Have you ever eaten a loquat?
Hi Steemit!
My friend pointed out a loquat tree in my neighborhood the other day that just happened to be on the right side of the fence for free picking, so naturally we grabbed a box and loaded it up. I had never even heard of loquats before, so I had no idea what to expect!
Picking them off the tree was easy - we went for the most orangey yellow ones that were a little tender to the touch. I learned how to quickly peel them and eat around the giant seeds. What was supposed to be a quick harvest turned into a 30 minute snack time. I think I ate more right there on the spot than I ended up taking home!
I did manage to save a few to share with you guys, though!!
If you've ever peeled grapes, you'll have no problem with these! LOL. I've read that there are certain varieties that have a thinner skin, but these come off really easily:
Next, I like to make sure the stem nubby is completely taken off and then carefully split the fruit open:
Its not necessary, but I take out the inner membrane thing too. I'm not a fan of the texture:
Eat and enjoy! Seems pretty labor intensive for such a small bite, but its worth it! A sort of cross between an apricot, a lychee, a canapee, maybe a little jocote....I dont know. But its like dessert in a fruit!
I got a seed that started splitting already, so I've planted it.
OMG I CANT STOP EATING THEM!
I've also read that they're best at the end of March/beginning of April but I still see quite a few green fruit and new growth so I'm hoping these babies will last a few more weeks!
Hope you guys had a chance to get your hands dirty this weekend, too!
xo,
Christie
Ask me later for my loquat Jam recipe, but you have not lived until you have had loquat wine.
OMG. LOQUAT JAM! I actually had a quick thought about making preserves, but then I remembered how long it takes to get one to eat. And then imagined I would need 1000 to fill a jar, so I abandoned the idea. Please share your recipe! I wish you could come for epoxy and a jam day right now!
I wouls rather do that than Deal with my Dad's broken leg... Nightmare weekend. The cool thing about the jam is you split, remove seeds and the membrane, and toss in the pot. no need to skin. Also you can eat the skin raw, I almost always it the skins on the ones that are not in full sun or spotted. They stew up well for sauce on your icecream too.
i was going to ask how he's doing, but didnt want to put it in a comment, lol. im a little bit of a germaphobe sometimes, so peeling the skin makes me feel better about eating it straight from the tree. but if its being cooked - leaving the skin on sounds good to me! where it attaches to the tree sometimes looks like brown fuzzy mold so I dig it out with my nails first.
Wine! I've never heard of that. Sounds like a good idea, though. Kombucha would be easier for me though. :)
Was just eating them right now! Their season has just started here in Italy :)
arent they amazing?! do you cook with them, or just eat them as is?
So amazing! Even more amazing that you are going to plant one, which means you have the space!
No, we don't cook them; we just eat them raw, usually 10 at a time in my case, cause I love them so much! :)
10 minimum! I find myself saying ok, just one more...and 20 min later im still standing at the sink, peeling them and eating them.
@derekrichardson has a several of them growing in his yard. I didnt know they existed before he got me on them. His get huge seeds and some are like 4 a quat. Im addicted to them now because they remind me of apricots. I started a few sprouts but fruit is years away.
Im obsessed!!! They're delicious. I hope I can get some of these seeds to sprout - Ive got about a million, lol. Some of these have only one seed, some have up to four, too! Gotta start somewhere :) Hopefully by the time we have our own property it'll be ready to be transplanted into the ground.
They grow pretty easy, and pretty quick! But for me some trees get large up to 15 feet or so and some stay smaller, as little as 3-4 feet. They are fairly drought tolerant and quite hardy trees all around. And they like as much sun as possible!
good to know! this one tree in the neighborhood doesnt get cared for (i dont think, ive never seen anyone near it) and its definitely not hooked up to any irrigation system and its thriving so I have high hopes for these little seeds. drought tolerant is exactly what i like to hear now!
Welcome to the tropical SoCal! Good job.
this place just keeps getting better and better!
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU! A WELL-EARNED AWARD!
as if finding loquats weren't a bonus enough on their own! thank you so much, Lena!!! xoxoxo
They seem super delicious........good luck with growing and keep us posted about the process my Dear 🍒 🍌🍑🍍🍓🍇
I never see this before!. It is a sweet or sour fruit? Good luck in the contest! I liked your entry!
Sweet with a tang, like Apricot
Oh that's better!!!
thank you! @dawg-boy hit it on the head. Some of the lesser ripe ones are more sour, but I like them too.
I've never heard of these before! I love getting to see all of these different things on Mondays that I may not otherwise have heard of. :)
Me too! If you ever get a chance to try one, do it. They're so delicious!
I'll definitely keep my eyes "peeled" looking for some. ;)
To the question in your title, my Magic 8-Ball says:
Hi! I'm a bot, and this answer was posted automatically. Check this post out for more information.
Yum! Love loquats so much. Ivan goes around the neighborhood scoping out the best trees to trade eggs for fruit. We have a tiny volunteer growing in an awkward "loquation" that I need to transplant.
I just rub them on my jeans to polish them, and pop em in my mouth, lol, the seeds were brilliant for spitting wars in childhood. :)
I have read that it is a relative of the apple, native to China. It is supposed to be very high in pectin, so @dawg-boy's jam is ideal (why haven't I tried any, bro???)
LOQUATION!!! I am literally LOLing. There's still some green fruits on the tree here, so I'm thinking we've got another week or two for good picking. Maybe we can get a jam-day planned? With three ppl shucking quats, we should be able to get at least one jar full? hahaha.
Because I haven't had a tree in 8 years...