Collection: Mamey Sapote

Mamey sapote trees for sale at Everglades Farm are grafted in our Homestead, Florida nursery and shipped in their containers. Mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota) is a tropical fruit tree from Mexico and Central America with a brown, sandpaper skin and soft orange to red flesh. A grafted tree starts bearing in three to five years, where a seedling can take seven or more.

Grafted Mamey Sapote Trees for Sale

Each tree below is grafted from a named variety, so the fruit matches its parent. The harvest months are for South Florida and come from UF/IFAS.

• Key West (Pantin) is the most planted mamey sapote in Florida. It ripens in July and August with pink-red flesh and excellent flavor, and it handles cold better than most. In stock now in the 3-gallon and 15-gallon sizes.
• Magaña is the second most planted variety in the state. It ripens in April and May, bears young and heavily, and is known for very big fruit. It is less cold tolerant than Pantin. In stock in the 3-gallon (3 to 4 feet), 7-gallon and 15-gallon sizes.
• Pace ripens in March and April with salmon flesh and excellent flavor. It bears early and yields well. In stock in the 3-gallon size.
• Viejo ripens in December with deep red flesh, so it gives you fruit in winter. In stock in the 7-gallon and 15-gallon sizes.
• Akil Especial ripens from April to June with dark red flesh and fruit of about 13 ounces. Currently sold out.
• Lorito ripens in July and August with dark red flesh and fruit of about 14 ounces. Currently sold out.
• Zepeda (Cepeda Especial) ripens from April to June with red flesh. Currently sold out.
• Pumpkin Pie Dwarf is a compact tree for small yards and large containers. Currently sold out.

Choosing a variety by season

Mamey sapote varieties ripen in different months, so two or three trees can give you fruit most of the year. Pace and Magaña come in spring, Pantin in summer and Viejo in winter. If your yard gets cold nights, start with Pantin or Pace.

Choosing a healthy tree

Pick a tree with a straight graft union and roots that have not circled the pot. Plant it in full sun, at least 20 to 30 feet from buildings, other trees and power lines. Florida nurseries are registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, whose Division of Plant Industry inspects them for pests.

Mamey Sapote Buying Guide

A mamey sapote buying guide comes down to knowing what a good fruit looks and feels like, because the brown skin hides the flesh. Use these checks at a market or a fruit stand.

How to select a quality mamey sapote

To select a quality mamey sapote, check its physical characteristics before you check the price.

• It feels heavy for its size.
• The skin is an even, matte brown with no cracks, bruises or mold.
• There are no sunken soft spots, and the stem end is not shriveled.
• A small scratch near the stem shows pinkish brown, orange or red, not green.
• It is firm or gives only slightly under your thumb. A firm fruit will ripen on your counter.

Fruit size varies by variety, from under a pound to several pounds, and size says little about flavor.

Where to buy fresh mamey

Fresh mamey shows up in Latin markets, some supermarkets and roadside stands in Miami-Dade, and you can search LocalHarvest for farms near you that grow it. Vendor practices vary. Some pick fruit early so it ships well, and fruit picked too early never softens. Ask the vendor when it was picked, and scratch the skin before you buy (see the ripeness test below). Out of season, frozen pulp is the easy option. If you want fruit grown without synthetic chemicals, ask the grower, because few farms sell organic mamey.

Mamey Sapote Taste and Texture

Mamey sapote taste is often compared to pumpkin pie or a soft sweet potato baked with brown sugar. Many people also pick up notes of pumpkin, honey and caramel, with a hint of cinnamon. Some find a little apricot or cantaloupe in it, and others taste almond, which UF/IFAS also mentions.

The texture is creamy and smooth, close to a raw custard, with very little fiber. A ripe fruit feels slightly squishy, like a ripe avocado. That texture is why mamey is used so often in raw desserts, smoothies and ice cream.

How mamey sapote compares to other fruits

Mamey sapote is sweeter and denser than papaya, which it resembles in color. It is smoother than a sweet potato and much sweeter than an avocado, though the two share the same soft, buttery feel. Next to its cousin the sapodilla, mamey is less grainy and less sugary. Black sapote, despite the name, is a different plant with dark, chocolate pudding flesh.

Mamey Sapote Ripeness and How to Eat It

Mamey sapote ripeness is hard to judge by color, because the skin stays brown from start to finish. Growers use a scratch test instead.

The scratch test

Scratch a small spot of skin with your fingernail. If the layer underneath is green, the fruit is not mature. If it shows pinkish brown, orange or red, it is mature and will ripen. The flesh of a ripe fruit should be a vibrant salmon in color or deeper red.

Ripening at home

A mature but firm fruit softens at room temperature in a few days to a week. It is ready when it gives to gentle pressure. A fruit that was picked immature never softens, and its flesh turns brown and inedible.

How to eat a mamey sapote

1. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise with a sharp knife.
2. Twist the halves apart and lift out the large seed. Some fruit hold up to four seeds.
3. Scoop the flesh away from the skin with a spoon. Do not eat the skin or the seed.
4. Eat it fresh, or keep cut fruit in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Mamey Sapote Storage, Cooking, and Preservation

Mamey sapote storage depends on how ripe the fruit is. Keep firm fruit at room temperature until it softens. Once ripe, move it to the refrigerator. UF/IFAS says ripe fruit keeps well at 50 to 55°F, and in a home refrigerator plan to eat it within a few days.

Freezing the pulp

For longer storage, freeze it. The pulp is scooped out, mashed or pulped, and packed in freezer bags. Frozen mamey keeps for several months and holds its texture and flavor well in shakes and ice cream.

