The Sugar Apple

Photo Source: Google Images

If you read my post about yesterday's visit to the Farmer's Market, you know I bought a couple of fruits I'd not tried before.  I was shocked to find my Sugar Apple, which was hard yesterday, was soft today and obviously ready to eat.  I tried to cut it, but frankly it was easier to pull it apart with my fingers.  The outside is kind of leathery feeling and did not slice easily.  It was, as described by the farmers, easiest to scoop out the insides and suck the seeds.  There is no obvious way to get to the fruit otherwise.  I used my fingers and plucked the seeds out one by one and then gently scraped the inside with a spoon.  That garnered less than a teaspoon of pulp (the scraping).  I took a couple of cell phone photos (I left my camera in the car and don't want to fight the mosquitoes to go get it right now).  You can see that there are a lot of black seeds with a thin coating of fruit.  The first bite tasted sweet, yet had an underlying starchy taste.  The texture is almost gelatinous.  I ate about 1/4 of the content and then went to Google the fruit to see what I could find out about it. 

I found this link from what looks to be a Purdue web site which gave a great amount of background on the fruit.  If you find one - and try it - don't swallow the seeds.  They are apparently toxic.  It's a lot of work for just a little bit of fruit.  However, it tasted sweeter and sweeter as I continued popping those seeds in and sucking off the pulp.  I am unsure whether or not I'll buy one again...but I'd LOVE to see this fruit as the Iron Chef America secret ingredient :-)

South Padre Island Farmer's Market

BASED ON TRIPS FROM FEBRUARY 2010 TO JULY 2010          As I drove up to the North shore area, where the local farmer’s market is held, I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. I was so happy to be back at a local farmer’s market! I parked on the side of the road, tried not to sink into too much sand, hopped out, grabbed my Central Market canvas tote, re-secured my hat – because, of course, the wind was briskly blowing – and just stopped to listen. I heard live music, I heard people laughing, I heard a gull or two, I heard the sound of flags snapping in the wind. Then, I sniffed the air – the salty sea air. The sun was shining and a complete feeling of Zen came over me. There is nothing like a farmer’s market!

The first trip to the SPI Farmer’s Market was, well, crowded. The Winter Texans were here and it was a new venture…it was a little chaotic. The produce was abundant (lots of greens and lettuce blends, broccoli, cauliflower) but sold rapidly. This trip was a little more laid back – April had arrived – the veggies were different. It was less crowded, more of the feel I’ve come to associate with off-season South Padre Island.

At one of the following visits I got celery, the first of the cucumbers, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, tender little carrots, young green beans, some herbs, speckled eggs, and other delectable vegetables. On other trips I’ve gotten melons, pineapples, greens, onions, broccoli, salads from Zeste and baked goods. This week I hear there is corn, sweet potatoes, melons, an abundance of squashes, and other end-of-summer yummies. My favorite vendor is Acacia Farms – they never fail to have beautiful product. But, really, all of the selections are wonderful for such a small market.

The SPI Farmer’s Market just makes me feel good. I stood in the sun for a moment, listening to guitar music, browsing the offerings at the Paragraphs Book Store kiosk and was so happy to be living here in this beautiful area... with a soul-deep need fulfilled; to be able to access locally-grown produce in a friendly small-town environment – just heavenly. The market is currently held on Sunday each week, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. just north of the Convention Center at The Shores. You’ll see the white tents and the cars parked along the road. See you there!

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

5 – OMG – that was an outstanding EVENT! I can’t wait to go back!