Anona-mess

The first time I had anything from the genus Anona was in Bali. There I tasted a soursop (A. muricata) and it was delicious. Something like a creamy green apple flavor, but the flesh was really fibrous and it was somewhat hard to eat because of it. Since then, back in California, I've had a few chermoyas (A. chermimola), and they are even better. The flesh of the fruit is more consistent, and the only annoying part is the large seeds (which are ill advised to swallow). Still, I could eat many of them because the taste is so great. How have I not eaten these before moving to CA? Avocados don't grow in other parts of the country, yet you can find those in grocery stores everywhere. Maybe it's only a matter of time for cherimoyas.

Well, now I'm the owner of a few Anona plants, the grafted ones are flowering which of course bring the possibility of fruit. But, these aren't just cherimoyas, these are mostly atemoyas (A. chermola x A. squamosa aka Sugar Apple) and they're said to be even better. To the point where cherimoyas taste bad in comparison! The flowers are hermaphroditic; female in the morning and male in the evening. After the first one bloomed, I collected and pollen and stored it in the fridge for the next flower. Here's hoping it's still good when the next flower opens!

Here's my inventory:

• A. cherimola x A. squamosa; Atemoya 'Bradley' - grafted
• A. diversifolia (Ilama) 'Rosada' - grafted
• A. squamosa (Sugar Apple) 'Super Atis' - grafted
• A. cherimola x A. squamosa; Atemoya 'Island Gem' - grafted
• A. cherimola x A. squamosa; Atemoya 'Phat Pakchong' aka 'PPC' - grafted
• A. cherimola x A. squamosa; Atemoya 'Randhir' - grafted
• A. cherimola x A. cherimola
• A. diversifolia (Ilama) x (A. cherimola x A. squamosa; Atemoya)