My friend, Abbas: A Gardening Hero

A good friend of mine, Abbas Zawawi, moved to Florida a few years after I did.  He qualifies as what I would call a “Gardening Hero.”  He took a standard suburban piece of land with a house on it and has turned it into a bountiful food forest.

I recently visited him to see what he had growing there and was completely amazed with the amount and variety of edible plants he was growing.  Starting with the front yard, he had huge patches of sweet potatoes and winter squash that he couldn’t get rid of, even if he tried!

Additionally, there were huge banana trees with fruit, four varieties of peach trees that grow in Florida, two different kinds of persimmons, and at least a dozen different heirloom citrus trees.  He also showed me mulberry trees, fruiting papayas, mango trees, sugar cane, almond trees, loquat and Mexican sunflowers.  I found two butternut squash that were hiding in the foliage which Abbas said I could take home as he had more than he needed.

Moving to the backyard, I saw chayote, perennial cucumber, snake beans, everglade tomatoes, African yams, potatoes growing in tubs, fig trees, pomegranate, star fruit, mint, Mexican oregano, yucca, ginger, pineapple, turmeric, goji, noni and wild elderberry.  Abbas claims that he farms by neglect.  Whatever he is doing, the plants are certainly productive!

I could tell that he considered his plants his children, showering each and every one of them with love and attention.  He was particularly proud of some Jamaican sorrel (Hibiscus Sabdariffa) jam he had made from its tropical fruit, which he grows.  The jam was really delicious, but instead of hoarding it he shared it with his neighbors, who were delighted.  One even returned the favor with fresh eggs.

For several months, he delighted in picking fresh vegetables for his breakfast right from his yard.  Abbas has also enjoyed visiting the local Asian market to pick up new plants to add.  In addition to the squash, he made sure I took home sweet potato slips and cuttings of Mexican oregano.  I can only hope to duplicate his gardening success on our property.

(We may be hearing more from Abbas, as he plans to write some articles for this site! )