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All About Cherimoya

nick musica
Published Apr 10, 2020. Read time: 3 mins

All About Cherimoya

The cherimoya is as delicious as it is rare. If you’re wondering, what is cherimoya anyway? Cherimoya is a tropical fruit hailing originally from South America that becomes a treasured favorite at first taste. Cherimoya fruits are often described as having a dinosaur egg look to them, but don’t be fooled! Inside, these prehistoric-looking beauties are absolutely packed with a smooth, delightful and custardy flesh with a distinct and mild tropical flavor.

At FruitStand, we look forward to sending you a beautiful package of these extraordinary fruits from our small specialty farms partners. Keep reading to learn all about cherimoya!

What Is Cherimoya

According to Mark Twain, cherimoya is “the most delicious fruit known to men.” That’s because the cherimoya has a distinct sweet and creamy flesh that earned it the moniker “custard apple”. The cherimoya is a sizable, green heart-shaped fruit with a beautifully scaly outer peel native to Columbia, Peru and Bolivia. Cherimoya is cultivated throughout North, South and Central America.

On the outside, the cherimoya has a distinctive skin that’s green with large dragon-like “scales” that give them another legendary nickname “dragon apple”. Inside, the ripened fruit has custardy, white flesh with inedible black seeds that must be discarded before eating. The flesh tastes like nature's creamy, custardy tropical pudding with flavors of banana, papaya, pear, pineapple and coconut!

The skin and seeds of the cherimoya are inedible. To use the custard apple in your recipes, be sure to remove and discard cherimoya seeds and peel before eating.

If you’re wondering how to eat cherimoya, check out FruitStand’s collection of cherimoya recipes (like this delicious Cherimoya Smoothie Bowl recipe) for more ideas on how to eat this beloved fruit. In short, we recommend slicing open the cherimoya into halves and scooping out the flesh. Once you’ve removed the large, toxic seeds you can enjoy the raw fruit as is or in some of your favorite recipes.

Of all the weird fruits that we bring to you through our specialty farm partners, cherimoya has got to be the all time kid favorite! Kids love the unusual look of the cherimoya, and go bananas over the tropical and creamy flavor. Send us your “first cherimoya” reaction videos on instagram @fruitstandcom!

Where Does Cherimoya Grow

The cherimoya is native to Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, and spread throughout Central America. The farm we work with for exceptional quality cherimoya fruit is located in Northern California.

Cherimoya fruits grow on a shrubby tree called Annona cherimola. It is known to grow quickly (we like to hope that just means more cherimoyas!) reaching about 16 ft -30 ft tall.

There are a few varieties of cherimoya that are commonly grown in North America. You can expect to receive the following premium types of cherimoya in your FruitStand delivery:

  • White
  • Booth
  • Selma
  • Pierre
  • Bays
  • Atimoya

When Is Cherimoya In Season

Cherimoyas are in season natively between February and April. In California, the season ranges from November through late spring.

Is Cherimoya Organic

The farm we purchase from is not certified organic but they do not spray pesticides and they follow all sustainable procedures.

Still curious about cherimoya? Send us your questions and unboxing videos on Instagram @Fruitstandcom!

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