Despite its quite unappealing name and odd look, the fruit of this soursop (Annona muricata) delivers an acidic but pleasant, pineapplelike flavor and odor. Soursop trees are tropical plants, rugged in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11. A near relative of the cherimoya (Annona cherimola), soursop is much bigger with one fruit weighing up to 15 pounds. The fruit, which may sprout anyplace on the soursop’s branches or trunk, can resemble a lopsided oval or look heart-shaped and can be coated with a bumpy, dark-green skin. In general, soursops are all set to select between midsummer and midwinter.
Signs of Maturity
Even though soursops should be picked while still business and allowed to ripen indoors, certain conditions emerge when the fruit is mature. If left on the tree, the easily-bruised soursops will fall and maintain damage. When ready for harvesting, spines on the skin soften, along with the fruit lightens into a yellowish-green. The fruit is composed surrounding a center. As harvest nears, margins of the segments become smoother and not as distinct. Additionally, the fruit takes on a bloated look, suggesting that you ought to select it and bring it indoors.
Soursop Yield
The trees are inclined to be a bit shy on creation. Normally, roughly 12 to 24 fruit is born by each . After removing the skin and the seeds, which can be toxic, roughly 62 to 85% of this fruit will be edible. For best production, this tropical shrub favors an altitude ranging from 800 to 1,000 feet above sea level, moderately humid conditions, a sunny location and protection against strong winds. Develop soursops on the south side of a home, if possible. While tolerant of most soil types, optimum production occurs in a well-drained, sandy soil, on the acidic side, with a pH ranging from 5.0 to 6.5.
Storage After Harvest
Within four days per week after picking, the fruit will lead to slight pressure like a mature peach does. You will hold it in the refrigerator for another three to four days Even when the skin turns black, the fruit isn’t harmed. Around the sixth or fifth day, when ethylene production peaks, soursops enter their flavorable stage. Waiting much longer than this, you may find the fruit flavors blander or that it has developed a slightly unappealing odor.
Programs for your Fruit
Cutting a soursop into segments and eating the cream-colored flesh with a spoon would be the easiest way to enjoy the fruit. Dice and add to fruit cups or salads, or serve it as a dessert, sprinkled with sugar and milk. In South and Central America, soursop juice canned and is extracted. You may create your own juice drink by pressing the seeded pulp through a colander or squeezing in cheesecloth. Beat the juice or milk and sweetener, or blend in a blender with a like number of boiling water, prior to straining and adding sweetener. As with the cherimoya, pureed soursops make tasty additions to pastries, ice cream, sorbet and yogurt.