Honey Jar and Sugar Cane Jujubes just became available!

[BobVance]

I have 14 jujube trees in their 3rd year and only one seems to have a noticable amount of fruit on it (Chico).

Today, I noticed a 2nd year tree with 3 fruit on it. Not surprisingly, it is a Honey Jar. But, while precocious, Honey Jar isn’t a guarantee of early bearing- I have 2 other HJ from the same year and one from the year before which don’t have any fruit yet.

For anyone who are foreign to jujubes, if you ate these as your first jujubes, you would not try another jujube again. They were that awful!!!

That looks just like the jujubes my wife was bringing home from Chinatown. She likes them for some reason. She likes the ones I grow more, but the spongy ones are still acceptable.

That’s why when I first planted them, I thought it was just for her. Similar to goji berries…

[mamuang]

I have had similar jujubes from other grocery stores. These ones are particularlyhard to swallow literally. Does your wife eat them fresh or cook with them, please?

My 5 trees are young (ranging from 1-3 yrs old). So, I am inclined to believe that for young trees, having several varieties (8) to cross pollinate is helpful. All my trees are very close to one another, too.

[BobVance]

Does your wife eat them fresh or cook with them, please?

Just fresh. She would eat that whole tray in one sitting.

My 5 trees are young (ranging from 1-3 yrs old). So, I am inclined to believe that for young trees, having several varieties (8) to cross pollinate is helpful. All my trees are very close to one another, too.

It may help, but I have plenty of young ones close together (and in good sun locations) which don’t have any fruit on them .

[mamuang]

Maybe, I was lucky.

What about fertilizer? I followed @tonyOmahaz5’s suggestion and fertilized them this spring.

I used to think that jujubes like a tough condition so for the past two years I did not water or fertilize them. I did plenty this year.

If we lived close, I would deliver that tray of jujubes to your door for her.

[gsims1997]

From the market they have to be nearly all brown to be any good. I’ve had some really bad jujube from the korean market (H-mart). You’d think they’d know better than to sell them to people who know what a jujube is supposed to taste like.

[castanea]

They are Li. Not watered enough and picked too early.

[jujubemulberry]

they look like li’s from california. It has been super hot here in the southwest and li’s tend to be spongy and dry when ‘baked’, and even worse, when picked too early as @tonyOmahaz5 and @castanea mentioned. SC’s don’t lose the juiciness, but will taste somewhat bitter when subjected to >105F. Flavor may improve with refrigeration, but no so much.

a lot of $3.99 to be that bad!!!

it does look bad, and am sure it tastes just as bad, probably better to just let them dry further into dates to help concentrate the flavor and sugars.

[mamuang]

Thank you, everyone. The clerk did say most of their “ exotic” fruit are from CA.

It’s too bad that such low quality fruit are sold. If I gave these jujubes to my friends who never tried them before, they would have a real bad impression of the fruit.

[castanea]

They sell poor quality Li fruit even in California. I think there are many people who want jujubes and they’ll buy whatever is available.

[mamuang]

That would work only where a lot of people know what jujubes are and have some expectation about them.

Inexperienced people like those living where I do, they would spit it out or worse, throw it back at me

[jujubemulberry]

there are many people who want jujubes and they’ll buy whatever is available.

absolutely right. Some 8 or 10 years ago hispanic/asian grocery stores first started selling jackfruit at incredibly exorbitant prices. Found myself transforming into an absolute fool buying a big one right away. It was probably 40% the quality of an ideal jackfruit, but boy, it sure appeased my lustful cravings and desires!

Inexperienced people like those living where I do, they would spit it out or worse, throw it back at me

i was the same exact person when i first tried grocery store jujus. And speaking of exorbitant prices, some grocery jujus are actually priced more than lobster here in vegas – 6$/lb or more! I believe GA-866(labeled as ‘honey jujube’) and a Chico look-alike and taste-alike(labeled as ‘winter jujube’). Even at those prices, they were a much better deal than 3.99$/lb subpar Li

[Bhawkins]

Jujubee’s dont have a long shelf life. best to eat right off the tree

[BobVance]

What about fertilizer? I followed @tonyOmahaz5’s suggestion and fertilized them this spring.

I think I’ve fertilized roughly annually with either a balanced or urea (N), but not too heavy.

I have 14 jujube trees in their 3rd year and only one seems to have a noticable amount of fruit on it (Chico).

Exciting update (at least exciting to me)- I found a number of small fruitlets on one of the 3rd year Shanxi Li. It’s a pretty decent sized tree 6’ wide, 8’ tall, so it’s good to see some production. The Li, Sherwood, and GA866 which are next to it (and also from ToA and planted at the same time) don’t have any set yet. But, I’ll be sure to check again in a few days

Jujubee’s dont have a long shelf life. best to eat right off the tree

Is it just that they loose the crispness? I remember saving a few one time for a couple months in the fridge and they started to shrivel a bit. Almost halfway between fresh and dried. Not as good as fresh, but I still preferred them to fully dried ones.

[Bhawkins]

They become spongy & lose flavor. My guess is the short shelf life is why we don’t see them more in supermarkets.

[c5tiger]

This is my best year of fruit set on SC. The SC and Li are starting to grow together and the SC side next to Li is loaded and the other side of the tree does not have much.

Li on left, Sugar Cane right

Side next to Li, even after eating several

Opposite side

[k8tpayaso]

Wow what nice trees!!!

Sure seems that pollination from another source is really important.

Katy

[tonyOmahaz5]

Here is one of my 3 years old very productive seedling. Not sure the parents. Small to medium sweet fruits

Tony

Sugarcane

Tae Souls

Sherwood

[mamuang]

Very productive indeed, Tony.

[k8tpayaso]

Very nice!!! I’ve got a rootstock seedling that is getting absolutely covered in fruit. It’s about 18 months old and has fruit that is getting close to full size and is blooming now and fruit set on the new blooms is amazing. Looks to be the sour small juju rootstock fruit…guess they will be good for rootstock seedlings.

Katy

[k8tpayaso]

I had a first experience this week. I actually took containers out to pick jujubes. That doesn’t mean I have a lot but a couple different varieties are ripening and I had more than I could hold!

Also my SiHong that I got this spring has started growing again and there are bloom buds on it so maybe another chance for fruit this year.