Cacao bearing is 4-5 times a year
That is... weather permitting. As too much rain with either wash all of those flowers away, or, worse, damage the fruit. The biggest crop of the year is from September to January (weather permitting, or should I say, "until the weather F's-it up." For the rainy season generally comes in November and lasts until Christmas or worst case, sometime in the New Year.
Note in the below photo the nearly ripe fruit, an unmature fruit and a flower bud (a potential future cacao pod!)
A cacao tree can produce 25,0000 flowers within a season! Yet, only a maximum of 50-60 fruits are pollinated and mature.
Not all cacao are equal (sorry!)
I prefer the taste of the creole cacao, as it has a high-fat, creamy consistency with a fruity flavor. However, this tree pictured below a creole variety, does not give the quantity of fruit as does some of the high-breds with an inferior taste (In my opinion, of course!). Here is a creole variety cacao tree.
One of the trending "High-Bred" Cacao Trees is called, "Imbrio"
It looks fantastic, bears like nobody's business, and faster than the creole variety yet the taste is inferior. Worse, she tends to want to take over and run out all the trees around her. But look how she can bear.
When will all of this beautiful fruit be ready?
Early September. I took these photos today. As you see, some fruit is coming sooner than others, but the bulk will be here in September and October. And those little flowers and the very immature pods, will be ready in October and November. And the trees are still flowering, so weather permitting, through the New Year. ANY THING CAN HAPPEN. So we won't count our chocolate bars until the cacao pods are harvested, right.
Much love from your Cacao Farmer
And Chocolate Astrologer! In Joy, So Much LOVE to you all!
BE Fearless, my dear friends,
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Choose LOVE
It's YOUR Choice.
If you like me and you want more, just follow, and upvote and even RE-steem.