Fruit report from costa rica
By far the best fruit were mangos. One variety seemed to dominate as it wasn't mango season, but a vendor had seedling mangos that were incredible, sweet and juicy, no strings, just like a peach.
I tried mamey sapote, and once again I was dissapointed. It just doesn't cut it for me, might as well eat a sweet potato.
Towards the end of the trip, I did find myself craving apples, but I just could not bring myself to buy the apples available there - all from the US.
The lowlands were incredibly hot - 95-100F during the day and 75F at night, but the Central Valley around San Jose had the best climate, 55F at night and 77-85F during the day. Reminded me of San Jose Calif during the Summer.
San Jose Costa Rica had giant Cuban royal palms and coconut palms, and mangos as well. It would seem that mangos should grow as far north as San Jose CA if you can get them through the Winter. Coconuts should certainly be growable in parts of southern California.
The following thread was started by Axel on February 07, 2010 at 3:23 pm PST
Thanks for giving the Mamey another try. Many agree with you.
Paul Fisher of Merritt Mountain Nursery has a Coconut Palm in front of his house. This is in El Cajon perhaps 15 miles from the coast.
El Cajon is a small and well protected valley. Merritt Mountain (more of a big hill) sticks up off the valley floor so the cold air that pools in the Valley during the winter is below Paul's house. During the Summer the air flowing through the valley cools the higher elevations better. he has a good location.
The above followup was added by George on February 07, 2010 at 11:23 pm PST.
Axel,
some people feel sourosp tastes like dirty socks etc. what did you think?
The above followup was added by Ethan-Bakersfield 9/9 on February 08, 2010 at 8:13 am PST.
How cold is it in the winter in san jose costa rica?
The above followup was added by Brendan on February 08, 2010 at 9:10 am PST.
Axel, I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to see pics of your San Jose trip. Please post when you have the time
The above followup was added by Rodney Cerritos, CA on February 08, 2010 at 10:55 am PST.
Despite being in the northern hemisphere, it's "summer" in Costa Rica during most of the time that it's winter here. Costa Ricans refer to the dry period from Dec. to April as "verano" (summer) and the wet season from May to November as "invierno" (winter). Some parts of the Carribean coast have a dual wet season with dry periods in Feb/Mar. and Sept./Oct. There are also some highlands where rainfall seasonality varies with topography. There isn't much difference in temperatures from one season to the next, though. The concept of "winter" is primarily based on rainfall. The end of the rainy season in Nov. and Dec. is the coolest time of the year, but it's only about 5 degrees cooler on average than the height of the dry season. Even in the central uplands, overnight lows don't generally go much below the mid 50's during the coolest time of the year. Along the coasts, any overnight low in the 60's would be considered a cool night.
Most tourists go to Costa Rica during the dry season (our winter). During this time, areas that are verdantly green and lush for 8 or 9 months of the years can look deceptively dry. Different fruits are available during the dry season and the wet season.
The above followup was added by Steve in Brookings on February 08, 2010 at 11:36 am PST.
Steve's description is accurate at a general level, but there are lots of subtle differences as a function of microclimates. Similar to the Hawaiian islands, the Eastern (Atlantic) coastline of the country is very lush and green, while the Western (Pacific) coastline of the country is generally dry but gets greener the further south you go.
As a whole, the "Verano" versus "Invierno" distinction comes primarily from the Central Valley where the bulk of the population lives. San Jose, Costa Rica can be quite chilly if it's overcast. Dec through April represents low rainfall, usually less than 2 inches per month. But May through Nov usually feature 15 inches of rain per month.
San Jose is closest to our own San Jose, at least for the California Summer months. San Jose Costa Rica has lows that range from 48F (record low) to about 63F. But the highs are usually in the mid 80's, no hotter.
The above followup was added by Axel on February 08, 2010 at 1:07 pm PST.