Summer 2021 - Show Us Your Fruit!

Show & Tell!
We are very excited to have picked our very first nectarines! It’s a MIRACLE! My husband kept walking around the tree, mumbling, 'I can’t believe it . . . ‘just can’t believe it.’ :joy:

These are Harkos and most were fairly flawless. A few had damage - but not as bad as the peaches and the Mericrest nectarines. I think the difference was ‘the stage they were at when I sprayed’ - all a bit different. I may have to spray more next year.
They are very very good. So far - I wouldn’t say they are as good tasting as the Redhaven peaches . . . but almost.
We picked about a dozen Harkos this evening. One lone Mericrest.

Seems that my Redhavens have more damage than the Harko nects. Lots of dark tunneling. The nectarines have little areas that are damaged - but not anything like the peaches.

I have never preserved fruit before, but I’m going to learn how. I want to keep some of this ‘sunshine’ in jars for the winter!

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PomG…

I cant eat the high sugar jams … too many carbs for me… but love to make and eat chia jam… as shown in the video above.

It is very easy to make…

To make a pint of jam you need to start with near 2.5 cups fruit … it will cook down some
Over med heat simmer it for 8 min… mash to the consistency you like… and stir it occasionally… then take off heat.

Add juice of half lemon and 2 tablespoons chia seed… this thickens the mix… and the chia seed basically have no flavor but will thicken it nicely.

Then add the sweetner of your choice. We use 4 tablespoons of coconut palm sugar and maple syrup for most jam mixes and that is plenty sweet for us. You get more of the fruit flavor and less overpowered by sugar.

You might want to start with 6 or 8 tablespoons and work your way down.

This is a very fresh jam and you can simply store in the fridge for a week or two if you keep the lid sealed. Ours never last more than a week. It will store for months in the freezer.

I made some with combos like apple peach blackberry… or pineapple strawberry… all good.

TNHunter

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They all look great! I hope your husband was pleasantly surprised by the fresh taste of home grown fruit! Nothing like it!

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@PomGranny,
I believe growing fruit in your mid Atlantic area is more challenging than mine. You did it. Very happy for you.

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Congratulations @PomGranny! They should get better every year as the tree gets more mature and you master their care, so you are off to an excellent start… I would leave them on the tree till the greenish color near the stems is completely gone, and till they start to soften. At least leave some till that stage, so that you can taste the soft ripe ones.

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A few pictures I took this morning.


Howard Miracle Plum
The over producers,thinned at least 50%

Sprite Plum

and Splash Pluot

Fall Fiesta Interspecific Plum

Unidentified Pluot

Purple Gage Plum

Spice Zee Nectaplum

Flavor Grenade Pluot,waiting for September
Not too much ripening fruit now,except for…

Methley Plums
and berries

Razz Blueberry

Darrow Blueberry

Hannah’s Choice Blueberry

Columbia Star Blackberry

Newberry Blackberry

Obsidian Blackberry

Hall’s Beauty Blackberry.First time trying.Very flavorful.I recommend,if this thornless one can be grown in your area.

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Brady,
Are you sure your Spice Zee nectaplum is correct? When I visited @MES111 orchard, I took picture of this tree. The leaves were reddish. So were the fruit (even as they were young).

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Yes,the new foliage is a reddish purple and then changes to a green,as they mature.

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The fruit, too? I thought they would have stayed reddish. Will those green fruit turn red as they ripen?

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These are new leaves,growing now.


The corresponding text for each photo is underneath each one,so maybe that might be the ID problem.

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Ahh, my bad. Somehow I thought it was the opposite.

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First razzmatazz muscadines I’ve ever had, they’re awesome.
Screenshot_2021-07-11_135720

My satsuma oranges have a long way to go but they’re always good if I need a lime/lemon substitute. I thought about making lemonade from some.

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My SpiceZee still has purple leaves. Ignore the green leaves from Honey Royale graft.

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Reliance peaches are getting closer. @olpea @39thparallel and others realize on a year like this how hardy this peach is in Kansas. They are a miracle because they were frosted and frozen repeatedly and still held their blooms. Reliance over produce blooms


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These are Tomcot apricots from a container grown tree, picked on June 27th.

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@maineorchard
What variety are the blueberries?

other than honeyberries and some strawberries, still waiting for my stuff to ripen here. :wink:

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That variety is Patriot.

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Congrats on the peaches Clark.

We actually had one variety which set a fair amount of fruit. Contender. That’s about it, other than a few other varieties which set a very few peaches.

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