South Coast Research and Extension Center

Cherimoya Taste Testing

The South Coast Research and Extension Center hosted over (250) visitors coming from all over California attending the annual Cherimoya Tasting on January 19, 2018.  Through an open tasting, evaluators were asked to rate the (12) varieties using a basic one to five scale based on texture, flavor, and overall performance.

The cherimoya collection at the South Coast REC contains various cultivars that are not widely available, and sought after by avid fans of this fruit. The varieties that were evaluated included ‘Big Sister', ‘Booth', ‘Deliciosa', ‘El Bumpo', ‘Knight', ‘Lucida', ‘Nata', ‘Orton', ‘Oxhart', ‘Pierce', ‘Santa Rosa', and ‘White'.

As in past years, the harvest at the time of the tasting was limited due to the cold night temperatures in December and early January.

As the name dictates, Deliciosa was the clear winner this year.

South Coast REC 2018 Cherimoya Tasting Top Three Varieties
Texture	Flavor	Overall
Deliciosa	Deliciosa	Deliciosa
Orton	Knight	Knight
Pierce	Orton	Orton

In addition to the tasting, attendees had the opportunity to talk with Orange County staff from UC's EFNEP program learning about safe food handling and taste a delicious smoothie, perfect for breakfast, or a yummy snack, made from cherimoya, plain yogurt, and fresh orange juice.

While learning the importance of incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet and the nutritional benefits, hand outs were also provided with handling tips  and recipe ideas such as salsa or fruit salad - perfect for game day or easy entertaining.

Thank you to everyone for supporting this event. A special kudos to our fabulous UCCE Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver volunteers, and Center staff for all of their hard work.