Edible garden: Casimiroa

Add the pulp of fresh Casimiroa to milkshakes or puree into low-fat icecream for a health treat this summer. Photo / NZ Herald

How to grow it:

Casimiroa edulis is one of those exotic subtropical trees which can withstand some frost.

A native of Mexico, it is known there as the white Sapote, and grows in higher altitudes, so is relatively hardy.

I have always wanted to try the fruit but have never grown it because of a lack of space.

A Casimiroa grown from a seedling will reach a height and spread of 20m and tolerates various soil types, but it is better to grow as a grafted tree.

According to Louis Glowinski, Australian tree crop and rare fruit expert, the Casimiroa fruit tastes like banana custard, and has paper-thin skin with creamy flesh.

The fruit require hand harvesting.

They rot very quickly once fallen from the tree, as I'm discovering with my cherimoya.

In the kitchen:

Casimiroa have a short shelf-life, but the flesh can be frozen.

Add the pulp to milkshakes, or purée the fruit into a low-fat icecream.

But it's best eaten fresh.