May is the tropical fruit season in Thailand

THAILAND - May 15th, 2011 - May is the tropical fruit season in Thailand, with the finest fruits produced in the coastal eastern provinces of Chanthaburi, Rayong and Trat

In Chanthaburi, the season starts in May with a ten day festival. In addition to beauty contests, fruit and floral art and a lakeside market which sells local products such as fresh fruit, flowers,

plants, aromatic oils, honey and furniture, there will be the World Durian Festival, a quest for the world’s tastiest and most beautiful durian.

Visitors to the province can pick fruit in local orchards and visit near by seaside bay of Kung Wiman hosting Thailand's first-ever 'Ecotopia' celebration, in which people can learn about the unique

ecology of the area, pick fruit, visit local mangroves, fresh water springs and forests and learn about the EM biodynamic natural farming method.

The most famous tropical fruits of Chanthaburi are durian, mangosteen, rambutan, longkong and zalacca.

Durian the king of fruits, is as big as a football and grows on a tropical evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. It is green and spiky with sweet creamy yellow flesh, which is adored by some and

loathed by others because of its pungent aroma. It is rich in fats, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals and high in calories.

Rambutan grows in clusters with each fruit about the size of a ping pong ball. The flesh is sweet and bland, white and firm and it is enclosed in colourful red, orange, green and yellow spikes.

Mangosteen the queen of fruits, has a purple skin and white flesh which is sweet, luscious and juicy The skin has many therapeutic effects and is a much sought after ingredient in cosmetics,

pharmaceuticals and soaps. The fruit is also highly nutritious, packed full of vitamins and minerals.

Longkong grow in clusters which sprout out from the tree trunk, with each fruit about the size of a ping pong ball. The thin and easy-to-peel skin is a light brown colour and the translucent white

flesh is sweet and fragrant. It is full of vitamin B and phosphorus.

Zalacca which grows on palm trees, is also known as snake fruit because of its reddish scaly skin. Although related to the date, the golden flesh is juicy, sweet, soft and slightly acidic.

The owners of Thairockshop and Siamrocks invite visitors to discover the province of Chanthaburi and are offering special activities to visitors through to the end of May.

Chanthaburi is one of Thailand’s best kept secrets, It has beautiful beaches and mountains, gemstones and crafts and is steeped in history, as it is an ancient trading port. It is only a two and a half

hour drive from Bangkok and what better time to visit it than the fruit season!

Durian Full in the markets and Mangosteen on the way!

I has been an off year for this years mangosteen harvest.The rain has been off and when it should be dry it rains and during the rainy time it was dry. So the fruits have set about a month delayed compared to normal. It is about mid way through this years fruit festival. The fruit floats are amazing this year. This time the designers were challenged with a new task, without the mangosteen how to make a fruit floats that looks so color full without the deep purple color of the mangosteen. The use real ripe fruits and vegetables and make a model scene or a lovely float paying respect to the king for the great things he has done for the Thai people. So amazing it is all real food! So i have a few photo of the fruit floats this year. I took the pictures at night so to show all the lights, only it was a moonless night and a bit dark for my camera. Please add any comments or questions to the bottom of this Blog, Thank you!

Durian Full in the markets and Mangosteen on the wat!

WORLD DURIAN FRUIT FESTIVAL 2011

BEGINS MAY 1st and runs all week. Many thousands of fruit farmers are bringing fruit into the city. Each day the prices will drop as more and more fruit ripen and the exporters scamper for the best quality fruit to export. This year the production of mangosteen was damaged due to the change in rain and heat patterns. Thus the market is not even getting enough capacity and no mangosteens are for sale in the market. The highway is lined with buyers and people from bangkok who have driven here to buy up as much good quality mangosteen as possible. This year they are holding u signs at every passing truch that reads, we want mangosteens. This is usually the oppoisite. Ussualy farmers are parked onto the highway awaiting the buyer to cam and choose the best fruit! Thisis always a changing market!