Guayabano
One of the first seedlings we planted is guayabáno (soursop, Annona muricata), another favorite of our family. It must have only been knee-high then and in just a span of three years, it is now fruiting! Three years may sound like a long time to some, especially cityfolk, but consider that for a tree to take root, get itself stable, acclimatize, grow, mature until it gets into a reproductive state, all of these take TIME. In the greater scheme of things, three years is nothing considering the tree's productivity from then on.
Guayabanos are very refreshing, succulently filled with juice that you can make into a refreshing smoothie or shake. Although some people mistake it to be related to the jackfruit and the duriăn, it is actually a cousin of the anónas and átis. Both the anonas and atis taste similar to the guayabano but are quite pasty in texture and not at all juicy.
In my family, we eat it fresh, slightly-chilled, with all its milky juice dripping between our fingers... this simply means summer's just around the corner!
They just grow voluntarily in our farm, under the trees, but many fruits just fell off unnoticed. We don't eat them much. Now i try to eat it too, read its good for the health. I just throw out half of the big fruits as i can't finish them. And it is difficult to transport to Manila when already ripe, actually sayang! By the way, the trees dont have long life, also susceptible to diseases.
ReplyDeleteHey Alex,
ReplyDeleteI love guyabano. I buy them already in bags to make a drink. The Spanish delis here in NY carry them. Of course nothing beats fresh off the tree. Some people eat guyabano as it is a strong anti-cancer food, both the fruit eaten fresh and the leaves ( for tea).
Hi Groovy! Yes, they're actually originally from Central & South America, that's why the local name sounds Hispanic. And you're not the first one who's told me it's got anti-cancer properties.
ReplyDelete