Author Topic: The stars are coming out. (Read 9049 times)

Mike T · « **on:** July 13, 2012, 04:46:11 AM »

I like star apples and prefer the copper and yellow ones with grimal green also being very nice.Purples are striking and the common haitian is not the best ambassador for the purples.I once tried giant purple seedless before the tree was cut down but it had maybe one seed per fruit.'Big Purple' was thrust at me today and I accepted.I got 2 and they tasted mighty good.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #1 on:** July 13, 2012, 05:53:24 AM »

Check out these big boys:

Mike T · « **Reply #2 on:** July 13, 2012, 05:59:37 AM »

What beauties Oscar and the shape is really spherical as well.When is the season for them at your place?

fruitlovers · « **Reply #3 on:** July 13, 2012, 06:05:19 AM »

Quote from: Mike T on July 13, 2012, 05:59:37 AM

What beauties Oscar and the shape is really spherical as well.When is the season for them at your place?

Season is usally March till about July. Have some oblong ones that can sometimes get even bigger:

You're right about Haitian not being a very good varitey. These ones put Haitian to shame in both taste and size.

Mike T · « **Reply #4 on:** July 13, 2012, 06:34:40 AM »

Oscar you can't fool me they are painted ostrich eggs.

ronald123 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 13, 2012, 01:20:39 PM »

Wow, those are nice. Star apples are all finished down here

jez251 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 13, 2012, 01:33:27 PM »

Those are some big fruit, Oscar...
By the way, do caimitos need hand or cross-pollinating? Mine is flowering for the first time, and I haven't read much about whether they need it or not. Can't wait to taste this fruit as it is one of the first plants I got when I started my collection.

Jaime

fruitlovers · « **Reply #7 on:** July 13, 2012, 04:03:45 PM »

Quote from: jez251 on July 13, 2012, 01:33:27 PM

Those are some big fruit, Oscar...
By the way, do caimitos need hand or cross-pollinating? Mine is flowering for the first time, and I haven't read much about whether they need it or not. Can't wait to taste this fruit as it is one of the first plants I got when I started my collection.

Jaime

No hand or cross pollinating necessary. If they did hand pollination would be very difficult as flowers are very small.

stressbaby · « **Reply #8 on:** July 13, 2012, 11:24:44 PM »

Some green and purple star apple seeds accidentally got stuck in my pants pocket last time we were in Jamaica. Somehow they wound up in potting mix in my GH and...
...oops! They all germinated.

I liked the green better...fewer, smaller seeds and better taste among those we had on the south coast of JA.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #9 on:** July 13, 2012, 11:32:00 PM »

Quote from: stressbaby on July 13, 2012, 11:24:44 PM

Some green and purple star apple seeds accidentally got stuck in my pants pocket last time we were in Jamaica. Somehow they wound up in potting mix in my GH and...
...oops! They all germinated.

I liked the green better...fewer, smaller seeds and better taste among those we had on the south coast of JA.

Try that pocket trick now, with full body scans! Not!
Color really is no indication of quality. It's kind of like saying all green mangos are better than red mangos. Each one is different. The purples i have are way better than my greens, but can't jump from that to saying all purples are better. There are real winners in both camps.

Mike T · « **Reply #10 on:** July 14, 2012, 03:22:11 PM »

Oscar that sounds right.A farmer at mission beach has a coppery one with a pink skin flush that is small and very low latex and few seeds.It is the best I have tried and hardly looks like a star apple.

HMHausman · « **Reply #11 on:** July 14, 2012, 03:31:28 PM »

This is another fruit that needs some selection and better cultivar production and naming. I see you guys mention some names for the ones you have encountered/grown. How many actual named cultivars are there out there? The pictures posted by Mike and Oscar sure make the fruit look good. I've encountered some seedy latexy fruits that weren't worth bothering with and some that were quite nice as long as you didn't get too greedy trying to get the flesh out of the fruit.....especially as you spoon closer and closer to the skin. Low seed count is also a nice feature.

Harry

fruitlovers · « **Reply #12 on:** July 15, 2012, 03:52:33 AM »

Quote from: Mike T on July 14, 2012, 03:22:11 PM

Oscar that sounds right.A farmer at mission beach has a coppery one with a pink skin flush that is small and very low latex and few seeds.It is the best I have tried and hardly looks like a star apple.

It may very well not be a starapple. As i posted in another thread there are lots of species of Chrysophyllum and they're all edible.

Mike T · « **Reply #13 on:** July 15, 2012, 04:23:56 AM »

Oscar I will try to get some for an inspection.The grower calls it a starapple at his farm that has tourist buses turning up for rare fruit feasts.

BMc · « **Reply #14 on:** July 16, 2012, 01:32:57 AM »

Im hoping to get a plant of the Gold one that Alan Carle selected. I also have one of the smaller fruited but super sweet pink ones that dont have the gold underleaf. I think it may be the same as Oscar's that he posted on a while ago.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #15 on:** July 16, 2012, 02:17:07 AM »

Quote from: BMc on July 16, 2012, 01:32:57 AM

Im hoping to get a plant of the Gold one that Alan Carle selected. I also have one of the smaller fruited but super sweet pink ones that dont have the gold underleaf. I think it may be the same as Oscar's that he posted on a while ago.

