The Jocote is a popular fruit in Central America and the Caribbean. The fruit has a thin skin which is purple-red or yellow when ripe. The flesh is juicy and acidic and can be eaten fresh (ripe or unripe), squeezed for juice or preserved.
In Mexico, there are reports that the Jocote tree is being planted in areas suffering from soil erosion (from www.freshportal.com).
Other names, among many, for jocote are: mombin, red mombin, Spondia mobin, Spanish plum, ciruela, Hog plum,
In Nicaragua, there are two principal species of jocote, both with a large number of different varieties (the total number of varieties in Nicaragua is estimated at 50). One of the species, the yellow jocote, is harvested during the rainy season (July to September); and the other, the red jocote, is mostly available in the dry season (from www.ViaNica.com).
Photo by Rudy A. Girón – AntiguaDailyPhoto.com
