On Saturday, I went to the Alemany Farmers Market, where I have not been in about a year. It's a wonderful market, the oldest in San Francisco (started in the 1930s), and has evolved a lot since I have lived here. While they used to not have any organic stalls, now it's about half and half. And the prepared food, my goodness...but that's another post.
I was tickled to see Cherimoyas for sale - a fruit from South America that I don't see often. They're expensive (about $3.50 each), so they are something to be purchased when you want to indulge in an exotic treat. They are well worth it though, not only for the great taste, but for their beauty in your fruit basket. The skin reminds me of dragon scales.
The hardest part is waiting for it to ripen - it takes about 3-4 days after purchase. You can tell when it is ripe because the flesh will give a little when you touch it, and you can smell a faint vanilla scent when you hold it up to your nose. Once they are ready, you can just slice it in halves or quarters and scoop out the flesh, discarding the seeds.
The taste is both unusual and familar - it reminds me of so many different fruits at once: banana, melon, pear, lychee, maybe a hint of berry. If they ripen even further, the flesh can have a custard-like consistency - this is how I have had them before, but this time I was too anxious to cut into it to wait another day, and possibly risk it going bad. I hardly suffered though - it was so delicious! I can't wait to get another one.
