Where can I find cherimoyas?

April 8, 2008 10:21 AM

Where can I find the best and freshest cherimoyas in New York City (better yet, Manhattan)? And when are they in season here?

Expected prices, and any other tips about the fruit (freshness, how and how long to keep it, specific suggestions for consuming, etc.) are also appreciated. Thanks!

posted by NucleophilicAttack to food & drink (6 comments total)

Order online (you'll also get tips on the site, as well). Otherwise, look up which stores stocks produce from Melissa's. Wegman's, for example, gets their produce from Melissa's.
posted by necessitas at 10:43 AM on April 8, 2008

I can't help with where to buy them in NY, but I bought one this weekend at our local Latino grocery store (in San Francisco), so they're in season here, at least. They're grown in California and in Mexico. They're $3.99/lb out here.

They should be heavy for their size. If they're green when you buy them, wait until they've turned brown (but not too brown) and soft until you eat them. We eat them thusly: cut off the top (or cut in half) and eat the flesh with a spoon. There are seeds, but they're big and easy to eat around. Too brown and too squishy = slighty fermented tangyness to downright inedibly sour, depending.

Let them ripen on the countertop. If they're green when you buy them, this may take three or four or five days.

If you can't find any in NY, these guys will ship you a 4 lb box for $30 (this may be only 4 or so cherimoyas, because they can be softball-sized or larger, and did I mention that they're heavy for their size?)
posted by rtha at 10:45 AM on April 8, 2008

I got one last year at Life Thyme on 410 Sixth Avenue (between 8th and 9th). They're a fresh food market and raw food cafe and they usually have really fantastic (and strange) produce.
posted by iconomy at 10:47 AM on April 8, 2008

I've never actually bought cherimoyas (I never ate any either) but I'd say you should try Union Square, if you haven't already. Even better, try the fruit stands/produce shops in Chinatown - there are lots, one next to other, and they have a bunch of exotic stuff.
posted by AnyGuelmann at 10:52 AM on April 8, 2008

I've always eaten them very ripe, as rtha suggests, but when I bought them recently at our farmers' market, the nice cherimoya man suggested that I try one when it is still green, and I found it quite delicious that way too.
posted by judith at 12:21 PM on April 8, 2008

I've seen these in the last week at the regular grocery store, and I don't recall having come across them before.

when are they in season here?

They are in season now. Unless they grow in NYC, they won't ever be in season "here".
posted by yohko at 12:29 PM on April 8, 2008