Jujubes- Our New Adventure

I picked the one fruit from the Autumn Beauty and another from the Mango Dong/Winter Delight (JFaE) and yes, they are roughly identical. One was a bit less crunchy than the other and neither was too juicy. But, I don’t think I’ve watered either in a while and while it hasn’t been warm (now mid 60’s for highs), it also hasn’t rained much (maybe a quick shower a week ago). I gave it a good watering with the hose afterward, so hopefully the next ones will be better. I suspect it will, as the first WD 5 days ago was better.

Both were between 17-18 brix (yes, I need to be more patient) and weighed between 0.53 and 0.56 ounces. And the shape and season both match up pretty well.

Behind my thumb in the background is a 23 brix Sugar Cane which was very crisp and tasty (though only about 60% as large). I’ve eaten most of the Sugar Cane , so it appears to be a bit earlier than WD, at least here.

Interestingly, though the WD has been very productive, the AB didn’t make much and a 6’+ graft of Qiyue Xian (also supposed to be AB) from Raf hasn’t produced at all. Probably just variability, either in age, or position within the yard. I’ll keep an eye on it in future years. I’ll also be watching the Alcalde #1, which may also be QX. See why it can be confusing? Some WD is actually WD and the CRD one is a different Winter and there could be as many as 4 different names for AB :slight_smile:

5 Likes

They are ripening.

Sugar Cane. No need to bend branch. When it set plenty, braches are bending

My Massandra, only a dozen fruit

Shanxi Li and Honey Jat are about to ripen. All in all, they ripen in succesion in a span of 2-4weeks in my climate.

11 Likes

so happy for you @mamuang !

1 Like

I have at least two cultivars(obtained from nurseries) that are distinctly shaped like yours. Chang from englands and AB from ogw from long time ago shared by another member.
3rd would be the fruits of an AB i obtained from ogw fairly recently,
adding to future confusion, 4th is that of a seedling we have been watching.
we are naming it vegas maracas.

Do these look like they could be Li? I always thought that Li was supposed to have larger fruit. They are crispy, juicy, and taste like a Fuji apple to me.

6 Likes

They could be li. Li is not juicy here in vegas when harvested in summer, but will be with subsequent crop ripened in fall or late summer

1 Like

Thanks for the input. I only ask because my “Honey Jar” from the same supplier is definitely not HJ. I don’t want to trade around misidentified trees.
EDIT: My Honey Jar NOT fruit keep growing larger and larger. Glad to have this productive tree (maybe Sugar Cane?) Many of the fruit are over twice the size of the Li fruit.

6 Likes

My Li jujubes are juicy and sweet… They are soo good! :yum:

1 Like

@PharmerDrewee,
It seems there are a few variations of Li, too. The Li from CA that I ate last year, look like the fruit next to your thumb but bigger.

If this is your first year’s fruit, things can change. My Massandra last year was tiny. This year they are 2-3 times larger.

2 Likes

Some more HJ, Sugarcane Jujubes,and more Shenandoah pawpaws.

8 Likes

I’ve probably had Li fruit that are the size of the ones in your photo, but the ones in your photo would definitely be smaller than my average. The shape seems right for Li. The fruit in your second photo looks too big to be Sugarcane, though.

1 Like

Just to add to the confusion, I ate Massandra and Maya jujubes today and they appear to be identical in every way, including taste. When I get a chance I will post photos of each

5 Likes

Any guesses as to what my Honey Jar NOT could be if not SC? The tree has a spreading/bushy growth form and relatively short thorns. None of the fruit have ripened yet.

Andrew,

Here are my sugarcane jujube on the left with elongated fruits and Honey Jar jujube fruits on the right to compare. I think your is a sugarcane jujube.

9 Likes

Wow- that’s too bad. I was looking forward to both Maya and Massandra, so now I only have one to look forward to. My young Maya has a single fruit, so hopefully a Massandra will be ripen when it is ready so I can do a side-by-side pic and tasting.

Similarly, I’ll try to do one with Black Sea and Russia #2:

I had a couple Russia #2 the other day which were very good. My wife and daughter both remarked on them.

I should also compare them to some Sugar Canes, which have been excellent. The cracking has been only cosmetic and hasn’t really impacted their use. They probably wouldn’t store as well, but I just need to get them into the house and they are gone.

9 Likes

Maya-

Massandra-

I haven’t had Russian #2 for a long time so I can’t recall exactly what it was like, but I vaguely recall the fruit was larger than Black Sea and it certainly did not taste as good.

8 Likes

Today, 9/24/20 - Pick and Compare.

2nd fruiting of Massandra is bigger than last year but not big enough yet. Same as Black Sea.

11 Likes

Two new jujube trees at OGW:

7 Likes

Here’s mine. I ate a bunch of So as well, but they weren’t on the same level as the rest.

My wife’s ranking:
Tier1:
Sugar Cane
Black Sea
Russia #2

Tier 2:
Honey Jar (she liked the less ripe one better than the 30 brix one)

Tier 3:
Autumn Beauty
So

Comparing Black Sea and Russia #2, they seem pretty similar. They also both have the same pointy tip (just a dark dot in the pic) on each fruit and are at roughly the same stage of ripeness. I don’t have that many of each though, so hopefully I’ll get a better sample in future years.

Russia #4 is a bit later than Russia #2. The first #4 looks like it is almost ready. Sugar Cane is almost done, which is too bad, because it has been one of the best this year.

Black Sea:

Bok Jo, getting closer:

It looks like something decided to sample the jujubes. Luckily it was the fruit from the sucker that was closest to the ground, so maybe it wasn’t good enough to justify climbing for more…

Do you recognize either of these varieties? For Confeti, they say “Yalta No. 2 cv.”- could it mean Russia #2?

It says Empress Gee is “Wang-dae-choo cv”, which I haven’t heard of. I think Dae (or Tae) Chu (or Choo) is Korean for jujube, so that would make it Wang. I have Tae Sang Wang, but it looks like a different shape than the Empress Gee.

Tae Sang Wang (the largest of these are like the big Shanxi Li):

11 Likes

It could be bunnies. They ate my lower fruit and foliage.

I hope Black Sea will get bigger. It is very sweet, sweeter than Honey Jar. I have not been able to squeeze juice from any fruit for brix measurement yet.

Glad your wife like Sugar Cane, too. I like them more than HJ, crunchier and larger than HJ.

2 Likes