Author Topic: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...  (Read 6485 times)

jez251

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Stopped by yesterday at Whole Foods and was surprised to find cherimoyas there, at least the one in Pinecrest.

$4.99/lb.



Jaime




JF

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2016, 10:29:56 AM »
Stopped by yesterday at Whole Foods and was surprised to find cherimoyas there, at least the one in Pinecrest.

$4.99/lb.



Jaime

These are from Chile and they can be awful. We've also have them in sprout, mother's and other markets since late August.

Cookie Monster

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2016, 11:01:30 AM »
yah, the super market cherimoyas are of poor quality. I tried them a few times and always end up tossing them in the trash. It's a shame, because I think a lot of Floridians base their experience with cherimoyas on super market cherimoyas, which are not good. CA grown cherimoyas are absolutely incredible.
Jeff  :-)

bsbullie

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2016, 11:02:27 AM »
Yes, they are in Whole Foods quite often, and other super markets in the SFla area.  As Frank said, usually quite bad and not worth even spending the time to look at them let alone buying.  Save your money and pass it by.  They also have mamey but I would pass them by as well.
- Rob

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2016, 11:11:55 AM »
I bought some of these and I am waiting to see if the seeds sprout. I believe they grow the "Cumbe" cultivar down there for import. I am not sure how these are treated before they get here. One of the produce places around me last year had some from California and I ended up getting some nice viable seeds and ok fruit. Even at $9.99 a pound I find them to be worth it just because I can use the rootstock. I have only had one out of three ripen to be decently edible. One of them didn't even have fully developed seeds.  >:(
-Josh

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2016, 11:29:44 PM »
yah, the super market cherimoyas are of poor quality. I tried them a few times and always end up tossing them in the trash. It's a shame, because I think a lot of Floridians base their experience with cherimoyas on super market cherimoyas, which are not good. CA grown cherimoyas are absolutely incredible.

Really JF,

That sucks! The sprouts in Temecula always carried  Cherimoyas from Melissa's which is grown in the valley.
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jez251

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2016, 02:13:00 PM »
Finally ate the ripened cherimoya and while not bad, it also wasn't exceptional in any way. I have fond memories of eating cherimoya as a kid in Chile and this does not compare. Not sure the ones in California will either since its hard to compare against childhood memories.

Anyway, this cherimoya was OK but not as good as my home-grown sugar apples. As a matter of fact, my Sugar apples are the best tasting annonas I've ever had (with the exception of the aforementioned childhood cherimoyas), including rollinias, atemoyas, red sugar apples, custard, etc.

Jaime

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2016, 02:25:31 PM »
Finally ate the ripened cherimoya and while not bad, it also wasn't exceptional in any way. I have fond memories of eating cherimoya as a kid in Chile and this does not compare. Not sure the ones in California will either since its hard to compare against childhood memories.

Anyway, this cherimoya was OK but not as good as my home-grown sugar apples. As a matter of fact, my Sugar apples are the best tasting annonas I've ever had (with the exception of the aforementioned childhood cherimoyas), including rollinias, atemoyas, red sugar apples, custard, etc.

Jaime

You need to try some of the better cherimoya varieties  from California as well as ilama.  Would truly put most sugar apples to shame.
- Rob

jez251

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2016, 02:34:10 PM »
Finally ate the ripened cherimoya and while not bad, it also wasn't exceptional in any way. I have fond memories of eating cherimoya as a kid in Chile and this does not compare. Not sure the ones in California will either since its hard to compare against childhood memories.

Anyway, this cherimoya was OK but not as good as my home-grown sugar apples. As a matter of fact, my Sugar apples are the best tasting annonas I've ever had (with the exception of the aforementioned childhood cherimoyas), including rollinias, atemoyas, red sugar apples, custard, etc.

Jaime

You need to try some of the better cherimoya varieties  from California as well as ilama.  Would truly put most sugar apples to shame.

I am open to trying some CA-grown cherimoyas. I've had ilamas and was not overly impressed.

Who knows, I may have a better-than-usual-tasting sugar apple right in my backyard! It tastes like grape juice, or something like that... Said another way, it tastes like night jessamine smells.

Jaime
« Last Edit: October 18, 2016, 02:35:42 PM by jez251 »

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2016, 02:36:31 PM »
After eating all that CA and FL has to offer in terms of fruits, I can tell you that my all time favorite fruit is CA grown cherimoya. The only time CA cherimoya slips to #2 is when we have an exceptional mango year and CA has a poor cherimoya year (flavor of both is slightly variable), in which case mango will edge out cherimoya.

If you've ever had the ability to compare a backyard grown FL mango to a supermarket mango -- that gaping difference in quality is similar to the wide chasm of quality that separates CA cherimoya from supermarket cherimoyas. I've literally thrown supermarket moyas in the trash.

Sugar apple vs cherimoya is like comparing cocoplum or surinam cherry to Sweet Tart mango -- it's a joke. The latter is an entirely different class of fruit.

You need to order cherimoya from CA growers. I normally buy mine from Park Hill Orchard. CA cherimoya season is just around the corner.
Jeff  :-)

jez251

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2016, 02:42:29 PM »
I'll do as you said and try the CA-grown cherimoyas. Thanks for the tip on where to get them.

2 slights against my backyard sugar apples now...  :o It would be great if time proves me right!

Jaime

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2016, 02:45:01 PM »
And to add to Jeff's comments, Chile's top varieties can't come close to California varieties. Even Cumbe (Peru) supposedly the king of cherimoyas can't compete to a Pierce, El Bumpo, Honeyheart etc....

