This is one variety that has both good and bad qualities. Because it has disease resistance it usually produces a decent looking apple. It stores well also. I've found that it tastes like cardboard when first picked but gets more tolerable after storing for a month. I would never describe the flavor as "Rich", "Spicey" or "Full". My advise to you is to enjoy the tree for what it is. If it is planted wherre passers-by can see it they will all envy the beauty of the tree loaded with good looking fruit. I don't have another variety that has such a high yield of high percentage of "perfect" apples on my low spray program. It is a keeper. I had a few cut up in my breakfast oatmeal today. It's just not the snack apple I would want in the fall.

Different varieties have differing degrees of bitterness. Of those that I have grown, the larger, thicker varieties (with smooth warts) were the least bitter, and are the type that I prefer. These were mostly Chinese varieties, such as "Taiwan Large". The Japanese variety "Abashi" is also smooth warted & mild. Those with pointed warts & thinner flesh were more bitter; a friend uses them for pickling. "Taiwan" and "Ant" were two of them, both small-fruited. You can reduce the bitterness by cutting into pieces after cleaning, and salting the pieces (this leeches out some of the bitterness) and/or by par-boiling the pieces before using them. Keeping the vines well watered also reduces the bitterness somewhat. Bitter melon should be used immature, before the fruit begins to ripen. Once ripe, the red jelly-like flesh that surrounds the seeds is sweet & edible; if dried, it can be added to rice to color it during cooking. The seeds themselves should not be eaten. Some of our Filipino friends eat the vine tips & young leaves as a vegetable, but they are far too bitter for my taste. The wife likes bitter melon, and as mentioned above, it helps to lower blood sugar. I've tried to grow enough to parboil & freeze for winter use, but she generally gives most of it away to friends (it surprises me that so many are interested!) She generally uses bitter melon in soups; our favorite is an egg soup with bitter melon, tomato, and chicken. Some of our Filipino friends add it to "pinakbet", a thick stew with eggplant, winter squash, lima beans, chayote squash, and pretty much whatever fresh vegetable is on hand. Even with the best variety & treatment to reduce bitterness, however, the taste is not for everyone.

Andrew, I have 3 and I can send you one. I started mine not too long after you started yours. They had been grown for 2 winters and a summer. They are about two feet tall and just got pugged to about 10" to encourage branching. The seeds were from Trade Wind. I also have another set of SA seedlings I started few months ago. These are from the fruit I had in Houston. The fruit was the chewy type that I like. Hope it will grow true from seeds. Bo (yaslan) sent me some cherimoya seeds last spring and these seedlings are sure growing very fast. I grafted atemoya scion onto them this early February but they were all failed. Too bad, otherwise, you can have one of it too. I can post pic if you want to have a look at it. I am interest in your Maha Chinook budwoods whenever your tree needs to prun. Mark.

Susana, you could grow Sugar Apples in containers. You could bring them inside when a freeze is predicted. They go dormant in Winter, but may die if temps go to 28. They are small trees and are easy to keep under control. They are heavy producers, and start at young ages. I consider them terrific fruit trees, easy, fast, small, needing minimal attention, and the fruit is oh so good! I have Red, Green and Golden Sugar Apples, Geffner Atemoya, 4826 Atemoya and Golden Atemoya. I will have lots of seeds available within a few months, as the many fruits are maturing. Lisa