7 41 pm pst   [ cherimoya ]

At the store, on the day that I arrived, after Matthew gave me a stunning bouquet of Casablanca lilies, I bought two plantains and a cherimoya. At my job at the software company, I had a co-worker who was an exotic fruit fiend, and I got introduced to sweetsops and cactus fruit and the cherimoya.

I have no clue how to tell if a cherimoya is ripe, but I manage to select a perfect one. Matthew refused to try it -- obviously not in a brave mood -- so I teased him by reading quotes from web pages:

Annona cherimola Mill.
Annonaceae

Common Names: Cherimoya (U.S., Latin America), Custard Apple (U.K. and Commonwealth), Chirimoya, Chirimolla.

a somewhat heart-shaped fruit...

from CHERIMOYA Fruit Facts:
"Though unusual in appearance, cherimoyas are readily accepted by western tastes and has become a favorite tropical fruit. Demand greatly exceeds supply in all U.S. markets as most fruit never leaves California, the only producing state."

from The Cherimoya, Jewel of the Incas:
"If we took all the fruits of the world combined and ranked them according to taste, then the cherimoya would surely be number one. Indeed, Mark Twain described the cherimoya as 'deliciousness itself' and as anyone who have ever tasted the fruits can attest, words can hardly even begin to describe the wonders of this fruit." from My Kingdom For a Cherimoya:
"The fruit can be hard to get. Cherimoyas grown in California rarely leave the state because of the high demand. Farmers markets are probably the best sources in areas that it is grown. Mexican and Asian markets are also good sources. Health food stores will occasionally have them. You also might try looking for a source on the Internet."

It tastes like a banana with the tang of a mango and the texture of a pear. I saved all the seeds and am going to try to grow some cherimoya of my own...

< yesterday     ~ month ~     tomorrow >
February 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001
Rachel's Daily Diary   :::   the tip jar
evolving entries   |   e-mail Rachel