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2016, 02:55:04 PM »
:-) Sugar apples are good. I have a couple planted out. But they are in a different flavor class from cherimoya. Charles Boning's "bible" (Florida's Best Fruiting Plants) gives sugar apple 3 stars out of 5 for flavor. That might be a little low. I'd say 3.5 or 4 stars would be more appropriate, but that's the general consensus -- good but not great.

The probability of you having a unique sugar apple is pretty low. They tend not to be variable. But if you do happen to have a unique sugar apple mutant, you need to share budwood :-).

Atemoya (sugar apple x cherimoya) are generally regarded as the best annona that fruits well here in FL. But cherimoya is a step above atemoya in flavor.
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2016, 03:03:25 PM »


I got a few Cherimoyas from Bravo in Coral Springs recently. It was $6 a pound. The taste was awful.

I got one sugar apple off my Noel's Big Red tree last year, the first time it fruited. It was amazing. I also have Na Di. It is a very good producer, but the taste is not nearly as good as the Big Red.

jez251

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #14 on: October 18, 2016, 03:16:46 PM »
After eating all that CA and FL has to offer in terms of fruits, I can tell you that my all time favorite fruit is CA grown cherimoya. The only time CA cherimoya slips to #2 is when we have an exceptional mango year and CA has a poor cherimoya year (flavor of both is slightly variable), in which case mango will edge out cherimoya.

If you've ever had the ability to compare a backyard grown FL mango to a supermarket mango -- that gaping difference in quality is similar to the wide chasm of quality that separates CA cherimoya from supermarket cherimoyas. I've literally thrown supermarket moyas in the trash.

Sugar apple vs cherimoya is like comparing cocoplum or surinam cherry to Sweet Tart mango -- it's a joke. The latter is an entirely different class of fruit.

You need to order cherimoya from CA growers. I normally buy mine from Park Hill Orchard. CA cherimoya season is just around the corner.

Jeff, do you have a link for Park Hill Orchard?

Jaime

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Jeff  :-)

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #16 on: October 18, 2016, 04:21:32 PM »
And to add to Jeff's comments, Chile's top varieties can't come close to California varieties. Even Cumbe (Peru) supposedly the king of cherimoyas can't compete to a Pierce, El Bumpo, Honeyheart etc....

Mmmmmmmmmmm.....Pierce.
- Rob

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #17 on: October 18, 2016, 04:58:56 PM »
I bought one (before this post started). Ate it last night, it was....edible...reminded me more of a pond apple.

Not anywhere near what a cherimoya should be.

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #18 on: October 18, 2016, 04:59:56 PM »
EL BUMPO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Praises to the man who developed that variety. Is he still around JF?
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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #19 on: October 18, 2016, 05:48:36 PM »
HAHAHA yep. It's funny, cause I often hear floridian fruiters proclaim that sugar apple is better than cherimoya (this post is far from the first time I've heard this). I used to scratch my head over that, but then over time I realized that they are all basing their cherimoya experience on what they can find in publix... then it made sense.

Comparing to pond apple is spot on.

I grew up in socal, and cherimoya was the "gateway fruit" for me.

Some super market fruits are good. For example, bananas and persimmon are quite good and comparable to what you can grow in the back yard. But some fruits are very poorly suited to modern agricultural practices.

I bought one (before this post started). Ate it last night, it was....edible...reminded me more of a pond apple.

Not anywhere near what a cherimoya should be.
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #20 on: October 18, 2016, 06:22:40 PM »
Would the seed make s good rootstock for another annona

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #21 on: October 18, 2016, 06:34:00 PM »
And to add to Jeff's comments, Chile's top varieties can't come close to California varieties. Even Cumbe (Peru) supposedly the king of cherimoyas can't compete to a Pierce, El Bumpo, Honeyheart etc....

Mmmmmmmmmmm.....Pierce.

Rob, which is your favorite Lucida, Deliciosa, Nata?? I love Pierce some people find it too sweet.


Clay, Rudy is still around....he's anonna legend. He's the creator of Libby and many other seedlings he never marketed and believe they are right there with El Bumpo and Libby.

« Last Edit: October 18, 2016, 06:38:27 PM by JF »

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #22 on: October 18, 2016, 07:59:57 PM »
And to add to Jeff's comments, Chile's top varieties can't come close to California varieties. Even Cumbe (Peru) supposedly the king of cherimoyas can't compete to a Pierce, El Bumpo, Honeyheart etc....

Mmmmmmmmmmm.....Pierce.

Rob, which is your favorite Lucida, Deliciosa, Nata?? I love Pierce some people find it too sweet.


Clay, Rudy is still around....he's anonna legend. He's the creator of Libby and many other seedlings he never marketed and believe they are right there with El Bumpo and Libby.

I think I would have to say that Pierce is my favorite.   I love the flavor and intense sweetness.   It is consistently great.  Some El Bumpos have been amazing but some have been very good but not exceptional.

Dont think I have had Lucida, Nata or Deliciosa.
- Rob

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #23 on: October 18, 2016, 09:38:11 PM »
Rob, that's because you haven't had Orton or Ott. Orton has dominated the last two years in local tasting......not as sweet and more complex.

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Re: Cherimoyas available at Whole Foods, at least in South Florida...
« Reply #24 on: October 19, 2016, 08:31:24 AM »
Rob, that's because you haven't had Orton or Ott. Orton has dominated the last two years in local tasting......not as sweet and more complex.

Keep us posted next time your shipping to south Florida.

I have to try some of these top varieties.