Green sapote

What it is

Green sapote, Pouteria viridis, is round to egg-shaped and 5–13 cm (2–5 in) long, with an olive-green skin and an orange-green blush. Inside, the flesh is orange to salmon, smooth and sweet, around one or two dark brown seeds.

A soft fruit needs gentle handling: its thin peel breaks easily.

Where it comes from

This is a fruit of the Central American highlands. It is common in the highlands of Guatemala and also grows in Honduras and, rarely, Costa Rica. In Guatemala it is called injerto, and it is most abundant in Alta Verapaz, in the north, at about 1,200–1,800 m (4,000–6,000 ft).

Trees also grow in Florida and eastern Australia; Lennox Community Gardens grows a Lara tree grafted from one west of Byron Bay.

How it's eaten where it grows

Usually the fruit is eaten fresh, but in some parts of Guatemala it is made into a preserve, like the one made from mamey sapote. The soft flesh is the starting point for drinks and desserts elsewhere too. In a Queensland grower's family, sapote smoothies get a little vanilla or coffee essence, and the fruit goes into milk drinks or alongside ice cream. At Tropical Fruit World in New South Wales, it goes into smoothies and makes a base for sorbet.

How it's grown

The tree grows in the highlands and does not thrive in hot lowlands; it takes no more than the lightest frost. Around Brisbane, grafted trees can begin fruiting in 3–5 years, sooner than seedlings at 5–7. A branch made to grow its own roots while still attached to the parent tree fruits on the same 3–5 year schedule. The fruit takes about 12 months to ripen after the tree flowers.

Good drainage matters. The Lara tree at Lennox Community Gardens sits on higher ground, because it doesn't like waterlogged soil.

When and where you'll find it

In Florida, the harvest usually runs from December through March. In Guatemala, the fruit usually ripens from October or November to February; it sells in town markets, picked hard so it can travel and eaten once it has softened. In New South Wales, Tropical Fruit World's sapote season arrives in November, with green sapote among its own harvest.