A Day in Paradise: Pruning Tamarillos with Passion for Bay Tropics!

There’s something incredibly rewarding about getting your hands dirty for a good cause. This past week I had the pleasure of spending a day at beautiful Bay Tropics — productive, enriching, and full of good company. The visit was a collaboration between Bay Tropics and Vector Group Charitable Trust, a shared vision and passion for plants in action.

Our main mission? Give some much-needed love to the tamarillo trees. If you’ve never seen one, they’re striking — and the fruit is a vibrant, egg-shaped delight. Pruning is crucial for tree health and yield, setting up a strong harvest for future projects. We removed dead wood, opened the canopy for airflow and sunlight, and tidied each tree. Satisfying work — seeing them transform and knowing we were helping them thrive.

And what’s a day of hard work without a little reward? As a bonus, we gathered some ripe tamarillo fruit — headed for exciting upcoming projects. Watch this space; some unique and delicious creations are in the pipeline.

But the tamarillos weren’t the only stars. Bay Tropics is a treasure trove of incredible produce, and I was captivated by the “whopper” passionfruit we found — massive, fragrant, and begging to become something delicious. The aroma alone was enough to transport you to a tropical paradise.

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