So I went back the other day to try some dried ones and they were tasteless. The firmer ones still remind me of a spicy pepper. Also confirmed that it was Sweet Lifeberry. Not very reassuring as I’m growing that one myself. It is very prolific though, and already has a good fruit set in its first year.
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You are a glutton for punishment. Do you eat raw russet potatoes and artichokes 
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Lol, hell no. What do you do with them?
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I just thought it was funny that you posted close together on eating a fresh raw quince and various goji berries. Seems like you are going out of your way to avoid happiness on your taste buds
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Hey man… sounds like someone’s jealous, hahaha.
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I’ve been there (in my younger, bolder days). I’ll still taste quince while cutting them to process, and I eat a few fresh Aronia berries when I’m out in the yard. I’m pretty tolerant of astringency - I think quince juice makes a nice, dry soda.
I’ve completely given up on goji berries though. Maybe there’s some cultivar that is moderately palatable, but they’re like tiny, seedy tomatoes with a worse texture and some bitterness.
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I use many fruits not good fresh, but goji sounds like a challenge. I have Magnolia Vine Berries that make a great tea. The only way I use them. It may be an acquired taste to like the tea, I do though! Maybe Goji as a tea, or made into jam with another fruit.
I dry the Magnolia berries for tea. Well I use fresh but preserve extra by drying. Fresh is better for tea although I can enjoy the tea all winter when dried. One of the 50 essential Chinese herbs
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I never liked fresh goji much. I grew up at northern China where Goji grows wildly. For me, it tastes sweet, but it just has too many seeds and a taste of Chinese traditional medicine. But we put those dried Goji into food/tea commonly and I am OK with that. I think dry hot summer with little rain make Goji sweet. Maybe there are some cultivars with no seeds and taste better.
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Bleeeeeeck!!! They taste nasty and I like all berries. I even eat Aronia but not goji. Dried taste equally as bad. Ive eaten some poisonous berries by accident once and goji taste just a shade better! One of my sisters said what plant is this and I said must be an invasive I don’t know it. We assumed the invasive red berried honeysuckle might be an autumnberry but someone had to taste it! Well let’s just say you can tell they are poisonous on the first berry! We knew none of the possible berries would kill me.
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I am surprised that Goji are getting such bad reviews here. I have eaten them (dried from the store) and liked them. I have tried growing them without much success, so I can’t comment on fresh ones, but the dried ones I’ve had were good, maybe even better.
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Steve there are different types of goji maybe the flavors are different. I know they are eaten as a green as well.
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Too bad. It grows like a weed, I cut the front section down to inches this spring when it had mildew. Haven’t watered it, temps have been 90s to 100 these last couple weeks and the bees are all over the flowers today. Maybe I can mix the berries with something else.
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Do they add a coated sugar? Where do ya get yours?
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I bought a small package of dried Goji berries at the health food store to find out what all of the fuss was about. They tasted bland, acidic and a little like dried rosehips. I couldn’t even put them on cereal. I would much prefer a nice ripe peach, pear or apple.
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I was hoping Sweet Lifeberry was the good tasting one. I’m growing Crimson Star. The berries are not good. The plant is difficult to grow. After 3 years it still looks like it might die and need too much watering. Maybe it’s mislabeled. I have bought dried Goji berries that were good and I have bought dried ones that were inedible. We need to find out the variety and growing conditions that produces good berries. Mine are starting to flower now. If this years berries are not improved I’m removing the plants.
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I bought a bare root goji this year and it never rooted. I have a bare root credit. It’s good for any bare root plant so I’ll get something else.
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Oh no… I have Crimson Star as well…
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I’ve got a couple…none planted in particularily good places… The one in a better location always seems to bloom way too late in the season for anything to come of it. (like in late September/October) I have had a couple berries off of one of the other ones and it was ok. I like them dried, though.
I’m betting I would enjoy Drew’s Magnolia berries fresh, though (which is why I planted one last year)
Scott
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Well if not make the tea, I did not like them fresh. Currants are gourmet fresh food compared to these things. The tea is very good!
Something to remember is both of these berries are tremendous sources of good healthy molecules. So finding a way to use them could mean a lot down the road. Magnolia berries have some molecules unique to that plant. Just to be clear I’m talking about Schisandra chinensis
Make sure to only buy Eastern Prince. The only cultivar that has perfect flowers.
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Life is too short to plant something that tastes like sh!t. Reclaim valuable garden space by planting something you enjoy.
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