What is this?

[M.R.Ducks]

It’s a seed pod from some Costa Rican tree.

Probably carried to SC by an African Swallow.

Nonsense. They’re non migratory.

[Frank1]

What did it taste like?

[darealdeal]

Nonsense. They’re non migratory.

English Swallow obviously.

[BigBrother]

If the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is 20.1 miles per hour or 9 meters per second, how long would it take for the swallow to carry such a pugnacious seed pod from Costa Rica?

[mudflat]

Those seeds are mogwai and the next rain you are screwed. Go find them all and remove them asap.

[Duck Nitz]

It doesn't seem to have a husk so a swallow obviously couldn't have carried it that far...at least not from Costa Rica

[darealdeal]

[2thDoc]

so, nothing but monty python jokes?
i was actually wondering wtf this thing is...

[ProvidenceSC]

Finally figured it out. I sent pictures to everybody I knew that might know, emailed tons of experts, including Rudy Mancke, who never emailed be back. My wife, who knew I was irritated, actually called him and left a message. He called her back and said he was interested and would look into it. He never did.

So, we're in Asheville for our anniversary. We go out to eat, have a few drinks. She drags me into this chocolate place. She got something, I get a coffee. As we're walking out she says, "hey, that's that thing you find in the swamp."

Damn if it isn't. Cacao seed from a Cacao tree. What they make chocolate from. How the hell it got in the middle of Providence Swamp I'll never know. Just glad I got an answer.

20220107_211209.jpg

[willk]

Interesting. You should go see if you can find anymore and track down the tree.

[WoodieSC]

Cool find.

[Sportin' Woodies]

1. Good to know what it is.
2. Good to know Rudy manke is a dirt bag.

[Highstrung]

dern, I should have seen this earlier so I could have said "kumquat", it's probably my favorite fruit to enounce

[scatter shot]

^^^ sort of like me with provolone cheese. It's not actually my favorite cheese but I like saying it when ordering a sub sandwich.
Makes me feel smarter than I am.

Enounce? Now that's a good one. Can't wait to use it in a sentence.

Thanks

[JABIII]

Rudy is old. Now you have to find that tree...

[WNM]

dern, I should have seen this earlier so I could have said "kumquat", it's probably my favorite fruit to enounce

My mom has a kumquat tree, they're small citrus fruits about the size of a pecan. I actually did think/assume they were some big tree nuts like pictured in this thread until I saw them.

[wob]

Good luck finding a tree.


Cocoa beans don’t grow in the United States, do they? After all, one normally associates them more with the tropics than the snow-choked plains of the US. In fact, this holds true for our country, too. Cocoa beans do indeed grow in the USA, but only in very limited areas. There is a narrow band known as the Cocoa Bet or the Chocolate Belt. That sounds more enticing that the Rust Belt or the Snow Belt! The Cocoa Belt essentially follows the tropics, extending twenty degrees north and south of the equator. Much like their parent trees, cocoa beans need constant warm temperatures in order to thrive - usually between 65 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit - along with high humidity and ample rainfall (40-100 inches annually). Cold, drought, and excessive wind are all detrimental to cocoa. So with this in mind, if you look at a map of the US you’ll see that nearly the entire country lies more than 30 degrees north of the equator, making cocoa’s survival on the mainland difficult to impossible.

There are exceptions, of course. Southern Florida and Hawaii come to mind. Hawaii sits just south of 20 degrees north latitude, neatly within the Cocoa Belt. In fact, there is a burgeoning chocolate industry happening in Hawaii today.

South Florida, unlike Hawaii, doesn’t have any commercial cocoa plantations. Because there are occasional cold spells that could kill the trees, farmers don’t take the risk of planting cocoa. The colder weather, combined with the tropical storms and hurricanes that frequently settle over the state, mean that commercial cocoa enterprises aren’t yet viable.

[ProvidenceSC]

There goes my chocolate shop idea, "Swampy Sweets"

[Goin Coastal]

There goes my chocolate shop idea, "Swampy Sweets"

You misspelled cocaine

[SaltMuck]

You should make some homemade tootsie rolls or something.