Fairchild #2 Canistel Taste Review.

[Tropicalgrower89]

My fairchild #2 canistel fruits were beginning to fall off the tree, so I harvested the ones that fell on the ground (tree is low enough for the fruit not to splatter) and the ones that were still on the tree with full yellow/orange coloring. I had them ripening in my screen enclosure in a bounty paper towel covered basket. Today they were extremely soft and I tried the softest one. The fruit was moist and very creamy. It was also very rich and extremely sweet. As a matter of fact, after eating half of a small fruit, I had to force myself to eat the rest. It was so rich and sweet that my appetite slammed into a wall. Lets just say that I won't be eating anymore canistel for the rest of the year. lol The flavor was of sweet potato with hints of mamey and it gives a nutty aftertaste.  I scooped out the pulp out of the other two soft ones and stored them in the freezer. The other three are still softening-up outside and one is still on the tree. The smell is a bit farty, but not that bad. It's mostly a sweet nutty smell. The smaller fruits had one seed and the larger fruits had two seeds.

[Ethan]

Congrats on the harvest, canistel pie is supposed to be very good.

[natsgarden123]

That sounds wonderful 

[johnb51]

"The smell is a bit farty, but not that bad."

Really, Alexi?  That doesn't sound too nice.

[gunnar429]

going to pick one up this weekend

[fruitlovers]

I also find canistel too rich and can't eat more than about same as you. If you look at Morton's nutritional data on the fruit you will see why. It's really packed with a whole lot of nutrients. So i also freeze them and later add them to smoothies. They're very pleasant in smoothies, add a nice creamy sweet taste, and this way you can use them all slowly.

[gunnar429]

I also want a fitzpatrick and ross sapote.  They seem to be well-reviewed.

[Cookie Monster]

They are super rich. The F#2 is milder than many of the others. That combined with the fact that it's a smaller fruit makes it (the F#2) easier to eat. It's pretty hard to get through a 1+ pound trompo in a single sitting. But a 6 ounch F#2 is easy.

Fitzpatrick is a dry canistel. But it's really small, so they are not as hard to eat as, say, a dry bruce. My wife really likes them though.

Ross is the only other canistel I'd plant other than fairchild #2.

Ultimately the canistel isn't a fruit that's gonna cause the eater to go into an additive planting spree, nor is there any risk of it beating a taste match against a mango or a mamey. But it's a great fruit that produces reliably at least once and usually twice a year with high nutrient content to boot. It's a great addition to a home orchard. I might just stick to the fairchild #2 or ross.

[gunnar429]

Got it...don't need the fitzpatrick.  Interesting that you included mamey in the frenzy fruits.  I have never experienced the Wow! of a good mamey though i can envision the flavor....only eaten a couple. 

Pace is a on my wish list (right after i get a green sapote).  Still waiting for more info on the newer/other varieties (Cepeda Special, Akil Special, Lorito, Viejo, Lara).  I may just have to go sample some different cultivars when the fruit is in season. 

When is the best time to pay Lara's a visit?

[Cookie Monster]

mamey is probably a bit of an acquired taste, but it's incredible once you get the hang of it, a definite 5 star fruit. That said, the comparison was more because canistel and mamey are in the same family of fruits.

Problem for me is that they do absolutely horribly in my soil. I've given up on growing them for the time being.

[fruitlovers]

I like mamey sapote, but certainly wouldn't put it in same camp as mango, lychee, or pulasan: the to kill for fruits. Also can't eat too much mamey sapote...it's also very filling. Not like the juicy dessert fruits.

[Cookie Monster]

here in the states, that's probably true. not sure that applies to latin america though.

I like mamey sapote, but certainly wouldn't put it in same camp as mango, lychee, or pulasan: the to kill for fruits. Also can't eat too much mamey sapote...it's also very filling. Not like the juicy dessert fruits.

[fruitlovers]

here in the states, that's probably true. not sure that applies to latin america though.

I like mamey sapote, but certainly wouldn't put it in same camp as mango, lychee, or pulasan: the to kill for fruits. Also can't eat too much mamey sapote...it's also very filling. Not like the juicy dessert fruits.

I think Cubans are the only latinos that go bonkers for mamey. If it weren't for large Cuban population in Florida mamey would probably be fairy rare in Florida. Mexico and Central America mamey is appreciated but to a much lesser extent. In whole of South America mamey is fairly unknown.

[Tropicalgrower89]

I love mamey.  I just gobbled down two EXTREMELY ripe F#2 Canistels today. I'm beginning to get used to their flavor and I'm really enjoying them now.

[Tropicalgrower89]

"The smell is a bit farty, but not that bad."

Really, Alexi?  That doesn't sound too nice.

I was just trying to be as accurate as possible.   The last couple of fruits I had were even more ripe and the smell was not as strong as when they were a bit less ripe.