This is the second year my Honey Royale nectarine has born fruit. Last year, just a few fruit that critters wouldn’t allow to ripen. This year there were maybe 20 and the animals left me a few. Understand that there are nectarine trees all around it that are not sought out at all in the same way. Why? I assume it is the over-the-top sugar with no acid cutter in this fruit that makes it irresistible to rodents and birds alike.
This looks like a nectarine but tastes like something tropical. If you combined a really good mango with some dried fig quality it would be close. It is a completely unique fruit to me and I will go to some extra trouble to protect it next season should the goddess of stonefruit harvests smile on me. It could literally replace bananas as a sweetner fruit if it has similar sugar when bearing a full crop. Considering how poorly lit the fruit was and the fact that small and large fruit all had similar sugar, I’m guessing it will.
I don’t think it will replace the likes of Orange-red, Summer Beaut, etc as my staple “peach” but it is more than a novelty. It is a desirable fruit in its own right but a new one to me.
As I’ve said many times the Honey series from DWN are my best flavored fruits. This yr I was particularly impressed with Honey Lite and Honey Fire. I don’t know that they are better than the latter varieties in that series but they certainly were delicious in their season. Unfortunately DWN only sells Honey Kist retail and ACN no longer seems to carry any of these.
I grew blaze and royal in pots. Loved em both. I thought blaze was actually better and produced more fruit for sure. Both were really good for me. I don’t recall thinking it had any tropical taste though. Maybe I’m just not remembering it though. Yeah I would love to try more of the honey series again if there is a source somewere.
I don’t actually love this one so much as find it very unusual. It is good, of course, but I generally prefer a nectarine with some acid. The flesh of this is not refreshing to me somehow- it is more sugar than I want from a nectarine. However, I know some of my customers will flip for this one. It is as sweet as a good Fuyu.
Yes it has, but I just measured an Orangered nectarine that was only at 16. I would guess that the best in the tree isn’t but a couple digits higher than that. But the Honey Royale is much drier with more syrupy juice. I think that’s part of what makes it less “refreshing” to my palate but also part of what makes it unusual.
It’s been dry but there is ample moisture for maximum growth. Nothing has slowed down at all even though we’ve only gotten about 4" of rain in the last 2 months and a half inch in the last 20 days.
I’m thinking that the refractometer doesn’t take into account relative juiciness which may be why people are surprised when fruit tastes very good but has a lower reading.
My Honey Royale this yr were 21-26. I find it has to be very dry to shut down growth of peach and nectarine. Although by this time of yr they are about ready to think about shutting down for winter.
Usually the peaches have stopped growing by now, regardless of moisture. Nights have mostly been quite warm along with the days, but I’m sure they are at the end of annual growth regardless.
I just ate some delicious Messina peach (thing is big as a softball and 15 oz) that only had a 12 brix reading. It is insanely juicy (better bring a towel) and if it was at 14 I’m sure I wouldn’t want it any sweeter. At 12 it is more than adequately sweet to me.
The Arctic Glo nectarine I know was in the high 20’s. I can’t prove it though, next year! . Alan this one has acid, you’re going to love it. Order it! Or I can send scion.
The HR sounds great too, something really different, damn, I need that one!
By the way, I just measured an Elephant Heart plum that is richly sweet but only measured up to 16. I bet my best Euros will be up to the low 20’s, but it doesn’t make them better fruit. Just syrupy more than juicy. That’s my new theory, anyway.
When you consider that most sweet cherries you buy in the store are 18 brix when you get lucky, 28 brix is quite a feat on a large fruit like a nectarine. Congradulations is in order!!
I feel like it is a great testiment to honey royale that it can produce good fruit in your climate Alan and also in mine in Dallas Texas. I also think it is interesting that the fruit is probably totally different tasting for you in your conditions than it is for me in mine!
Got some local cherries (2 cases) around July 1st, the grower claimed were a mix of Hudson and BlackGold, I only mention brix because I was making a sorbet and needed to know, they ranged between 17-22, not bad @ $3.50/lb.