We like to say it was the pomarosa that captured our hearts and sold the house.  When my daughter Supriya and I first saw the tree, it was overgrown and weighted down with fruit.  Funky looking, rose colored bunches of fruit.  We did not know what they were, but they symbolized exactly what we were looking for – a tropical garden lush with exotic fruit and flowers.  When, we facetimed my husband, he recognized it instantly as a Rose Apple tree.

After we bought the house, the tree received a severe trimming.  So much so, I think it went into shock and did not flower for the good part of a year.  But we had to do it.  Ants were all over the tree and fruit.  And from the tree they hopped right into our house.  In addition, we need to keep each tree small, so we can fill our quarter acre with many more trees.

According to our neighbor Isaac, the bank who foreclosed on the house tried to kill the tree.  In order to limit the maintenance on the garden (required by the homeowners’ association), they sprayed the yard with vegetation killer.  (That explains why the grass was brown in the sales listing.)  Isaac, who loves the pomarosa tree, would come over and spray water on the trunk to remove as much of the poison as possible.

When I cleared the vegetation under the tree, I found a pile of tiles and bags of cement.  Indeed, the previous owner had lost interest in this home and left some projects incomplete.  As I cleared the debris, I found a young adult novel, with a condom package inside.  I wonder who, when and why?  I am on the lookout for buried Spanish treasure, but so far I have only found this package and empty prescription bottles for weed in this garden.

The pomorosa tree fruits a good part of the year in Puerto Rico.  It has white flowers that the bees love.  And ants love the fruit.  They hide in a pocket in the fruit, so take care when preparing the fruit.

The fruit has a mild taste, lightly sweet with a rose flavor. It is crisp and juicy yet has a lot of fiber.  We mostly juice the fruit or eat it straight.  It is also good in a salad.

My neighbor Juan Carlos has a white pomarosa tree.  It has large fruit and tastes quite different.  I have planted a seed, maybe one day we will have a white pomarosa as well.