Over 4 years ago, in 2012, I pledged $35 toward a book to be written by a botanist from Europe who had moved to Costa Rica. The book was to be called Tropical Fruits of the World. The author, Rolf Blancke, used his Kickstarter funds, a relatively small $8,128 (goal: $7500) to travel and photograph rare tropical fruits.
Years passed, and we heard that the book was coming, but then the publisher changed, and eventually I wondered if the work would ever reach (pun intended) fruition.
So I was surprised and happy when a copy of the book, with its pink dragonfruit cover illustration, arrived today in the mail! This is a big work. Including three other chapters (on tropical palms, tubers, and spices and herbs) along with the promised chapter on fruit, it is a delight so far. The book is also on Amazon at this link, and I plan to review it here, eventually. I'll just say that among the 235 fruits photographed, described and cataloged in the book, there are many I've never seen, even at the Hilo Farmers' Market, which I had thought had them all.
Under some models of climate change, a large portion of the southern continental United States will be quite capable of growing many of these fruits by the time our great-grandchildren are of the age to plant them. So it's good to have information like this out there.
Kickstarter came through eventually this time.
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