Ice Cream DOES grow on trees

We all scream for Ice Cream! It’s one of our great nation’s favourite desserts and we make in many ways, even at home. We shop for it, go to our local ice cream van for it, hot days, cold days, even bad days, Ice Cream is something we all reach for. Flavours range from the plain to the exotic and even the strange like Thai Green Curry (yes, it’s a real flavour) But is a freezer the only place to get it? Well, it turns out, unlike money, Ice Cream does grow on trees!

You’ll have to trek all the way to South America to find it, but deep in the Jungle you’ll find the Inga Tree, and from this tree, like natures own ice cream van you’ll find the Ice Cream Bean (Inga Edulis). They grow as Legumes and upto 2 metres long from the Inga tree. Who doesn’t want 2 metres of ice cream tasting seeds right? Like many varieties of seed they appeal to our sweet side, and once split open, inside the pod-like legume you’ll find the seeds wrapped in what can only be described as natures candy floss and guess what…it tastes like vanilla ice cream! The 60ft climb to the top may seem somewhat an effort but the locals who are lucky enough to have these trees in their back garden enjoy the bean treat. Such Countries as Ecuador, Peru and Columbia all enjoy the luxury of the Ice Cream Bean.

During the wet season the Ice Cream bean is in abundance and who can’t get enough of it…The monkeys of course! We hear it’s a favourite! But apart from their delicious beans the Inga trees are much more useful in other ways; they provide a natural fertiliser to the surrounding trees and bushes by their release of nitrogen into the soil and from their height they provide great shade in the hot sun, they are used to help shade other plantations like Coco and coffee. The Inga Tree also make fantastic timber, so your house could smell of ice cream…maybe? It’s a win win all round.

So there you have it, Ice Cream does grow on trees… kind of. The Bean, or Legume, provides ice cream flavour without the freezer!