Soursop punch, anyone?

Like myself, many children in the village grew up on fruits like guava, soursop, mango, cherries and barbadine. Back in the ’60s, it was out of poverty that parents resort to using leaves of the lemon and soursop trees to make tea as they could not afford the packed green tea or chocolate. Today, even though one can afford the now not so expensive teas, there is a craving for soursop tea. It was not just delicious but very healthy.

Soursop punch is also common and popular but it can be time consuming to prepare. Then there is soursop ice-cream which is definitely something that is totally Caribbean. Growing a soursop tree is not difficult as the seed grows quickly and this is a tree, for those with yards, to have.

Soursop is a fruit that has the most delectable flavour. The soursop is a large fruit of a small, fast-growing tree. The fruit is picked from the tree before it has fully ripened as it will be badly bruised if allowed to ripen and fall. It is ready for eating when it feels slightly soft and is light green externally.

Soursop is not only a delicious and healthy fruit but it is used medicinally to treat illness ranging from stomach ailments to worms. The seeds, which have emetic properties, can be used in the treatment of vomiting. The crushed fresh leaves can be applied on skin eruptions to promote healing. The juice of the fruit can be taken orally as a remedy for urethritis, haematuria and liver ailments. The juice taken when fasting, it is believed to relieve liver ailments.

Soursop Punch

1 large ripe soursop

Water

1 tin condensed milk

1 cup evaporated milk

Few dashes bitters

Method:

Pull skin off ripened fruit and discard along with the centre of the fruit. Place in a bowl and add about 1 cup of water. Squeeze pulp through a strainer into a mixing bowl. This may be done a second time with much less water to extract all the juice. Add the condensed and evaporated milk and bitters. Taste and adjust if necessary.Pour into a jug and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with crushed ice.

Soursop Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight

2 cups soursop pulp

1 cup filtered water, as needed

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut butter or expeller pressed coconut oil

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Method:

Blend all ingredients until creamy and smooth. Add water as needed to keep the mixture circulating through the blender. Freeze, stirring occasionally until set, or follow your ice-cream maker instructions.