Shaking the Tamarind Tree

Here's the deal, Nyah loves tamarinds. She's obsessed with them. She even talks about them before she falls asleep at night. Ny was first introduced tamarinds (what we call the fruit or seed (see above photo) which grows on the tamarind tree) at school and she immediately fell in love with the fleshy, pasty, sour and sometimes sweet (if you can find the right tree) fruit which surrounds the seeds of the tamarind. 

I have visited and even shook the tamarind tree at Ny's school before and you better believe not one last tamarind remains on the ground, the little kids devour the fruit. The perfect treat for kids, ideal for independent consumption. During playtime, they are free to eat as many tamarinds as their little hearts desire. They all know the routine, crack the shell, pull out the fruit and enjoy. 


We typically take a walk after dinner to get some of the energy out of our little rebels and never fails, at beginning of the walk, Nyah begs George to shake the tamarind tree. 



The girls collect tamarinds which they suck on and eat for the remainder of the walk, like an old farmer might chew on a weed. Notice Elsa in the corner of the screen taking off? I remember being a kid and loving the most sour candy. I don't know how I did it or how they do it but some things never change.

The view of Christiansted from the top of the hill on our nightly walk.

The abundant and sometimes odd fruit which St. Croix bears is one of Nyah's favorite things about the island, because we all know swimming isn't high on her list of favorite activites. Soon enough this sour fruit will be replaced by mangoes and genips which I know she is looking forward to. Oh how we love the many fruits this little island gives.