If the leaves don't have a bronze underside then they definitely are not C. cainito, but some other species.

Mike T · « **Reply #16 on:** July 16, 2012, 02:40:52 AM »

There is a bit of groundhog day going on with this conversation.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #17 on:** July 16, 2012, 02:45:37 AM »

Quote from: Mike T on July 16, 2012, 02:40:52 AM

There is a bit of groundhog day going on with this conversation.

Groundhog day style techniques might be necessary to get Australian nationals to realize that there is more than one species involved, and that they're not all starapples?

BMc · « **Reply #18 on:** July 16, 2012, 07:27:28 AM »

Quote from: fruitlovers on July 16, 2012, 02:45:37 AM

Quote from: Mike T on July 16, 2012, 02:40:52 AM
There is a bit of groundhog day going on with this conversation.

Groundhog day style techniques might be necessary to get Australian nationals to realize that there is more than one species involved, and that they're not all starapples?

Bah! Next you'll be trying to tell us that all annona aren't Custard Apples

Mike T · « **Reply #19 on:** July 16, 2012, 07:45:41 AM »

Oscar that is what you said about the broad leafed papaya as well.You do realize that this makes you a splitter rather than a lumper?

fruitlovers · « **Reply #20 on:** July 16, 2012, 05:09:19 PM »

Quote from: Mike T on July 16, 2012, 07:45:41 AM

Oscar that is what you said about the broad leafed papaya as well.You do realize that this makes you a splitter rather than a lumper?

Yeah, put me in the splitter camp!

An amateur taxonomist here told me that the lumpers are the scientists that never venture far out of their ivory towers. The splitters are the ones that like to go out on the field and do notice incredible diversity of nature. Sounds true!

Mike T · « **Reply #21 on:** July 16, 2012, 05:45:47 PM »

Oscar it is true most scientists in their quest for taxonomic 'truth' become lumpers and hobbyists become splitters.Where hobbyists rule the roost like in orchids, fertile crosses between genera are commonplace.Good and popular fruit in cultivation seem to have had the living daylights split out of them.The dicotomy between the scientic and horticultural classification is seen all over the place.Imagine how many citrus are real species.....not many by scientific definitions of species.This is where the old saying, "if you don't like it you can lump it", comes from.

I have to admit I am a splitter as well.

Mike T · « **Reply #22 on:** August 04, 2012, 09:30:27 PM »

More frequently in supermarkets in Nth QLD this 1.4 lb (av.) starapple is appearing.It taste pretty good,and it is like a bigger and redder version of Haiti purple.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #23 on:** August 04, 2012, 09:50:06 PM »

Quote from: Mike T on August 04, 2012, 09:30:27 PM

More frequently in supermarkets in Nth QLD this 1.4 lb (av.) starapple is appearing.It taste pretty good,and it is like a bigger and redder version of Haiti purple.

Mike, that looks very similar to the starapple i have here. This year the tree has had an extended season and is still fruiting. Here is the interior of one of these beauties:

Mike T · « **Reply #24 on:** August 05, 2012, 05:41:35 AM »

It looks to be the same inside as well Oscar.Haitian purples here are about half a lb or a little larger and darker inside and out than the ones we pictured.They seem to do well in sandy soils and in drier parts of this region.

Mike T · « **Reply #25 on:** August 17, 2012, 02:28:36 AM »

I don't know the name of this green star apple I got today.It is not a grimal, copper or philipine gold but it sure tastes good.The skin is thin and there is little latex with the fruit being extra flavorsome.I found them late after all the big ones with perfect skins were gone.

Guanabanus · « **Reply #26 on:** August 19, 2012, 05:07:24 PM »

I have eaten huge purple ones, similar to Oscar's spherical ones, in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. Very good flavor. Seedling here in Florida generally disappoint.

Mike T · « **Reply #27 on:** August 25, 2012, 06:48:20 AM »

Today I acquired some fruit including haitian starapple and a true copper starapple.A few mangosteens,probable G.duclis and cacao are there to give the pic some balance.

Tim · « **Reply #28 on:** August 25, 2012, 12:25:47 PM »

That true copper looks really close to what I grew up eating as Vú sữa Lò Rèn. It's one of the better varieties, people grew the purple but no one ever sells them due to inferior taste.

Mike T · « **Reply #29 on:** August 25, 2012, 12:47:54 PM »

Tim they do taste better than purples with thinner skin I reckon so I you can eat right to the 'edge'.

Tim · « **Reply #30 on:** August 25, 2012, 01:03:54 PM »

Yep, sounds like that's the one.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #31 on:** August 25, 2012, 05:10:53 PM »

Thin skins on green starapples a real disadvantage here as they get more easily stung by fruitfly and also crack very easily. Anyway my purples put any green starapple to shame, both in taste and size, also much superior to the Haitian purple.

Mike T · « **Reply #32 on:** October 05, 2012, 02:37:24 AM »

I went looking for gold and white starapples today and found this lot instead.The red and copper are the best here and were pretty darn good with thinner skin and less latex than others as well.

News:

Author Topic: The stars are coming out. (Read 9049 times)