History of the Medlar fruit

General Fruit Growing
#1

John S
PDX OR

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#2

That was an interesting read. I admit that I’ve been unable to muster any excitement regarding medlar. I’m happy to have tried them, some Persian friends of my mother know I’m into fruit and left her several for me.

Pome fruit much higher on my excitement list are quince and loquat.

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#3

I have started getting more excited about Medlar since my variety “Nottingham” has been ripening in larger numbers. It really tastes great.

I love quince too. It has such a particular flavor. Also, as I get older, I appreciate the anti-inflammatory effects of it. I love it even chopped up and mixed into food such as beans, which I ate today for lunch.

There is something magical about walking out into your yard and harvesting seasonal fruit. Quince in October, medlar in November and December. Not that big a variety of foods you can harvest from your yard in those months.

John S
PDX OR

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#4

One or two of the nurseries referenced on this site offer medlar trees for sale.

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#5

I had a “Sultan” here for a couple of years, but it suffered from severe foliar diseases, grew little, died back every winter, and finally died. I replaced it last spring with “Puciu Mol,” one of the Piedmontese cultivars sold by Hidden Springs in Tennessee. Based on their success with them and my own initial experience with mine, they seem much better adapted to this climate. Mine has been highly vigorous and healthy so far—but, of course, only time will tell. I’m putting out a “Puciu Super Mol” this fall. (“Puciu,” by the way, is Pidemontese for medlar; the “mol” I can’t quite figure out—no good Piedmontese dictionaries online—but I assume it is a cognate of the standard Italian “molle,” with the sense of “soft.” Anyone here know?) Cliff England sells medlar trees, too—I think he principally offers “Royal”; and he must be having some success fruiting them, as he sometimes sells medlar fruit.

I’ve never eaten a fresh medlar, but I’ve had medlar jelly, which I liked very much. It was apple-y, smoky and rather autumnal-tasting.

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#6

Here in PNW, medlar fruits reliably. No need for pollinator. Royal was the original variety of the tree. I liked it, but I like Nottingham much better. I think I got it from One Green World.
JOhn S
PDX OR

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#7

So do you have the same rabbit and deer problems with medlars as with apples? How about insects and disease? I’ve plenty of former pasture space to experiment with new (old) fruits, but don’t want to spend time and money on losing propositions. Will they even grow on the colder edge of zone 4? Who else has tried growing them, and where?

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#8

I don’t get insect or disease problems with my medlars. They only come ripe in November and December, so squirrels don’t even eat them that much. I live on the edge of z8/z9a. I also live in a close in suburb, so there are no deer here.
John S
PDX OR

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#9

We don’t really have many rabbits either, because almost everyone has a dog.
JohN S
PDX OR

#10

Both names for the medlar, ordinary and vulgar, show up in this risqué monologue in Act II Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet.

Mercutio

If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.
Now will he sit under a medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars when they laugh alone.
Romeo, that she were, O, that she were
An open-arse, or thou a popp’rin pear!