Ever wonder where your favorite buttery crunchy snack comes from? Most people think they grow as peanuts or almonds, but it’s not quite so simple or interesting. But if you’re curious about the peculiarities of nature, and how do cashew grow, you’re in for a surprise.

So let’s start the journey of the cashew nut from the tropical tree flower to the nut in your pantry.

The Cashew Tree by Ignatius Joseph DeSouza.

To learn how do cashew grow, one must learn about the tropical evergreen tree Anacardium occidentale that originally grew in northeastern Brazil, but is now grown in many other regions, such as India, Vietnam, and parts of Africa.

The cashew is not like many popular tree nuts that grow safely within a normal wood shell or fruit pit, but rather it grows upside down and in a unique fashion. It develops completely separate from its friend fruit!

The Nutcracker is an apple.The Nutcracker is the apple.

The Cashew tree flowers beautifully, with a sweet aroma. After the pollination the magic starts. The tree has two parts to its growth at the same time:

• The Accessory Fruit (1): Stalk of the flower enlarges and turns red or yellow, pear-shaped false fruit. Sweet, juicy and very perishable, it is used locally for juicing, jam and even alcohol.
• Directly attached to the underside of this big, showy apple is a small, grey, kidney-shaped shell, 2. The True Fruit (The Cashew Drupe).

So how do cashew grow? The nut we eat is actually inside the small, curved shell which hangs limply from the bottom of the fruit. Botanically, the nut is the seed of the plant and it is completely exposed to the elements.

Stage #2: The Toxic Defense Mechanism.

If you knew how cashews grow, you’ll understand why you can never buy these at the grocery store in their shell. The cashew is from the same plant family as poison ivy and poison sumac.

The outer shell of the nut is gray, and has a very caustic and toxic resin called urushiol, also known as cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). It is extremely blistering and irritating to skin upon contact. Due to this natural defence mechanism, cashew nut harvesting and processing requires a great deal of care, skill and special roasting or steaming methods to ensure that the edible nut in the tree is safely removed without contamination.

Growth Cycle Summary:

Whether you are considering growing them, or just want to enjoy the process, here is the growth schedule of how they do:

• Climate: They thrive in warm tropical climates, which have several wet and dry seasons. Flowers: Trees will generally flower after three years of growth.
• Harvesting: The ripening of the bright cashew apple is indicated by its turn to a vivid red or yellow color and it dropping to the bottom.

If you know how do cashew grow, then you know how to enjoy each and every nut you consume. This tasty snack is truly unique, and a very labor-intensive process, botanically interesting.

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