Sapodilla Fruit

The Tropical Fruit Growers South Florida; is an association of farmers that specialize in growing tropical fruits. You can find these tropical fruits at our website tropicalfruitgrowers.com or at specialty markets.

We’re in The Redlands, an agricultural area southwest to Miami, Florida, in a Sapodilla grove and this is how Sapodillas look like. Sapodillas are known by many names, they’re known as naseberry, nispero, zapote and chikoo. They grow very well in tropical and subtropical climates all over the world, and especially here in South Florida.

Sapodilla was very important in Central America in the mid 1800s for its sap or chicle and it was the main ingredient in chewing gum, nowadays it’s been replaced by other saps from other trees, they’ve been diluted and replaced. So now we just enjoy the fruit.

Sapodilla grows in a beautiful tree here in South Florida. The fruit grows along the branches, as you can see, and the farmers know when to pick it when it’s mature. They pick it kind of hard and when it gets to your house you just let it sit in the kitchen on the counter and let it get soft, they’re delicious. So let’s go to the kitchen and check them out.

Hi I’m Louise King with the Tropical Fruit Growers of South Florida and I’m here to tell you a little bit more about Florida Sapodilla. When you get your Sapodilla from one of the growers on our website or at the specialty market it may not be ready to eat, especially if it’s firm, you need to let it ripen a little bit before you eat it. So to let a Sapodilla ripen just keep it on the counter for a few days and let it ripen slowly until it gives a little bit like a peach.

The easiest way to eat your Sapodilla is to take a knife, cut it in half across the middle and scoop out any seeds you find, as you can see the seeds are dark and shiny, and then just scoop out the flesh with your spoon. So what does this Sapodilla taste like? Imagine a pear soaked in brown sugar, that’s the Sapodilla.

After you fruit is ripe, if you can’t eat it all, store your Sapodilla whole in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator, it’ll last about a week. You can also scoop out the flesh, put it in a plastic bag and it freezes very well. Sapodillas make great jams, syrups, custards and even wine.

Contact one of our growers at tropicalfruitgrowers.com to get the freshest Florida Sapodilla around.