Cooking with mamey

The deep orange flesh goes into batidos (milkshakes), ice cream, flan and smoothie bowls. It is also cooked into jellies, pastes and conserves. Use ripe fruit only, since firm fruit is bland and pasty.

The seed and its oil

The seed is not eaten. In Mexico and Central America, oil pressed from the seed is used in hair and skin products.

Mamey Sapote Nutrition and Health Benefits

Mamey sapote nutrition is rich for a fruit, and its health benefits come from its fiber, minerals and vitamins.

Nutritional content of mamey sapote

The nutritional content of mamey sapote, using USDA figures cited by UF/IFAS, is about 134 calories in 100 grams of fresh pulp. That serving has 2.6 grams of fiber, 344 mg of potassium, 30 mg of magnesium, 39 mg of calcium, 28 mg of phosphorous and about 1 mg of iron. It also supplies vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin B-6. It is higher in calories than most fruit, so half a fruit makes a good serving.

Health benefits of eating mamey sapote

The health benefits of eating mamey sapote follow from those nutrients. Research on the fruit itself is limited, so these are the known roles of each nutrient.

Fiber and digestion

Mamey sapote fiber supports digestion and helps a serving feel filling. The natural sugars give quick energy, so people watching their sugar should keep servings small.

Potassium and magnesium for the heart

Mamey sapote is a good source of potassium, about 344 mg per 100 grams, close to a banana. Potassium and magnesium help the heart and muscles work normally, and vitamin B-6 helps the body use energy from food.

Carotenoids and vitamin A

The orange to red color of mamey sapote comes from carotenoids, which act as antioxidants along with vitamin C. Researchers have identified a red carotenoid in mamey called sapotexanthin, which the body can turn into vitamin A for healthy eyes and skin.

Iron and anemia

Mamey sapote adds about 1 mg of iron per 100 grams. The body needs iron to make red blood cells, and too little leads to anemia. Mamey is one food among many that adds to your intake, not a treatment.

Mamey Sapote Origin and Growing Regions

Mamey sapote origin is the central American rainforests and lowland forest of southern Mexico, from Mexico south to Nicaragua. The ancient Mayan people grew it, and it is still one of the best loved Mexican fruits.

How it spread

The tree spread across Latin America and the Caribbean, and Spanish colonists brought it across the Pacific to the Philippines. Today it is also grown in Vietnam, Australia, China, Israel and Spain. It also goes by mamey colorado and zapote.

Where mamey sapote commonly grows today

Mamey sapote commonly grows today in Mexico, Central America, northern South America and the islands of the Caribbean, mostly in warm lowlands. There it is grown both in home gardens and in commercial orchards.

Mamey sapote in Florida

Mamey sapote reached South Florida in the mid-1880s. Commercial groves sit almost entirely in Miami-Dade County, and Pantin and Magaña make up 95 to 98 percent of the acreage.

Growing regions and cold

The tree is tropical. Young trees are hurt below 32°F, and mature trees survive a few hours at 28°F with light damage. Long spells below 22°F kill it. It grows in sand, clay or limestone as long as the soil drains, and it does not tolerate flooding. In Florida it grows outdoors in the warm south. Farther north, plant on the warm side of a building or grow it in a large container.

Mamey Sapote Pests and Diseases

Mamey sapote pests and diseases are few in a home yard. The UF/IFAS Florida Crop/Pest Management Profile: Mamey Sapote and Sapodilla lists the main problems for Florida growers.

Insect damage

• Cuban May beetle larvae are among the most serious pests in commercial groves. Adults chew leaves of young trees in summer.
• Diaprepes root weevil larvae feed on roots and open the way for root rot.
• Bloom moth larvae can damage flowers in some years.
• Scales, mites and leafhoppers show up but rarely do enough insect damage to need control.

Insect damage matters most in commercial groves. Growers surveyed for the profile estimated losses of 10 to 30 percent to insects, and Cuban May beetle damage tends to come in three-year cycles.

Diseases

• Anthracnose can blacken flowers and young fruit. It is usually minor in Florida.
• Algal spot (red alga) causes raised red spots and dieback during long wet spells.
• Root rot from Pythium and Rhizoctonia follows wet, poorly drained soil.

Preventing pests on a home tree

Good drainage and steady care prevent most of these problems. Keep mulch a few inches off the trunk, water deeply but not every day, and check new leaves for chewing or scale in summer. A healthy tree outgrows light insect damage. Copper is the fungicide registered for mamey. For specific treatments, ask your local UF/IFAS Extension office.

Mamey Sapote Sustainability and Seasonality

Mamey sapote sustainability starts with the tree, and seasonality decides when you can eat the fruit.

Environmental and agricultural considerations

Pouteria sapota is a long-lived tropical fruit tree, an especie arbórea of the selva tropical in Mexico. It grows to 40 feet in Florida, and a mature tree can bear 200 to 500 fruit a year with little care. It needs no special soil, only good drainage, and it gives shade for decades. Its seed oils go into cosmetics, so little of the fruit goes to waste. Mexican researchers still publish on its manejo (management) and its evaluación económica as a crop.

Pesticide use

Mamey needs few sprays. In the UF/IFAS grower survey, fewer than half of growers used any insecticide or fungicide, and those who did relied mostly on oils, soaps and copper. That makes organic mamey sapote realistic in a home yard.

Seasonality

Fruit takes 13 to 24 months to mature after flowering, so one tree can carry flowers, green fruit and ripe fruit at the same time. With several varieties planted, Florida growers harvest mamey in most months of the year.

Regional availability

Outside South Florida, fresh mamey is hard to find. Most fruit in U.S. stores comes from Miami-Dade or is imported from Mexico and Central America, and frozen pulp fills the gap. Growing your own tree is the surest way to have it in season.