Cherimoya
(Anona Cherimola)
The custard apple has a sweet taste with a touch of acid.
Its fruits are between 150 and 500gr. It has a high water content as well as glucose and fructose, fibre, potassium and vitamin C.
The cherimoya is native to the mountains of Peru and Ecuador; it is a very robust and resistant tree although in our area it is deciduous. As a curiosity, our vega is the main producer of this fruit in the world. Its proliferation is apparently due to the special climatic and soil conditions. There is a theory that the tropical fruits in our area suffer such stress in winter due to the limiting conditions in which they are found that the plant thinks it is going to die.
Low temperature fluctuations (no more than 30ºC) very sensitive to cold temperatures and lethal to frost. They need a light substrate with organic matter and good drainage to avoid waterlogging and proliferation of parasitic fungi. Harvesting is done by hand and with prickly pears when they start to become paler and firm.