Who grows Acai Palm Tree 🌴 aka Euterpe Oleracea?

Would love to see some pictures or know more about Acai Palm Tree aka Euterpe oleracea. Is anyone growing them? They are my favorite tasting fruit of all and unfortunately I cannot grow them here. Looks like they are hardy to zone 10. The price is high but obtainable http://realpalmtrees.com/palm-tree-store/palm-trees/small-acai-palm-tree.html. This is what they say about the palm “This unique and beautiful Açaí palm tree is very uncommon and is considered rare specimen to add to your collection. It is gaining popularity in many regions due to its powerful and nutritious fruit it produces throughout the year. This tropical unique looking palm tree produces Acai fruit which contains powerful vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals which have been said to ward off sickness and help in fighting against cancer causing free radicals and a long list of other ailments. In addition to being considered a “Super Food”, the fruit producing Acai palm tree also contains minerals that are known to create more energy. The Acai palm tree native to the South American Rainforests’ of Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador. The Acai palm tree grows to an average cultivated height of 20 to 30 feet, however, some Acai Palms have been known to mature at heights of 30 to 40 Feet. ” my understanding is like a pawpaw they must be grown in the shade. May not understand much of this video because they are speaking Portuguese but it says a lot about the plant https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qPPoaOundzQ .This video discusses how to handle the fruit manually in your kitchen and to grow the palms https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DLJAcL7mzmM

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I grow it. I bought a ten pack of seeds, 11 arrived, 9 sprouted, gave 6 away, kept 3. I specifically chose the Pará Dwarf variety, which is supposed to fruit in 3 years instead of the usual 8 (and has a slightly better pulp-to-seed ratio). Mine are about that age, they still haven’t fruited but I expect maybe they will this year or next. I don’t exactly have them in ideal circumstances. Heavy clay soil, in very close proximity to other trees and plants, in the semi-shaded side yard of my suburban home (it’s already reached roof level though). I planted all three in a line of fruit trees (mostly different Myrtles and Bananas) in a tight triangular cluster, and each has sprouted further trunks. They probably only survived hurricane Maria due to their secluded location. If I can keep future hurricanes from ripping them up by the root, I can probably keep them going even if a few of the trunks snap.

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Love the looks of those açaí. A dwarf is excellent and I didn’t know those were available.

I’ve heard rumors that it’s not really a dwarf, that it’ll ultimately reach the same size, and that they call it dwarf because in fruiting that much earlier, it fruits at a smaller size. I can’t verify either way, but if it were a true darf, that’d be awesome.

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Cannot wait to see the fruit!

The antioxidant properties of the Acai fruits are over rated. It spoils easily, so its antioxidant doesn’t help the fruits. Compare it to aronia berries, blueberries and raspberries which have way longer shelf life than Acai.

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I buy blueberries from the store, have a few acres of aronia and a small patch of raspberries. I agree that the berries you mentioned, blackberries and others are very good. Acai make me feel great and I highly recommend them though I have noticed the juice does not keep terribly long. Shelf life of aronia are considerably longer Aronia Harvest

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I had to re-read your post three times to confirm you said that Acai is your favorite tasting fruit. Are you a supertaster or something? In my experience, Acai is completely flavorless. This video agrees:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn53ShIdgoY

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Love the juice it is definitely my favorite.


Not all Açaí juice is the same. This is the type I don’t like

I figured the genesis today juice tasted better but it’s more of an earthy flavor like aronia that I don’t care for. Many people prefer it but I do not. The now juice was half the price and I love it. The first time someone tries my fresh aronia it’s clear it is not what they expect so I’m not shocked if some açaí have an earthy flavor. Aronia is barely palatable to me until mixed 40:1 with apple juice. It makes the apple juice taste like grape juice when mixed as mentioned.

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I’m not surprised the raw fruit has little flavor, it barely has pulp to begin with. But it must have some flavor, as I’ve tasted the frozen pulp (which has very little in the way of added ingredients) and it’s very appealing (a mild berry flavor with chocolate-like notes). I’m guessing you have to take the pulp off a lot of berries, and in concentrating it thusly you’ll be able to discern the flavor better.

I found a video in Portuguese, detailing how to process it at home without a machine, and it seems simple enough. Rinse the fruit clean, soak them in water for 30 to 40 minutes to soften the pulp, mash them in a bowl with a glass bottle to loosen the pulp, and roll them by hand on a strainer over a bowl until you end up with nothing but seed above and nothing but pulp below. That’s it! After that, juice, pulp, whatever you want, it’s ready for use.

Video here:
https://youtu.be/DLJAcL7mzmM

*Edit: Whoops! I failed to notice the video was uploaded in the OP. My apologies. Still, it’s embedded, so I might as well leave it. Again, my bad. :sweat_smile:

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My Açaí is blooming! The first inflorescence already dropped the flowers, the second one is on its way. I hope I get a decent crop out of it.

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Great job @Caesar it looks like you will get a nice crop!

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Wow! Ceasar this is awsome! Really impressive, and it’s very beautifull. Just hope you have a big harvest! Congratulations my friend! :+1:

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My tree is loaded, and I’ve been neglectful in my harvesting duties. On the roof of my house.

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@Caesar

Those look amazing! What a harvest!

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They stained my fingers! Today’s harvest was just under 5 lbs. They’re covered in electric fire ants though. I need to rinse them.

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@Caesar

That’s my dream to harvest those like that! Definately could do without the fire ants! We have bermuda ants here that sting like a fire ant but its not as painful. I run into them in the trees frequently. If i’m pruning they like to eat the logs, branches etc but they love fruit as well! Mostly they seek moisture and sugar. When im picking fruit on a dry year like this they will be all over the trees if they get aphids or as the sugar increases in the fruit.

I’ve harvested before, but I had forgotten to post it. I did the bottle method and everything… and then I wasted the whole effort using the pulp in Kombucha (it did not pair well). I did get to taste the pulp with sugar, and it was great, so lesson learned.

Here’s the pics from that last time: fruit to seed ratio, the bottle method, the leftover seeds and the strained pulp.

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The fruit seems to have some oily content to it that is incredibly healthy. When i have acai juice i feel much better than if i dont. Drink it in very small quantities because it is expensive. It is the most delicious berry! Like its sweetness and slight punch of tartness that is a little like sour cherries but much more subtle!

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