Fruit tasting at Andy's Orchard, June 18, 2017

The Balaton/Danube/etc hybrids have such a rep here for being finicky about setting much fruit (at least that’s been my impression?), I have to wonder if the European environment is so different that they’re just not suited for US growing?

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The fruit set can be very much climate dependent. The climate in Central Europe is very different from that in many parts of the US, in particular, the East Coast.

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I’ve got Balaton and the fruit set last year and this year has been pretty good, though I wouldn’t say that the tree is loaded. In zone 5 in Pennsylvania.

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On my mother’s side, her father’s family is from Érd and her mother’s side is from north Budapest.

Sunday was exceptionally hot in places where it’s not normally hot, I drove from the Sacramento valley to the SF Bay and there was not much temperature difference compared to normal. Probably only normal hot in Morgan Hill? It is so hard to get good peaches, plums, apricots in California. Even from farm stands and farmer’s markets, and even most of the stone fruit I’ve had from my relatives’ private trees is nothing special. I’ve had better fruit, and cheaper fruit, from chain supermarkets and fruit markets in other parts of the country. I will say I’ve bought and picked some good strawberries, cherries and citrus in California. I’m going to the tasting on July 8.

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Most of that fruit comes from CA. But I agree with your assessment as per my comments above.

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I tasted way more good fruit when I lived in California compared to the east coast. But that was 10+ years ago.

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I taste way more good fruit from my orchard than when I go to the market.

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Ya I bought three figs from the store this morning just because I wanted to see how bad they were. Price was right at $1.39 per lb. The three cost me 50 cents. The inside looked more like a caprifig than an edible fig. They tasted better than they looked. Maybe 10 brix. But then I am spoiled rotten when it comes to fruit.

Anyone want to try two figs? Stop by.

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Me too! :wink::blush::slightly_smiling_face:

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Maybe your not an apricot guy? Lol

Idk ive never had a fresh one.

Montmorency is an amazing dried cherry though.

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I’m spoiled by my own apricots that I eat right off the tree. :slight_smile: I have nine fruiting apricot varieties and 20 more planted and grafted this year. Will continue planting, grafting and downselecting/topworking until I have a perfect ripening sequence of apricots from early May to late August.

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Your location is likely ideal for Apricots. Another exists in Yucaipa CA – a few miles (bicycle riding distance) from where I grew up in Redlands CA.

I sure would like to try a moorpark apricot. Suppsedly it could do ok here in Zone 6A but I like to have things rated for at least a full zone better than me.

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In England, it was often grown espaliered on a southern wall.

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