Soursop is my favorite Hawaiian fruit discovery. Best when freshly soft, it has a flaky texture inside and tastes like creamy coconut-vanilla custard.

Left to right: ice-cream-bean (the white coating inside the shell and around the bean tastes like vanilla ice cream), eggfruit (like a sweet egg), papaya, cacao pod, and avocado.

The Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum in Puunene is the last remaining sugar mill in Maui, found just outside of Kahului. Sugar cane crops are found along the road from Kahului and Kihei.

A fruit stand on an “off” day, found on the drive in to Wai’anapanapa State Park (Black Sand Beach), Maui. Surf board shelves and signage.

“Coconut Lovers” dish, bought at Ululani’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice in Kahului, Maui. At the bottom is a healthy scoop of fresh macadamia nut ice cream. Best score of the trip.

If you didn’t bring along your handy oracle-of-knowledge cell phone there’s quite few old-school phones around.

Peacocks wander freely around Yee’s Orchard & Fruit Stand in Kihei, Maui, snacking on any coconut crumbs that wind up on the dirt road around the stand.

Driving around the island of Maui recently, I was amazed at how overwhelmingly fruitful the island is. Pineapples, papayas, coconuts, and mangoes literally fall off of the trees all around.

As they can be found here in abundance, I came across many casually set-up fruit stands. I found many unexpected treats, including many fruits and vegetables I had never seen. I decided to try any plant food I could find that I had never tried. I bought them from the stands, local organic farm grocers, and in some cases, picked them right off the tree. I had along my trusty portable oracle (cell phone) and did some easy research to help prepare (and happily consume) my findings. If you are not heading to Maui anytime soon, most of this produce can be found at Whole Foods, Choices, Superstore or independent grocers, depending on the season.

Recommended as is, in smoothies, fruit salads, and desserts: chico (or sapodilla), ice-cream-beans, white sapote (tasted like creamy banana-vanilla cream pudding), soursop, chayote fruit. The high maintenance of the bunch: cacao pods and banana leaf buds, not recommended unless you have a lot of time to prepare.

Photos by Angela Fama and Joel Tong.

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