Acerola, or West Indian sour cherry. A tart fruit that closely resembles a cherry, but is prone to pucker the mouth. It is often squeezed and mixed with sugar and water to make juices. One acerola provides an entire day's RDA of vitamin C. The bushy tree produces three crops a year.

A young Dan Phillips shows off an enormous guanabana, or soursop. A wet, pulpy fruit often made into juice; eating the guanabana is a somewhat messy proposition. All parts of the guanabana, including the skin and seeds, are poisonous except for the fruit itself. Each seed is encased in a white, pulpy mass of fruit.

Avocado (aguacate) grows well here in Puerto Rico, as well as in the Dominican Republic. When purchasing, keep in mind that if you buy them soft, you'll need to use them that same day; it's often best to pick several avocados with a range of ripeness, to allow for a few days' storage. The best avocados (as well as other local fruits) are usually found for sale from the backs of trucks along the road.

The canepa, quinepa, honeyberry or ginip (above, hanging to the left of the avocados) is a seasonal fruit available from June through September. A must-try for anyone unfamiliar with this delicious fruit, you pop the skin by biting it, then put the fruit in your mouth and suck the flesh off of the large seed. Due to their very short shelf life (a few days), you won't find them for sale in grocery stores but only by the side of the road.

The banana, or guineo, is one of the most cultivated fruits on the island, and even grows wild. There are northwards of 120 species of bananas worldwide, and most can be found here. Red bananas (rompe-culo), miniature bananas, giant bananas, seeded bananas and more can be found right here in Cubuy. The banana was among the very first foods used by humans in agriculture, nearly 10,000 years ago.

The jackfruit, or jaca, is not native to Puerto Rico but to the Phillipines. It grows particularly well here in some parts of Cubuy and fruits twice a year. Possessing a sweet, mild taste, the jackfruit has an unfortunate pungent, cheesy sort of smell that makes the jackfruit an acquired taste for many. Fruits grow directly from the trunk and can reach 60-70 pounds.

Passion fruit, or parcha, is among the most intensely flavored fruits around. Its sweet/sour, full flavor awakens the palate and is used in salad dressings, desserts, and juices. If you have a chance, try it. Cut the fruit in half, then suck out the gelatinous pulp and seeds. Swallow everything, discard the peel.

The poma rosa, or roseapple, is shaped like a smallish pear, but has a delicate pink and white coloration to it. It smells kind of like perfume, and tastes like it too, and the cottony flesh becomes difficult to swallow. The flowers and young fruit are shown in this photo.

There are two varieties of starfruit, sweet and sour. The sweet ones have a mild taste similar to a raspberry, and can be very juicy. The sour ones have a much stronger taste and are used primarily in making drinks. Cut the darker-colored edge of each ridge off prior to eating. Then bite right in and eat it all. Delicious.

Grapefruit, or toronja, grow very well in this area and are available for most of the year. They are often much sweeter, juicier, and larger than those found in U.S. supermarkets.

Coconut, or coco, is quite widespread on Puerto Rico, but was unknown here prior to Christopher Columbus. The flesh ranges from a soft jelly in younger cocos to the firm flesh more prevalent in supermarkets. Many roadside vendors will slice the top off a coco for you and put in a straw, so you can drink up the coconut water.

Papaya is a popular fruit which progresses from seed to fruiting plant in about a year.  Often eaten sliced, de-seeded and peeled, with a bit of lime juice sprinkled on top.

A note for the serious fruit enthusiast: you'll find the best selection of fruits in the farmers' market, or Plaza del Mercado, of Rio Piedras (part of greater San Juan). Fruits are retailed upstairs, and the wholesale section is down below, in the loading dock.