Mamey Sapotes are on the tree for 18 months before they ripen - the wait is worth it. This fruit tastes like a creamy sweet potato with an avocado texture. Really unusual and a great flavour with yoghurt in a milkshake.
As you can see from the photo there are several generations of fruit on the tree at once. What is interesting at the moment is that we seem to be missing the middle size generation - there are big fruit about to ripen and small golf ball fruit which are another 12 months away from being ready to eat. It has been so dry last year that there was no flowering for the middle generation.
It's really tricky to tell when this fruit is ripe - it gets to a good size and then you have to scratch it with a finger nail to see if it is orange under the skin. Sometimes the fruit can be scratched 20 times before it changes from green to orange. Once picked it may take 1-2 weeks to soften. The right texture is the same as avocado - if you can dent your finger it is ready to eat.
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