But do they taste good?
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There’s a bush on my college campus, you have to get them when they’re ripe, and they’re quite pleasant. I can see how a syrup or jam would taste amazing. Perhaps an oxymel would cancel out the astringency, but I like it.
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I have yet to taste anything Elaeagnus that I didn’t like the flavor of - when it is ripe. Most of the readily available ones here in the US color up well before they are fully ripe. If you eat them too early, the atringency on some will pucker your face, but if you wait (think vine-ripened tomato) you’ll enjoy them. They do not generally ripen all at once, and they do not tend to transport well.
Some of the tasting notes for larger ones in Asia recommend a pinch of salt to counter the astringency factor and bring out the complexity of flavor. I haven’t tried that on anything I have. (Carmine and Moniz are my current largest fruiting age.)
I did see one video by one of the newer fruit explorer types - in Asia - who polished the speckles off of some larger oleaster on his shirt. I cannot recall specifically which. It was interesting that most of them did polish off. He had heard that reduced astringency, but did not compare with or without. I’m pretty sure the one he had was not quite ripe enough to be full colored anyway, but you can bet I will try it with a couple of my small ones this year.
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I like the taste of the Goumi when ripe but I consider most other fruit to be a little better. Goumi are so easy to grow I like growing the plant.
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@OldKYHomestead … per my pictures taken the past few years as early as May 7 and as late as May 27.
My main bushes red gem and sweet scarlet…
One starts ripening fruit about a week before the other.
My grafts of carmine ripen in between those two.
I have added 3 grafts of raintree select this spring… not sure if they are earlier or later. Goumi grafts will often bloom and fruit (a little as soon as they take).
TNHunter
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I agree with Auburn… Goumi fruit are good but not great.
They are mildly fruity, mildly sweet, mildly tart… nothing overwhelming about them flavor wise… but very pleasing to eat.
For me strawberries ripen first then some goumis start ripening… then later early raspberries.
So when goumi are ripening there is just not much else ripening. That adds to their appeal.
They cover a slot that not much else happens in.
Near the end of goumi ripening raspberries and loganberries start ripening then blueberries blackberries mulberries.
Once the better tasting berries start ripening I will srill grab a handful of goumi when I pass the bush.
The later ripening goumi especially the ones that hang on a while after ripening and shrivel a little often taste best.
TNHunter
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Geez!! I just got two of them and now you saying this.
Question!
Would you plant or give the space to plant a Goumi instead of a tree if my trees are planted in rows every 12 feet or should I find them other spots?
Plant the Goumi’s in between your trees. They’re nitrogen fixers
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That’s what I was thinking on doing but then I thought I probably should give them a spot where a tree needed to be planted. Mostly because of what I read about growth wise.
The trick is letting them hang long enough after turning red.
Last year we tast tested Carmine to see how long to let them hang. At 10 days after turning red they had no astringency. They were sweet and taste like Hawaiian punch. I really like them
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I grow mine in partial shade and they’re still producing abundantly. They’re a no fuss reliable source of edible berries. In my location(MD), I would choose them over my stone fruits because of reliability and no maintenance.
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@Ruben my red gem and sweet scarlet were originally planted between apple trees…
3 apples and 2 goumi… in a long bed.
Apple-goumi-Apple-goumi-Apple like that.
So 2 goumi were supplying extra N to 3 apple trees.
Word of caution… if Fire Blight is bad in your area it may not be such a good idea to supply apple trees nitrogen. Faster new growth is what fire blight often infects first.
I lost those 3 apple trees to FB.
My new apple trees in new orchard are getting no fertilizer except wood chips yearly.
TNHunter
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@Ruben … i was not intending to seriously put down goumi taste wise. They are very enjoyable but will probably not be your favorite berry.
Just stating facts.
They are not at the level flavor wise as raspberries, blackberries, mulberries.
But they ripen before those other better tasting berries do.
When all you have ripening are goumies… they will be the best tasting berries currently available.
TNHunter
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@TNHunter I’ll be planting them in between either persimmons, jujubes or figs! So as far for fire blight I’m aware and keeping an eye on my pears and apples because I have a quince tree on the front yard and some loquats which those two can contribute to FB issues. But thanks for the advice!
I look at it this way, they would help with nitrogen! And they would also extend the berry season and most importantly diversity among berries!
Ruben
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I also agree that they are good, but not great. However, that is for fresh eating. I haven’t tried cooking/baking with Goumis yet, but if they are anything like Autumn Olives (they tasted very similar to me last year), then they should make for a very tasty jam or sauce.
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I really appreciate letting me know in advance specially since I have never tried them.
Could this also be one of those things like misconceptions that for some people would be good but not too good for others? Kind of like Che fruit.
I would be interested to know that too if anyone has cooked with them or make jam or sauce with them.
I like the taste of goumi, but always think it’s a flavor profile that other people are less likely to enjoy. However, every time I let someone try fruit from my bushes, they seem to really like them (I don’t pressure them to give a positive response and I don’t hype them up).
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I regret planting goumi between trees. In both cases they grew faster than the adjacent tree and they are thorny. I’m going to yank one goumi and one tree to alleviate the congestion.
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I have a Red Gem.Once,there was a fruit,hidden by some leaves and one of the last left.It tasted like Cherry Jello.
If Goumi were the size of Plums,then probably in the top five on my list.
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