well, i can’t really say that, as that would be a bit unfair. The greater portion of continental usa’s is pretty much suited for the typical temperate fruits–apples and nectarines. And even these are a bit of a challenge to grow for many fruit farmers.
have even seen some growing their temperate trees in greenhouses-- which says a lot about the challenges, when most of us would associate greenhouses with growing high-value tropicals. And there is plenty correspondence here about pesticide use being mandatory.
i mean, if pomes and drupes are the only things we could grow successfully in most parts of usa, then so be it. (Of course, am still wishing that jujube and mulberries–which dont need pesticides and greenhouses-- that they’d be as commonly grown as nectarines and apples,and introduced to the younger generations, who’d get accustomed more easily to novelties, since most adults aren’t)
what i dont get is the need for usa to import tons of the same pesticide-laden fruits from other countries, when we should instead be importing a laundry-list of far better-tasting tropicals which are typically grown organically or at least minimally unnatural.
so i really DONT understand why the australians have a wider fruit vocabulary than ours…
Your constant barrage of negativity on fruits you apparently don’t know much about gets tedious. Have you tried growing nectarines or plums in Vegas? You might like them.
martha stewart says some of the best peaches she’s tasted actually grows here. I have tried those and they are pretty good, but are not exactly king of fruits.
i could grow them here too, but it is too much work, and can’t possibly grow them organically, and worst of all, they dont live long enough. ~10 yrs and they are done. And if you’ve heard about the drought in the southwest region, it is going really bad. Apples and peach relatives need considerable amounts of water.
the barrage may be negative, but aren’t they all true?
Vegas has a better climate than Phoenix, more chilling and not quit as hot. We have at least two members here that are growing and even selling stone fruits in Phoenix.
fruitnut, i have been there, and theirs is a commercial operation. i’ve also been to UNCE, which is supported by unlv’s manpower and resources, which incidentally is where martha stewart got to try the ‘best apples and peaches she’s ever had’ Unfortunately those operations are not for the typical bacyard warrior… Definitely possible, but more expensive, and quite water-guzzling, regardless. Also, any claim about organic farming doesn’t necessarily mean they are growing them pesticide-free, since organic pesticides could still be used, which to me is still too much work, and still a bit of a health risk.
also, i’ve spent some time grwoing stuff in our mom’s yard in phx, and i could attest it is easier to grow stuff there than here. The chill hours here may be more than phx, but seems not enough to mae it considerably better when growing apples and peaches. To make things worse, even though our winters are relatively mild, we get more freezing temps here than phx, which in effect, limits our chances of growing citrus and other subtropicals
btw, one doesn’t have to actually grow stuff in any region just to get a feel of the relative ease/difficulty in growing anything there. If you drive around phx neighborhoods, you’re likely to see a greater number of old, established apple trees than you would around vegas neighborhoods. I have been driving around vegas 11 yrs now, but so far, i only know of two. One is our neighbor’s, who happens to be a seasoned gardener. And to add injury to the insult, orange trees grow like weeds at practically every corner in phx, whereas here, you only see potted orange/lemon/tangerine trees at home depot nursery every year during spring time. They get sold every spring, but still wonder what became of them(as with the potted apples, plums, and nectarine trees they got sold with), as have yet to see one around here that has grown taller than their owner’s fences… I have yet to see one that is 4 feet tall.
maybe it is weird, but seeing tall, established and fruiting trees around regular joes’ houses is what i use as a gauge, since they have been tested through time.
Fresh? How does canned mangosteen rate against fresh–if you’ve had both? To be fair…i love canned peaches I also like frozen fruit (my kids seem to prefer frozen over fresh).
some canned peaches are pretty good, even better than the fresh fruit of the same kind–could be because the sugary syrup enhances the taste. But with mangosteen, quite certain anyone who’ve tried it fresh will say there’s no contest between canned and fresh. The exquisite mix of flavors, sweetness, tart, and texture are all absent or masked with canning. Worse is that canned mangosteen gets too mushy, having been subjected to heat.
heat is bad, but too much cold also affects the quality, which is sad because some chilling is required to somehow preserve the fruit in transit from the far east. A necessary evil.
good news is that jacfruit and rambutan trees(and plantations) in tropical areas of mexico seem to have gotten bigger over the past few years, i could almost predict mangosteen commercialization there will follow suit. The nearer the source of this fruit, the better state they will be in when they get here.
in vegas, they are now selling jacfruit for 50c a lb, which is UNHEARD of in the ten years or so i’ve been here.
i dont even remember seeing them in hispanic stores >5 years ago!
I like the taste of jackfruit as well. can’t wait for $0.5 a pound! Here in Hmart, it sales $1.49 a pound, a 30 pound jackfruit costs $45 Hope they can grow better taste Lychee too
a buck and fifty a lb is quite prohibitive a price for jaclkfruit. But jacfruits are long-lived trees, and get more and more productive with time, so those mexican plantations should be churning them like clock-work in a few more years. Could also be that the general culture and openness to novelty fruits in your state are dictating the price, so for the grocery stores to make money there, they have to raise the price, aware that only a few love it so much, and will buy it even at prohibitive prices. The grocery probably predicted the number of people buying it, and limited their deliveries, just enough to cater to the ‘willing and able’
as for lychees, i am sure it is also in the works. They had success with rambutans, so can’t say why they won’t with its more popular cousin.
while where at it, here’s a sobering picture of a heavily-laden 300 yr old jacfruit tree
I also like frozen fruit (my kids seem to prefer frozen over fresh).
Hope they can grow better taste Lychee too 