Mike looks on as Jade juices carambolas
A long hot day of work transplanting tomatoes calls for a cool drink. Jade, a volunteer worker on Bee Heaven Farm, explained that she’s is partial to pineapple juice because it’s more than just a drink, it’s a snack, it’s that substantial.
But what to do with all the Fwang Tung carambolas that are ready now at Bee Heaven? There were too many to eat (how can there ever be too many star fruit to eat?), so making juice was in order. Jade pulled out the antique citrus press (that Muriel blogged about earlier here) and started squeezing cut up chunks of carambola. I didn’t think they would produce that much juice, but with the first press, a good bit of liquid poured out. Not one to waste anything, Jade also hand-squeezed the pulp to get the last drops. What to do with the pulp? I suggested putting it in fritters with chopped jalapenos, or maybe add it to banana bread. What do you suggest?
The fresh carambola juice was mixed with (canned) pineapple juice, and then some rum was added. The recipe is: 1 ounce rum, and 1.5 ounce carambola juice, 1.5 ounce pineapple juice, shaken not stirred, serve over ice with slice of carambola as garnish.
Carambola pineapple rum drink
Redland Rambles 
Wonderful concoction using local ingredients. Options might be using a spiced rum like Seven Tiki from Fiji or Kilo Kai from Curaçao, using a dark rum like Goslings from Bermuda or Coruba from Jamaica, or a premium rum like Atlantico from Dominican Republic. Top with a hint of fresh ground nutmeg to bring exotic aroma to the drink.
Sounds delicious! Didn’t think of spiced rum. Nutmeg is a nice touch, too. Thanks for your comment!