How About a Nice Sapote or Jujube?

Rare Fruits You Can Grow in Your Area

People who grow rare fruits do so for the variety in taste and texture these exotic fruits offer. Here is a sampling of lesser-known fruits that can be grown in the area.

Black Sapote

Black sapote, also known as the tropical persimmon, has green skin and a brown to almost jet-black flesh. It is often referred to as the “chocolate pudding tree” due to its rich, chocolate mousse-like taste.

  • The fruit is typically the size of a baseball, but can grow much larger.
  • This small evergreen tree grows up to 9 or 10 feet and is susceptible to frost damage.
  • The fruit ripens from March to May.

Carambola (Star Fruit)

Carambola, commonly known as star fruit, gets its name because its slices resemble stars. The fruit is crunchy like an apple and is often used in salads or as a garnish.

  • The tree is medium-sized, with small leaves and inconspicuous lavender flowers.
  • It bears fruit in the spring.

Cherimoya

Cherimoya resembles a large avocado and has a creamy, custard-like flesh with a flavor similar to pineapple but without the acidity.

  • The tree has large, oval-shaped leaves and is very sensitive to cold.
  • For large fruit (up to 5 pounds), hand-pollinate the plant.
  • Cherimoya bears fruit from December to March.

Jujube (Chinese Date)

Jujube is a popular fruit in China and is often called the Chinese date. Fresh jujube tastes like a dry, sweet, crispy apple, while dried jujube resembles a date.

  • Jujube trees are small and narrow, making them suitable for cramped spaces.
  • They thrive in various soil conditions.
  • Fresh fruit is available from mid-August to October, and dried fruit can be harvested in late fall and winter.

Miracle Fruit

Miracle fruit is a small, almost flavorless berry that alters your taste buds, making sour foods like lemons and limes taste sweet.

  • This shrub can be grown in a container and requires protection in cooler weather.
  • It thrives in acidic soil with regular fertilization.

Pineapple Guava (Feijoa)

Pineapple guava, also known as feijoa, is a small tree with edible fuchsia-like flowers. The fruit has a creamy texture and small seeds.

  • This tree bears fruit from September to January.
  • It is commonly grown in Southern California for its ornamental qualities.

Surinam Cherry

Surinam cherry offers an alternative to the Bing cherry, which does not thrive in the mild weather. The fruit is cherry-sized, ribbed, and ranges from orange to red.

  • It has a tropical taste that slightly resembles the Bing cherry.
  • The tree bears fruit year-round, with its peak harvest in spring or summer.

White Sapote

White sapote is a soft, creamy fruit that is hard to find in the market due to its delicate nature. It has a thin green skin and a custard-like texture with a slight lemon flavor.

  • Some varieties, like the McDill, can grow as large as a softball.
  • It starts as a shrub but eventually grows into a tree.
  • White sapote bears fruit from September to January.

Julie Bawden-Davis

Julie Bawden-Davis is a bestselling journalist, novelist, blogger, and YouTuber. A prolific author, Julie writes in several genres. She enjoys creating page-turning suspense served up with a dose of romance, garden books that turn any brown thumb green, and spiritual books meant to enlighten and inspire. Widely published, Julie has written 45 books and more than 4,000 articles for a wide variety of national and international publications. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys sunny, blue skies most days and year-round gardening. Julie gains inspiration from being surrounded by plants when she writes.