugs and moisture [each contains an open container holding calcium chloride desiccant].

Anna also cut Cory's hair. I enjoyed chatting on instant message with Eli. We experimented making 'pulled pork' barbecue from unripe Champedak (similar to jack fruit) while Anna experiments with using jujubes in apple crisp recipes.

Travels & home again..

Thursday afternoon found us out in the snow and cold, heading to the airport. Very thankful that we could check our six big bags all the way to Cap Haitian!

Thursday night we flew to Charlotte. Watched a movie on the computer. Moved to the baggage area at midnight with all the other folks overnighting and napped a bit until 4 a.m. when you can check back in and wait.

Flights all went smoothly other than circling Miami for 20 minutes waiting for the fog to lift. Originally the pilot told us that we might circle for 40 minutes so thankful the time was shorter and Anna slept through it all.

We were the last folks to clear customs in Haiti...6 big bags get you noticed and so Cory had to go into the side room to pay. But soon we were on our way home. The roads have not improved since the heavy rains but no delays.

Cory checked out a few things last night. We saw the new baby goat and took pictures to send to F so he can help pick out a name for her. Kody, our cat forgave us and is friendly again. We checked the mail and emails, ate supper and were in bed shortly after 7 p.m. Slept well despite the drums near campus.

We were up shortly after 6 but Anna managed to sleep 13 hours. She helped me unpack and organize while Cory headed to market to purchase food. Also working on cleaning up emails and next weeks to-do list.

The house has a new front door lock replacing the one that broke. The jujube tree lost a branch due to the weight of the developing fruits.  Anna harvested the branch so we will enjoy some jujube crisp soon.


Our water cistern received a thorough cleaning just before we arrived. A snake got in through a vent pipe so that will get a screen.  The others were screened but we missed a small air vent above the cistern.

 Three cupuasu fruits filled our kitchen with a wonderful smell. One is now made into jelly, a small one was spoiled and the third will probably be given away. When we share the jelly the plants in the nursery will probably find new homes quickly.

Trip planning...& trees for sale.

It looks like early next week we will be making a trip to Southern Haiti where the hurricane destroyed the fruit trees and gardens.

Will try to post a few details and a list of prayer requests before we leave.

This week Cory's guys started digging breadfruit root cuttings of the quick bearing Ma'afala variety to build up a good supply to ship or deliver to Southern Haiti. The existing breadfruit variety in the damaged area will sprout many root suckers for regrowing or transplanting so there shouldn't be a need for that variety.

Cory checked what types of coconuts would be strongest in high winds, disease resistant and produce well. He was surprised to find that the strange mutant looking short coconut trees near our favorite beach must be 'Fiji Dwarf' coconuts, one of the top recommended varieties now in Florida due to high disease resistance. He plans to start buying coconuts to use as seeds for new trees. We've also started to save more seeds from various fruits now in season to send south.

For some places the complete destruction will allow for improvement on what was once there. Maybe the trees and corps will be more diverse as the areas get replanted.

A good lesson that both missions and homeschool taught me and remind me of often... to take the time to occasionally check out what is working and what is not and adjust procedure as needed.

This week Cory and I created a new section in the plant nursery for 'sales' .

As more people learn about Cory's trees they tend to drop in to pick up a few trees without notice. Cory and the guys try to head across the river about once a week to check the gardens there and work on them....leaving the non-plant expert here to sell trees.

Last time a man didn't really care that he could be buying a black sapote or and egg fruit, [Cory thinks maybe he got an avocado as one is now missing from that area].

Yes, I do know and recognize some of the trees....but Cory has lots of trees in the nursery and when they are little some have very similar leaves...if you are not an expert on rare tropical fruits.

another nursery area

Another issue we're hoping this helps with is that before when people came for plants, because different trees were scattered here and there-they would see other trees they wanted to buy but some trees Cory has plans for or are experimental and he's not ready to distribute them.

Now with a nice area with trees for sale I can sell without worrying about letting some special tree of Cory's go accidentally. The trees are organized by row and I hold a list of names so I don't sell the wrong type of tree.

Trees in a plastic bag 25 Haitian gouds or 50 for a tree in a plastic pot. Grafted trees cost more. Return the pot for a 25 goud refund. We may add a 50 goud section for rarer trees or decorative plants that Cory doesn't like to spend as much time on. [64.76 goud to a USA dollar-as of this morning.]

So currently selling: egg fruit, black sapote, malay apple, breadfruit, starfruit, mulberry, bilimbi, jackfruit, grafted mangoes, cupuasu and biriba. Grafted avocados in a month or two.

Cupuasu & prayer request for Anna

The smell and taste of cupuasu jelly reminds both Cory and I of our time in Brazil.

 Cory purchased seeds from  Puerto Rico in 2010.

The trees have not grown as fast as cacao and are slower to produce so that may be why they haven't been grown commercially outside of Brazil.

For the second time we've enjoyed the jelly from our own trees in Haiti!

This is a relative of chocolate and is grown the same way, usually partly shaded by taller trees.

Opening the fuzzy, hard, brown pod reveals the flesh covered seeds.

Cory cuts off the pulp with scissors. [Chocolate seeds do not have nearly as much pulp-therefore can not really cut it off].

Liquify in a blender with a little water, then boil with sugar. 

This one fruit made nearly two quarts of tasty jelly. A slightly tart, "cool" aromatic flavor.

Anna returned from volleyball practice early today after twisting her right ankle.

After a shower and mom walking to clinic for some Ibuprofen, she is situated on the couch with her ankle wrapped, iced and elevated.

Does not look good for Saturday's match in Port Margot.

But on the bright side more schoolwork will likely get completed.