Large Mango and Cherimoya trees at Atkins Nursery

[simon_grow]

Hello everyone, thanks to clay for the heads up about Atkins nursery selling Cherimoya! I called them this morning and they said they had White cherimoyas so I drove by to purchase some. On the drive there, there were many many Opuntia cactus with fruit on the sides of the road but I was on a mission so I didn't stop to pick pads nor fruit, not this time at least!

Making my way up the dirt road, I saw lots of large fruit trees and also lots of potted fruit trees. Most their citrus were completely loaded with fruit. They have 10 acres of trees but I only took a quick tour around their main areas.

As I walked myself under the canopy of trees, I felt like I was in Paradise. It was extremely peaceful feeling the cool breeze and hearing twigs snap as I made my way through their tropical fruit jungle. There were many roosters and hens scratching for feed around the property which gave the sense of feeling like I was back in Asia.

To me, the Nursery was a bit unorganized. If you want to find something, definitely give them a call ahead so they can show you around to whatever trees you are looking for. I was really focused on Cherimoya today so I was super excited to find many large producing cherimoyas trees close to their fruit stand. They do not hand pollinate but they have lots of fruit because their trees are mature and I'm sure the bugs on the property are enough for pollination.

Here are some pictures of a few cherimoya trees and a shot from beneath the canopy.

[simon_grow]

Here are a few large mango trees, check out the girth on the trunk. This was not their biggest mango tree but the only one that I could get a clear view of the trunk without having to enter thick brush. They also had a small Nam Doc Mai holding a few small cracked fruit.

[Pasca]

Simon,

Would you happen to know the varieties of the cherimoya and mango trees that they have?  The trees all look so healthy and vigorous.

[NewGen]

Thanks Simon for sharing,
What city are they located?

[ClayMango]

Simon did you grab any  of the Large Cherimoyas in their fruit stand? I have a few monsters ripening up on the counter. I was told by a young man, what I found in the fruit crates were a mixture of Booth, White, and what he believed was Pierce...I'll post some photos of my bounty later on today after work for a confirmation if possible.

[ClayMango]

Thanks Simon for sharing,
What city are they located?

Fallbrook is the location Newgen. They have probably the best Microclimate in the U.S. growing stonefruits, tropicals, and sub tropicals....They also produce the majority of the Nations avocados.

[simon_grow]

Pasca, I believe most of the trees in the pictures I posted were from the white variety according to them.

Clay, I was actually a little disappointed with their Cherimoya selection. I called them and they said they have White but when I arrived, they didn't have any available so they sent someone out to go pick two crates for me to pick through. All the cherimoyas that the worker picked were very small, averaged only 12 oz per fruit and they didn't look mature enough for me but I went ahead and purchased some anyways because they assured me they would ripen and also because it was nice of them to go pick them for me.

Clay, how big were your fruit? I was expecting top quality large fruit. The size doesn't really matter to me much but I've found that the mature fruit, which tend to be larger, tend to taste better. You can see the pictures of the fruit I purchased on my cherimoya post. I just posted it:)
Simon

[ClayMango]

Pasca, I believe most of the trees in the pictures I posted were from the white variety according to them.

Clay, I was actually a little disappointed with their Cherimoya selection. I called them and they said they have White but when I arrived, they didn't have any available so they sent someone out to go pick two crates for me to pick through. All the cherimoyas that the worker picked were very small, averaged only 12 oz per fruit and they didn't look mature enough for me but I went ahead and purchased some anyways because they assured me they would ripen and also because it was nice of them to go pick them for me.

Clay, how big were your fruit? I was expecting top quality large fruit. The size doesn't really matter to me much but I've found that the mature fruit, which tend to be larger, tend to taste better. You can see the pictures of the fruit I purchased on my cherimoya post. I just posted it:)
Simon

O crap Simon...I hope you weren't selecting from the 2 crates outside. I was digging through that small pile which is probably the pile you were digging through. After about 2 minutes of rummaging through what appeared to be the runt stack, A young man brought out 3 more Crates full to the brim, Mostly average and large size cherimoyas. I'm not sure if that stock was reserved in the back or what? They do know me there as I have purchased lots of fruit and trees from them....so maybe I got the Private stock?

 I spoke with him about the El Bumpo Yesterday. They have a very small number of El Bumpo trees and they also recieve El bumpo from some of their sister farms in Fallbrook. He told me he would give me a call once they get them in. That is Cherimoya that I have been dying to try since it places number 1 in many tastings...To this day I havent tasted anything better than a storemarket Cherimoya... I have no idea what will happen when I taste King Bumpo.

[NewGen]

How much do they charge per lb of cherimoyas?

[ClayMango]

4 dollars per pound.

[NewGen]

4 dollars per pound.

Not bad at all! The normal price at this Vietnamese fruit store I usually go to for large, quality cherimoyas  is about $5/lb. But I don't know what varieties those fruits are, though they are very yummy. At Atkins, you know exactly what you're buying.

[simon_grow]

Hey clay, I paid $5 a pound and the two crates they picked were fresh. I was actually with the worker that were picking the fruit and I did not see any large size fruit on their trees. I wonder if the larger fruit were from another farm or they were larger because they were the first fruit. It could also be that their trees with the larger fruit are far away and they didn't have time to go back there as I was waiting for them to pick my fruit.

I think I need to buy my cherimoya through you next time clay:) well, let us know how your taste.

Simon

[ClayMango]

My haul from Atkins nursery! Was told the crates were a mixture of White, Booth, and Pierce. Pretty decent size. I believe the 2 bumpy light green/yellowish are the *White, the 1 bumpy dark green one is the Booth, and the 2 small smooth cherimoyas at the top are the Pierce... Can anyone identify my haul?

No shave Movember mustache for scale.

[kh0110]

Nice size Cherimoyas, Clay. Very nice find.
Your quest for El Bumpo will be very rewarding in the end! It is my All-Time Champ. And I'm not a Cherimoya snob.
However, JF and Behl and Ashok are going the Peruvian way! We'll see at Ashok's Cherimoya Tasting... I just hope it will be a Blind Tasting this time.

[simon_grow]

Clay, those look like proper cherimoyas. That was what I was expecting at Atkins but I don't know why I only saw the smaller fruit. I'll have to make sure to ask for the larger fruit next time. The varieties you mentioned seem plausible.

Simon

[ClayMango]

So I came home today and checked my Moyas... All 3 large Cherimoyas are still pretty hard...one of smaller ones (Pierce I think) had just a tiny bit of give. However I noticed that the outer skin was starting to get a lot more darker marks and the ones it had already a bit larger....usually at this point from my experience; the Cherimoya is ripe. If you let the Cherimoya's skin get dark marks all over then it will most likely be way past ripe as I have eaten couple at this point where the seeds inside have become to sprout....

Nevertheless, my Ripening instincts were on point! I was expecting maybe a bland Cherimoya because this one was really small to most cherimoyas I've eaten before and thought it might have been picked too soon...Boy was I wrong. After eating that atrocious God awful cherimoya from Chile, this Cherimoya tasted like it dropped from the heavens!!! Perfect ice cream custard flesh, Classic Cherimoya sweetness with balanced acidity....not as complex as say a booth, which hints of Papaya and Pineapple....but man this thing was good! Thank the Gods, new and old for Cherimoya season!!!

[SocalTropics]

Odd they charge inconsistent prices for different customers!