Noticed those today on my California Dreaming CHE from England’s orchard.
I planted it early April 2020.
Those look like small che fruit to me.
I have not noticed it blooming… no flowers that I have noticed…
Wondering now if a CHE actually blooms then fruits or if they are more like a fig… the small fruit show up first (internal blossoms) ???
It has lots of these… hopefully a good sign for possible fruit this year ?
I planted my Che tree at the exact same time. It also looks about the same size and has the small fruits just like that. I was assuming it was like a mulberry or fig. I’m excited to try it since I’ve never had the fruit before.
@EvoRick … I have read that early on they often set and then drop fruit… may do that for a year or two or more… before they eventually hold the fruit until it matures and ripens.
We can hope though…
Let me know how it goes with yours.
Thanks
Mine dropped its fruit for 4-5 years before it ripened any.
It was also 15 feet tall and its trunk was almost 3 inches in diameter before it ripened its fruit…
Good luck…
Scott
Is it true they taste like figs?
In the second vid strudledog11… has one in North GA holding fruit in year 3 or 4.
I have heard people on YouTube describing the taste as… sweet juicy a hint of raspberry melon.
Strudledog says it’s not his fav… and I know from his gerardi mulberry vids… that he prefers sweet-tart fruit… not sweet only.
So I think that may indicate that che fruit is more on the sweet only side… not hardly enough tart for his taste.
I am a sweet-tart fan myself.
If I do get some che fruit someday… I could jam them mixed with loganberries… which are quite tart and flavorful. I am sure that would be a good mix.
I’d describe them as a sweet, watery flavor (they don’t lack for juice). Perhaps a melon (cantelope, honeydew??) taste. There is no tartness to the taste
My kids like the taste, but they are not fans of the texture… I wish it had a little more of a chew (it has almost none).
I’ve read that wild-life doesn’t touch it, but the squirrels and birds like mine once they are ripe.
Scott
They don’t taste anything like figs. They are distantly related to figs so people who try to sell the trees or the fruit keep bringing up the fig relationship to make people think they might taste like figs.
The fruit has very little taste at all. It is mildly sweet and vaguely like diluted watermelon juice. “Insipid” is the most common word used to describe the fruit.
If it died would you buy another one? I’ve been considering one. JF&E has a bunch of them potted.
I like it for the novelty of it. I certainly wouldn’t have it in as good a location for my yard as it is were I to have to replace it.
In other words I would not horribly lament the loss of it, but then again I could say the same for Yellowhorn, Goji, Honey Crisp apples, Medlar…
Scott
Yeah, I collect oddities myself. Just put in Medlar this year. I keep at least one of every fruit no one knows about. And zone pushing.
One other reason you might want one… even though not your fav fruit… they ripen quite late in the year … right ?
One of the guys in a YT video was showing his ripe fruit in October.
Perhaps fig and che jam… or persimmon and che jam… raspberry and che jam… gold rush apple and che jam…
I eat berry combinations all the time… every day really. Logans and che… blackberries and che… strawberries and che.
Might work. If I ever do get some will try that.
Very observant! it does ripen late. Here in central Maryland which is only about two hours from edible landscaping, in
similar zone, mine ripened around November 6 last year. Here’s a little tin filled with them. My mother loves themFound a few details on CHE fruit online…
This is how they described the flavor…
Che fruits have a subtle, sweet taste, sometimes exhibiting flavors reminiscent of melon, mulberry, and fig. It is important to note that each fruit will significantly vary in flavor, depending on the degree of ripeness and specific variety.
Notice they got that “fig” word in there…
Che Fruit Information and Facts.
Che fruits provide vitamin C, an antioxidant to strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation and contain lower amounts of thiamine, carotene, and riboflavin. The fruits also contribute some oligomeric proanthocyanidins, or OPCs, which are micronutrients found in the pigmented flesh with antioxidant-like properties to fight free radicals in the body.
Che fruit is best suited for eating straight, out-of-hand, as the soft, juicy flesh and subtle flavor is showcased when consumed raw. It is recommended to wait until the fruits are very soft, almost appearing overly ripe, before consuming. In addition to fresh eating, the fruits can be blended into smoothies, sliced and stirred into lemonade, tossed into green salads, or used as a topping over ice cream. The fruits can also be juiced and strained to create a sweet liquid consumed by itself, mixed with tart citrus, or used in cocktails and fruit punches. Che fruits can be used similarly to figs and mulberries, and are sometimes dried for extended use or cooked into jams and jellies. In China, the fruits are also fermented into wine. Che fruits pair well with fruits such as blueberries, peaches, lemons, and tangerines, nuts such as almonds, macadamia, and cashews, honey, and vanilla. Whole, unwashed Che fruits will keep for a couple of days when stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Does anyone know what all Che will graft to (other than Osage)? Will it graft to Mulberry?
I tried Che fruit for the first time last year. I thought it had a sweet almost watermelon like flavor with its own thing going on. Juicy and delicious.
They have no mulberry flavor.
They have no fig flavor.
Fruits do not vary significantly in flavor either on one tree or on many trees. At one time I had 6 or 7 different che cultivars,. The fruit tasted exactly the same on all of them.
Che fruit has very little flavor at any stage of ripeness. It’s slightly sweeter when more ripe.
@castanea … could that be a location thing ?
Others here say delicious… several on YT saying delicious.
My luck will probably be like yours.
The ones I tried were grown by Tim Climan at Threefold Farm Mechanicsburg PA.
it will not another forum member tried and failed.
