The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-08-18
Peculiar Fruit.

During the past week the people of
Orlando have been RECALLING with some
of the strange tropical fruits Of the
West Indies, says Florida paper.
With the mango and mamey 2apote
we are already becoming familiar. but
the sapadlllo, the guanavana, and the
money de San Domingo were Strang-
ers to us until the other dav. The two
last named fruits will certainly take
the premium for grotcsquc appearance
| and oddity of flavor.
The guanavana, or sour sop (AnOna
muricata), is huge, soft, almost
shapelcss fruit, sometimes formed like
n thick curved horn, of a dirty green
lsh-brOwn color, with a rough skin that
bears striking resemblance to an al
ligator's hide. 1t is quite soft when
ripe, and easily cut open. Words fail
to describe the musky, rich odor that
rises from the sour sop when it is
opened. Many people can not endure
1t, but perhaps that is because it is
so utterly foreign to anything they
ever saw before, and they are natural
ly suspicious of it anyway. The flavor
is something like that of n mandrake,
or May apple, with dash of pawpaw
and May pop" thrown in, together
with little musk. 1t is Il decidedly
original and interesting fruit, and is
sure to make enemies or friends ut first
sight. Each seed, of which there are
hundred or more, is incased in a
white cottony flap or pulp, and in or
der to eat 1t you mustpull out each sep
aratc flap, which is aboutan inch long,
and suck the juice, and throw away
the ilbrous envelope around the seed.
But it is not designed to be eaten, but
drank. That is, the pulp is made into
Il beverage by adding icc-water and
sugar to it in Il pitcher, as one would
make lemonade. One good-sized guam
avana will make enough drink for a
dozen men, and it is said TO be a sure
preventive against sunstrokc and over
heating. y great many people who
tasted the flavor were enthusiastic over
1t, while others were disgusted at the
strange, creamy odor of the fruit in il.
The guanayana tree is SD purely tropi-
cal and tender a fruit thatit is doubtful
II 1t Will ever succeed here, mild as our
winters are. Even "A crisp, cold wind
Will sometimes withcr the leaves. al
though 1t may beseveral degrees above
the freezing point. Many of the seeds
have already been planted here, how
ever, and they will be given trial.
Another fruit which is almost an en-
tire stranger here is the NANCY de San
Domingo. Like the guanavana, its
appearance is greatly against it, and it
resembles nothing so much rs great
big, round, sun-burned potato. But
peel off the thick outer skin, and the
ileshy orange-colorcd pulp comes to
view, andyou catch Il faint, fruity odor
of pineapples and peaches. The great,
woody seeds takes up so much space
that there is not much meat about this
fruit. The flesh resembles that of n |
pumpkin, but the flavor is an odd mix |
ture of pincapplcs, peaches, russet ap-
pies, and sweet potatoes. The rest is |
all NANCY, and it is not bad eating ut |
all. The Cubans say it must be soaled |
for some time in salt water before eat |
Ing. The Nancy de San Domingo |
must not be confounded with the |
ncmey zapotc, which is soft and sirupv
IN its consistency. The mameys will |
grow in south Florida with protee-
ton, and are no tcndercr than ruayas or
mango trees.