Look what I found! One pound of fresh tamarind for $4.99. I’m not sure what I’m going to cook with it, but so far I’ve been munching on it as is. With fresh tamarind, comes fresh tamarind seeds. I’m also going to try planting these. Tamarind trees can grow quite big, sometimes as tall as 25 feet. However, they’re also used for bonsai; if you keep it rootbound, you can keep it small.
On the mainland, some folks keep the plants in large pots and bring these tropical trees indoors in the winter. Apparently, even in a smaller size they do fruit. As plant-lovers know, it’s about the challenge. Hopefully we’ll see if we can grow them. I expect they’ll germinate by the time of our next plant exchange on January 9, 2024.
As far as taste, tamarind is nice: something like a natural version of li hing mui. Some of the health benefits include significant levels of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.