Tamarind

About Tamarind

Tamarind is a big, wind-firm evergreen tree from tropical Africa with feathery leaves and brown pods full of sticky, sweet-sour pulp. That pulp flavors drinks (agua de tamarindo), candy, chutneys, curries and Worcestershire sauce. Sour types are for cooking and drinks; sweet types from Thailand are eaten fresh.

UF/IFAS lists zones 10A-11 and says to plant it only where frost is rare, though one Florida tree lived through several hours at 26 F; older trees are hardier than young ones. UF/IFAS does not consider it invasive in Florida, and the University of Hawaii gives it a low-risk weed score; we found no U.S. invasive or noxious listing.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

It grows easily from seed, but seedlings take 4-5 years to bear and their fruit quality is unknown, so buy a grafted or air-layered tree of a named sweet or sour type (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; UF/IFAS). Give it plenty of room: it can reach 40-65 ft, though 30 ft is more usual in Florida, and the pods litter hard surfaces. No source ties planting to a frost date.

Soil

Tolerates clay, sand, loam and both acid and alkaline soils if they drain well, but not waterlogged ground; it is very drought tolerant once established and only modestly salt tolerant, so keep it away from the beach (UF/IFAS; Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden).

Choose a sunny spot that doesn't stay wet; in low, wet sites raise the planting area (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden).

Feeding

• Three times a year: March, July and September: Fruit tree fertilizer such as 8-3-9. Spread it under the canopy and water in; follow the label rate for the tree's size (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden).

Keep it away from salt spray and salty water, and train young trees to 3-5 well-spaced main branches on one trunk for a strong frame (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; UF/IFAS).

Harvest

In Florida pods ripen from about February to June, before the spring rains. Ripe pods are brown, feel light, sound hollow when tapped and crack under gentle pressure; clip or hand-pick them rather than knocking them down with poles (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; Morton, Fruits of Warm Climates).

One crop a year, ripening about February to June in Florida before the summer rains; dry pods can hang on the tree for months.

Varieties (2)

Extension and botanical-garden sources describe only sweet and sour types sold by south Florida nurseries, not named U.S. cultivars.

Pests to watch for

Scale insects, Mealybugs, Aphids, Whiteflies, Thrips, Root-knot nematodes

Diseases and problems

Sooty mold, Bacterial leaf spot, Wood rot

In the kitchen

The pulp goes into drinks, candy, sauces, salsas, chutneys and curries; sweet types are eaten fresh from the pod. Young pods, leaves and flowers are also cooked or eaten in some countries (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; UF/IFAS; USDA Forest Service Agriculture Handbook 679).

Keeping it: Sun-dried pods keep a year or more in a cool, dry place and get sweeter with age; shelled pulp keeps well but can mold in the refrigerator.

Safety: The pulp is a common food. The very hard seeds are not eaten raw. A UF/IFAS Extension (Charlotte County) column says tamarind is toxic to dogs, so keep pods away from them. We found no research-based guidance on pregnancy, drug interactions or allergies in the sources we checked.

Pets: Not listed by the ASPCA. A UF/IFAS Extension column warns that tamarind is toxic to dogs.