Thanks to the Kahuku Land Farms Fruit Stand in Hawaii, I’ve officially hit 100 fruits. Milestone! Bam.
I told Mike, our trip lead, how close I was to being centufruitarian, and he went out of his way to find new fruits to try. Thanks to Mike, and the rest of the Hawaii Five Oh team for being so patient and enthusiastic with my quest.
These are the fruits that pushed us past the 100 mark:
No. 99 Cherry Guava
There’s something about bite-sized fruit that just makes me happier. Snacks!
Cherry guavas are such a pretty color, like a sunset. They’re tangy, and the round seeds have a pleasant pop to them when you crunch down.
No. 100! Chico
When I asked the woman at the market what Chicos tasted like, she said, “brown sugar.” She had a bit of an accent, so I thought I’d misunderstood her.
She was exactly right. They’re soft inside, the dominant flavor is brown sugar, and they even seem to have little crunch granules in the flesh.
It was like eating a baked apple plucked directly from the tree.
No. 101 Apple Bananas
No. 102 Ice Cream Bananas
More tiny snack fruits, hooray! These bananas are about as big as my palm, maybe a third of the size of a banana you’d find at the grocery store, and much, much tastier.
The ice cream banana is light and creamy, apt! The apple banana has a pleasant tartness that offsets the sweetness.
Both were fun to eat because you can shove the whole thing in your mouth, and then walk around beating your chest like King Kong. Which I recommend.
No. 103 Mountain Apples
These are a lot like Jamaican Apples, only smaller and tangier.
And this is an Edvard Munch Mountain Apple. Scream all you want, apple.
They’re less dense than a conventional apple, the crunch is more like a really crisp, seedless cucumber. Mmm. Quenchy.
This Friday, we’ll celebrate the century mark with a roundup of my top ten favorite fruits so far. You cannot wait. Fruit nerds, unite!
Mighty Girl 
Love it! I just got back from HI, and I always have a short mourning period for the apple bananas. Thank you for sharing the newbie fruits!!! aloha~
LikeLike
While my life list goal isn’t quite as ambitious as yours (just 100 new fruits) I am super excited to post some of the ones I’ve tried. And since I am *ahem* moving to Hawaii, I should have plenty of time to try lots of new ones!
LikeLike
Chico sounds amazing! I’ve always wanted to try ice cream bananas and apple bananas.
LikeLike
I adore your life list posts.
And I am jealous of Rebecca (above).
LikeLike
I clearly must try a chico.
LikeLike
Do you eat the skin of the cherry guava and chico?
LikeLike
Ice Cream bananas are the bomb. There used to be a banana plantation in La Conchita that grew many varieties and sold them at farmers’ markets, oh dang they were so good. I think the typical grocery store banana is the least yummy variety of them all. I remember one banana with a crunchy core that tasted like strawberries as well as banana, it was amaaazing. Alas, the plantation is gone.
LikeLike
So I’ve been lurking around your website for ages Maggie but today I just HAD to comment. I am a fruit addict and having grown up in India (lovely tropical India) have grown up on Chicos, guavas and apple bananas. Your description of a Chico is the most poetic I have ever heard, thank you I shall now have to refer to them as Brown sugar fruit:) [By the way, Chicos make the BEST milkshakes]
LikeLike
I want a chico ASAP! They sound so amazing. Natasha isn’t helping by saying they make the best milkshakes. YUUUUUUUUUM!
LikeLike
My favorite fruit is #100 Chico! There used to be a chico tree near my house, but not anymore 😦
LikeLike
thanks very much i was looking for this
LikeLike
Great accomplishment to make it 100 fruits! I am interested to know – do you count every variety of apple as a separate one, or are apples just apples? Every kind of pear a different fruit, or are pears just pears? Etc.
LikeLike