Hawaii Tropical Fruit - What’s in Season

I remember my first visit to Hawaii. I was so excited to do two things: eat all the tropical fruit I could and to snorkel. I dreamed of pineapple, mangos and papaya. I wanted all these fruits to taste really good when I bought them in the grocery store on the mainland, but they never did. Now that I live in Hawaii, I have learned so much more about what fruits grow here and when. Also, I snorkel all the time because well, it’s amazing!

The climate is pretty steady year round in Hawaii, but we definitely still have growing seasons for crops. Fruits like papaya and bananas grow really well year round and other crops like watermelon and mango are only available in season. There are so many unique fruits to try like soursop and jackfruit, or other fruits that maybe you don’t think of as tropical that are crazy delicious here in Hawaii like tangerines and meyer lemons. Let me tell you about bananas. We have so many varieties of bananas here and none of them taste anything like the bananas you buy in mainland grocery stores. We have apple bananas, ice cream bananas, popo ulu bananas (savory like plantains), gros michael bananas, namwah bananas and williams bananas to name a few. Each variety has a different taste and texture and are fun to experience when you are here. It’s also good to be aware that you can buy fruit out of season in Hawaii, just like everywhere else. We have cargo ships bringing food into Hawaii every day from all over the world. Items sold in grocery stores will have origin labels on them so you can search out Hawaii grown tropical fruits. Oahu has lots of farmers markets all over the island. It’s good to ask when you are buying tropical fruit if the fruit was grown on Oahu or in Hawaii. Unfortunately, there is a lot of non local fruit being sold at farmers markets, If it’s not grown here, it sat on a cargo ship for a couple of weeks in transit and was likely picked when green and just won’t taste as good as something grown local and picked in season. I like going to Farm Lover’s Markets as the growers at these markets are selling locally grown.

Pau Hana Tropical Fruit Platter with pineapple, tangerine, mango, papaya, apple banana, rambutan, lilikoi and watermelon.

For the Pau Hana Sailing fruit platter, I make sure all fruit served was grown in Hawaii and is in season. This means that the fruit platter changes quite a bit through out the year. It’ll always have pineapple, banana and papaya as they grow great year round. I like to include favorites such as mango, watermelon, passion fruit and dragon fruit when in season. I’ll always include a couple of lesser known fruits such as lychee, longan, rambutan and soursop because they are all delicious and fun to experience. I often will order my fruit items in from a local foods distributor like Farm Link or Kahumana Farms as they offer tropical fruits from a variety of Hawaii Farmers. You can order from these companies too when you visit. Farm Link will deliver to you anywhere on the island.

I keep a list of all the fruit and when it grows and I thought I would share that with you. If you love mangoes, maybe it will help you determine the best time of year to come and visit Hawaii. And maybe you will find something on the list you haven’t tried before and give it a go on your next Hawaiian vacation.

Avocado - There are over 200 varieties Haas, Sharwill, Murashige, Green Gold, Yamagata and Butter are some of the most popular varieties. September - April is the height of avocado season.

Bananas - So many varieties to try and available year round. Hawaii Banana Source is a great resource on Oahu. They grow amazing bananas.

Breadfruit - Or ulu is available in Hawaii year round. It is delicious and if you have the opportunity to try it, do. It was a very important crop to Native Hawaiians. Hawaii Ulu Cooperative has made ulu available in most grocery stores in the frozen foods section. You can find it made into Hummus and chips and it’s usually on the menu at one of my favorite restaurants in Honolulu.

Breadfruit or Ulu

Calamansi - A delicious combination of the flavors of lemon, lime and orange. It has a long growing season and is available most of the year. You can find at most farmers markets and Farm Link and Kahumana Farms.

Calamansi

Chico (or Sapodilla) - resembles a kiwi without the fuzz. The taste is creamy and gritty almost like brown sugar. Originates from the Philippeans. You can find at the markets in Chinatown and Farm Link. January - May.

Coconut - Grow all year round in Hawaii. Most markets have a vendor that will slice open a coconut so you can sip the delicous water. We don’t have any large coconut processing plants here in Hawaii, but we do have a locally made coconut yogurt that is delicious to try and you can find fresh coconut meat at Farm Link.

Dragon Fruit - Gorgeous in color. Available with white or red flesh and taste like a ripe pear. Available July - October at most farmers markets and grocery stores.

