Gac Fruit - Fak Khaao vine. Want to locate near Chiang Mai

[GregCV]

The Gac Fruit comes from Vietnam, and is known in most places at Gac. The Thai name for this fruit is Fak Khaao. My understanding is that it is a vine, typically grown over a lattice and can produce up to 60 fruits with a mature plant. The fruit itself is a very bright orange-red color with a very hard shell with spikes (like a Durien), and weighs around 1-3kg each. They are about 1/4-1/5th the size of a Durien. Gac is becoming very popular with the health crowd because it is packed with antioxidants.

I am trying to find around Chiang Mai somewhere a place where I can buy some of these vines to cultivate on a small scale. I would also like to find a farm really involved with this fruit. Some companies in Vietnam are making Gac powder from the fruit to make drinks with it (blended with other fruits), and I am getting some powder from them. It is not cheap by any means, but a little goes a long way. I would like to find a local source for this powder.

Can anyone help on this latest project of mine?

[loong]

http://banraitubtim.com/store/products/10-gac-seeds/

[teletiger]

If you can wait a month, on the first Saturday of every month (yesterday ) there is a small talat nat held in Ba Pi, San Sai, Chiang Mai. They only sell organic/wholefoods etc. They always have gac fruit there. Fresh fruit, juice, small plants, although I have never seen powder. I went there yesterday to get some plants, but none to be had although they promised to bring them next month. 35 baht per kilo for the fresh fruit. You can speak to the people that grow it...... Its on the 1001, around a small lake. Google earth: 18 52'36.42"N 99 02'36.29"E.

For some reason these co-ordinates won't compute.... Put in Kasetsart university radio station. They've got a tower there.

I've got loads of seeds if you want some.

Regards.

[GregCV]

Thanks Teletiger. Looks like the place to be, and my wife and I will be there on the first Saturday of October.

[Xonax]

I bought fresh Gac juice in saturday walking street last saturday. Should work for slimming as well. They both have a sweetened and unsweetened version. Small stand located near the toilets in the middle of walking street (left hand side coming from old city).

[Ee Ngo]

if you go from the moat along the soi that goes into somphet market on the right hand side a little way say 100 meters is a plain ordinary thai house with front yard that has a sign up saying gak fruit for sale. never saw anyone there to ask but i suppose you go and knock on the door.

[teletiger]

Hope you all procured your Gac fruit/ plants yesterday?

Regards.