I really, really like fruit. And sometimes at HEB, I pick up random fruits that look fun and interesting just to try them and see what they're like. Over the summer, I discovered a fruit called a Rambutan.
It looks kind of weird and like it would be difficult to peel, but it is not at all. The spikes don't poke you, you just dig your finger nails into the skin, and it peels easier than an orange to expose a golf-ball sized, white fruit. And how did it taste you may ask?
This fruit was absolutely delicious!... it was like candy that is good for you, and it really is good for you. Upon further investigation, I found that it is high in many micro nutrients, like copper, manganese, vitamin C (but so is everything else in the world it seems like), a small amount of riboflavin and niacin, and it even contributes a little iron to your day. There is not much fiber or potassium compared to other fruits, but... the reason we eat a variety of fruits (on top of the fact that they're tasty) is to put the missing pieces together, right?
I liked it so much, I ate two (to me, they're how most people would describe potato chips... can't have only one!), took the pits out, and put them in a pot in some dirt. To be honest... I didn't put a ton of effort into them, because I wasn't sure they would grow. They aren't native to Galveston, and the fruit was probably chilled in transport, which might effect the seed... I don't know, I'm not a plant scientist... And then one morning I woke up, and found this:
Hence the title.... IT'S A BOY!!... or.... IT'S A GIRL!!... or hopefully, so I can actually get fruit one day... IT'S A HERMAPHRODITE!!
It is growing! I did some research on growing it, once it started sprouting, and it will grow in tropical environments in the United States, cannot withstand temperatures less than about fifty degrees, and prefers soil high in phosphorus. It takes 4-5 years for fruit, so, I will follow up in 4-5 years for a gender reveal, and to let you know how it goes!
