The Jaboticaba is defined as a small tree, expected to grow up to 10m in a forest environment. Don’t let this put you off planting one on a suburban block. For the best access to the abundant fruit produced on a mature plant, it is best to keep the size down to about 3m. With a little encouragement when young and an annual prune around November a single plant can become a feature specimen or several plants can form a beautiful and productive hedge.

Jaboticaba’s prefer slightly acidic soil and a regular supply of water. For sandy or alkaline soils, dig in a large quantity of composted manure prior to planting.
These plants are very slow growers to start with. Encourage growth with regular applications of poultry manure or an organic fertiliser

The species name, cauliflora, does not mean it is related to the white vegetable. It actually means ‘stem flowered’ and that is exactly where the flowers and fruit are found. Flowering only happens on the mature trunks of the plant and fruit should not be expected until the plant is at least 8 years old, when the resulting crops are abundant.

The fruit of the Jaboticaba has dark purple, almost black, tough skin with a soft white flesh inside. It is about the size of a large cherry. To eat it you simply squash the fruit between your teeth, squeeze out the flesh and discard the skin which is high in tannin and quite astringent. The flavour of the flesh is reminiscent of white grapes and lychee.

Interestingly, from bud burst to harvest is about 4 weeks, making it one of the fastest maturing fruits in cultivation and most of the fruit ripens within a week.
So what can you do with so much ripe fruit all at once? Apart from eat it or give it away, the pulp can be frozen for addition to fruit salads, punches or just served with ice cream. It can also be turned into syrups, cordials or jam.

However, my favourite use and the reason I have 12 plants heading towards maturity, is that Jaboticabas make many different types of fantastic wines. Jaboticaba wine is commercially produced in Brazil.