Senator Fong's Garden

IMGP1393  At Senator Fong's Gardens for our weekly hiker hui. Our guide, Patsy, did a great job showing the kids different ways to use native plants, and we even got to sample quite a few fruits right off the tree! IMGP1397  She was impressed that they hike - when I called to inquire she asked "Oh, so you all have strollers..." and I said "no, actually, they walk!" She was like "Oooooh?!" But the kids did really great and impressed her with their energy and enthusiasm. IMGP1399  Little Sam loves his flag, especially when it blows in the wind. IMGP1402  Making a uluhe fern visor.
IMGP1403  Nice Brenda! IMGP1405  And Tamara! IMGP1406  And Anjie! IMGP1408  This palm is very old. Typically when it seeds and fruits, it dies shortly therafter, but this one has been seeding for over a year!
IMGP1410  Ben and I working on a new little trick - spinning our octopus tree branch on our finger. IMGP1417  Torch ginger. IMGP1421  Ben carried this Meyer lemon around the whole time - alternating between smelling it gently and tossing it 20 ft ahead to chase it. IMGP1423  Some kind of berry I can't remember, but it is edible.
IMGP1424  A lychee tree. These require at least 3 days under 59 degrees to fruit. The fruit looks like an eyeball - very squishy and gross inside - but it is quite tasty. IMGP1428  And a chocolate tree! Banging the ripe fruit open. IMGP1431  Oooh! Weird inside! You can eat the white stuff - we tasted it, slippery and sour. IMGP1432  But inside is the seed which, when fermented, becomes chocolate.
IMGP1434  Lots of leaves to tromp through :) IMGP1435  As I mentioned...man on a mission with his lemon. IMGP1436  A pomolo - it's on our deck now, waiting to ripen. A drier, sweeter grapefruit... IMGP1438  Camden carrying the big fruit back!
IMGP1439  Tasting starfruit! IMGP1441  Amy LOOOVES starfruit :) IMGP1442  Yellow ginger is so sweet! IMGP1443  Amy with her stash of fruits :)
IMGP1446  And Rachel getting to wear the fern crown!