I had my first cherimoya in college in Santa Barbara. I was walking the local farmers market and saw a basket of these weird fruits. Who could say no to a fruit that has dragon scales?! Once I got it home, I had to look up how to eat it on the internet. There really wasn't much information other than don't eat the big black seeds.
The other day I was driving with my brother and his wife and we stopped at one of our local farm stands. Their everywhere down here - the best ones are in Valley Center. The fruit is cheap, usually ripe and super tasty. Plus, they usually have the slightly weirder fruits like blood oranges, guavas and cherimoya.
I was excited to see the cherimoya there because I had a feeling Chad hadn't ever had one. Who doesn't like surprising their husbands with weird fruits?! The next day, I cut it up and brought it out on a cutting board - I just asked Chad if he wanted a snack - and when he saw it... well we can say there was confusion on his face.
Even though, at this point I was a cherimoya pro, Chad still went straight to the internet to look up this odd fruit. No trust.
If your looking to try a cherimoya here are a few tips. First, when they are BRIGHT green like the one at the front of the above picture, they are usually just about ripe. I like them when they are just a tinge tanner, maybe one day after bright green (like the one in the background), and they should be soft to the touch, but not mushy - like a ripe avocado. When you cut it, the flesh will be whitish and avoid cutting through the seeds. You can eat ALL of the white part - the best part is found right around the seeds. The fruit has a over-ripe apple or custardy texture (appropriate cause they are also called custard apples) and the flavor or an light apple/pear/guava. Its really nice and refreshing.
I'm a fan :) Enjoy!
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