Egg Fruit / Muttapazham (Seedling) Fruit Plant

Bite into a tasty ripe egg fruit for the first time and you’ll probably be in for a surprise.

The canistel (Pouteria campechiana) is an evergreen tree native to southern Mexico and Central America. Canistel is often referred to colloquially as “eggfruit”.. When ripe, it is said to have a texture similar to that of a thoroughly cooked egg yolk.

The meat of the fruit is sweet and edible raw. The exterior of a canistel fruit is a polished skin that, upon ripening, varies in yellow color and orange tones. Canistel fruit is soft, rather than hard, and it is not mostly juicy. Fruit insides are a few large polished black or dark brown seeds.

The canistel grows up to 10 meters (33 ft) high, and produces orange-yellow fruit, also called yellow sapote, up to 7 centimeters long, which are edible raw. The canistel can be eaten out of hand. The ripe fruit has been made into jam, marmalade, pancakes, and flour.The ripe flesh is blended with milk and other ingredients to make a shake, and pureed it is sometimes added to custards or used in making ice cream.

MAINTANACE OF THE PLANTATION

Once a plantation has been established, the work should not be considered finished. It will be necessary, for example, to protect the plantation against weather, fire, insects and fungi, and animals. A variety of cultural treatments also may be required to meet the purpose of the plantation.

FERTILIZING
It is recommended that you fertilize at the same time as you water using a time released fertilizer 8-3-9 or similar to help your Canistel Eggfruit Trees grow and produce a substantial crop. These trees are moderate feeders and may require multiple feeding during the growing season. It is important to follow the fertilizers labeled instructions as to not burn or kill the tree.

WATERING AND WEED CONTROL
Young egg fruit trees should be watered regularly until fully established. In dry western climates, water mature trees deeply at least every one or two weeks. Desert gardeners may have to water more frequently. Mulch the soil around the trees to conserve moisture. Weeding is also very important. Remove all weeds 1.5 meter around the plant.

HARVESTING YOUR EGG FRUIT TREE
Canistel/egg fruit trees may take 2-4 years to begin flowering and fruiting. With good management, yield can be 40-80kg of fruit/tree. Fruit should be picked with stem attached when fully coloured, and thereafter allowed to ripen for a week when they will become slightly soft to the touch.