Our cashew fruits are ripe on the tree.  About the size and shape of a small apple, this juicy fruit is called Maranon in Costa Rica – the n needs a tilde but I can’t get my keyboard to cooperate.  The fruit is juicy with a lot of texture and the skin is a little waxy.  Makes a great smoothie but I like to eat them fresh.

Each fruit is host to a single cashew nut hanging from the bottom but beware.  An un-informed friend of mine recently tried to eat one raw and broke out into a fiery rash that lasted nearly two weeks.  Don’t try this at home.  The nut is correctly processed through a number of steps including fire to get rid of the skin, shell, and caustic coatings that my friend encountered.  I’m amazed they’re not even more expensive to buy than they are.  Gretchen processed them once and later offered them to us.  “Would you care for ONE cashew?”