Egg Fruit - Is native to Mexico, but grows well in Hawaii. Eggfruit is delicious when it’s fully ripened. The skin turns golden yellow and soft to the touch and it has a musky, fruity smell - like the inside of pumpkin squash. The pulp has a rich sweet taste and the flavor - debatable some say like egg yolks and other say like squash. You will find it October - February. Definitely a specialty fruit and likely only to find in someone’s backyard or Chinatown.

Egg Fruit

Guava - is common in Hawaii. In fact, strawberry guava is the most invasive tree in Hawaii. White guava can be found at most farmers markets and Farm Link and Kahumana Farms when in season. Strawberry guava can be found on most hikes when in season. Available August - April.

Grapefruit, Pomelo and Tahitian Pommelmousse - These are 3 very different varieties, but all in the same family. Pomelos are so floral and delicious. September - October is the best season.

Jack Fruit - Is a huge green fruit. It has become popular to use a meat substitute in tacos and curries as it has a shredded meat like texture. I find the flavor reminiscent of Juicy Fruit gum. It is unique and delicious. Try it if you can find it. Available year round but most abundant during the summer months.

Jackfruit

Lilikoi or Passion Fruit - Native to South America. They are little yellow fruits that you cut in half and eat the juice, pulp and seeds. They are very citrusy and florally and delicious. Available June - January.

Lime - There are several varieties that are available here and local limes are juicy and wonderful. Tahitian limes are the most common local variety, Makrut are also very popular mostly for their leaves that are used in curries. Finger limes are also fun to try. Find them at markets and Farm Link. Available year round.

Longan - was brought to Hawaii by the Chinese. Peel off the brown skin and enjoy the sweet white flesh. You can find them at many grocery stores and markets. They are available year round.

Lychee - are little red skinned fruits. Peel off the red skin and enjoy the sweet white flesh. You can find them at most grocery stores and markets. Available May - September.

Mango - Mangos in Hawaii are the best. There are so many varieties, Keitt, Fairchild, momi K, Hayden, Pirie and Rapoza are some and it’s fun to see how many different varieties you can find. When in season, mangos are available everywhere. Find the different varieties at farmer’s markets and Farm Link and Kahumana. Available May - October.

Meyer Lemon - is a sweeter and more floral tasting than a standard grocery store lemon. They are super juicy and available year round in Hawaii. Find at most grocery and farmer’s markets and Farm Link and Kahumana.

Mountain Apple - originated in Malaysia. It has the texture and flavor of a pear with a few more floral notes. Find at farmer’s markets and Farm Link and Kahumana when in season. Available late summer - fall.

Orange - Oranges in Hawaii are so sweet and delicious. Available year round. Find at farmer’s market and Farm Link and Kahumana. Some varieties are only available during the height of the growing season November - April.

Papaya - A delicious fruit. You can eat the flesh and the seeds. The seeds are most commonly used for papaya seed dressing - they are spicy. You can find papayas everywhere in Hawaii. Available year round.

Persimmon - are sweet and delicious. I eat a persimmon like an apple. The 2 common varieties are Fuyu and Maru. The growing season is short. You can find persimmon at farmer’s markets and Farm Link when in season. October - November.

Pineapple - is available year round in Hawaii and easy to find at most grocery and markets.

Rambutan - Native to Southeast Asia. It has a beautiful spiky red skin that you peel off to eat the white flesh inside. Find at most farmer’s markets when in season. Available October - March.

Rambutan

Soursop - has a velvety texture with a pleasant strawberry like flavor with a very pleasant floral after taste. It’s a unique tasting and looking fruit with 3 peak seasons. It’s a specialty item and likely is only found at farmer’s markets and Chinatown. Available January - April, June - August and October - November.

Soursop

Starfruit - a mild fruit that has a texture similar to a grape in many ways. Find at farmer’s markets when in season. Available September - April.

Tangerine - Tangerines in Hawaii are so sweet and delicious. Available year round. Find at farmer’s market and Farm Link and Kahumana. Some varieties are only available during the height of the growing season November - April.

Watermelon - Native to Africa and cultivated in Egypt. In my opinion, the smaller the watermelon the better the flavor. I look for 5lbs or less in size with seeds for the sweetest watermelons. Available June - August.

Hawaiian Watermelon