From Mexico we are getting Keitt and the other one I’m not sure but I’m guessing it’s Kent. I think Kent are done shipping now. They don’t look pristine like the ones Costco sells but they taste much better. After September it’s hard for me to find good mangoes in my local NY stores. The next mangoes we’ll get are Tommy Atkins from Brazil. In the past they haven’t been as good. I’ll look for Altaulfo from Mexico in the spring.
The brands for the ataulfo mangoes we get are Champagne and Marathon, I’m sure others are good but that’s what’s most common here. The quality not only depends on the brand but on the company handling them. Some American supermarkets don’t handle the mangoes right (for example, they might refrigerate them at some point). Ethnic markets are mostly better quality even with the same brand. If you are in the NYC metro H-Mart and other ethnic markets like 99 Ranch do sell the good mangoes. Of course since it sounds like you’re ordering them online from someplace, yours might still be better. These mangoes I’m talking about just do not compare to ordinary mangoes from the Philippines.
What site are you ordering from?
None. They come from a local market.
I had a handful of Calloway crabapples from a tree I grafted with scion from @Lucky_P several years back. I was tempted to put them in my pocket and walk around eating them as he mentioned in his description of calloway, but I just sat on my front stoop and nibbled away. A bit of astringency and definitely a crabapple taste instead of the taste of a large sweet apple, but sweet and very flavorful as well and they certainly grow on me. The tree is no-fuss and mostly pest free with tons of flowers each spring. I’d like to try making jelly from them next year, but that would mean keeping the squirrels from eating 98% of the apples before they’re ripe…
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My neighbor called me today and said that he found some fruit on some paw-paws trees on the back side of his farm today. He offered to bring me some, but I said I’d come over. He had about a dozen fruit, mostly still green. I took home 4 of them, 2 are still pretty firm and green. The 3rd is a bit soft but still green, but the 4th is pretty soft and dark. He said wait until they get darker and almost mushy before eating them. Is this correct? I’ve never had one so I don’t know how to eat one. That was really nice of him to think of me, he said his wife had said that I had asked her last year if they had any.
Here is a pic of them. The biggest one is the size of a decent sized potato. They have a very nice aroma to them.
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The one I’d try first,is the 3rd green but soft fruit.Being in the middle,that may be a gauge for the others.
Never tried them dark,like the middle pictured one or even the Pawpaw on the right. Brady
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Had my first Enterprise Apple fall from the tree, covered in scab. I thought this variety was resistant but at least half the apples on the tree are scab ridden and won’t be edible. I cut the scabby part off and chopped up the rest in my morning oatmeal. Also added raspberries, which just keep coming.
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Looks cool, but a bit too far away for me. Our local extension office that did the apple grafting and insect/disease class in March is doing another seminar on Sat. This is an apple tasting of different varieties at a local orchard.
Are you going to the paw paw festival?
Well, we cut open the larger fruit of the wild paw paw like Brady suggested. I had never tried one before but have to admit it’s a very unique fruit. Like others have mentioned, it has the consistency of a ripe banana. The flavor to me is a cross between banana and mango, very ‘tropical’. It was not too sweet, and had just a hint of a bitter aftertaste. It has a custard like flavor to it. Very tasty and rich.
Even though it was a large specimen, there wasn’t a lot of meat to it due the huge seeds, it must of had at least 8 of them in it. If the seeds are planted, where should they be located, an area of shade, or out in the open? About how long would a wild one like this produce fruit, and how big does the tree get say, after a few years? Do they need a cross pollinator? I don’t know if I’m up for growing any, just curious.
Anyway, I can see how folks really like them. I understand that Kentucky State has done a lot of research and developing varieties, so I ought to look into their info.
Here is a pic of it cut open, and the aftermath
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Grow at least 2 seedlings for cross pollination in full sun at 8 feet apart for better yield and no shade needed. If you decided to start the seeds indoor then plant outdoor then shade clothes will be needed. The seeds can go straight in the ground at 2 1/2 inches deep in mid March after a few months in the Refrig for stratifaction. They grow very slow and usually take about 6 years for the seedlings to produce but while you wait you can graft a few name varieties onto to them by choosing the scions with flower buds than those scions will produce fruits in the second seasons. Good luck.
Tony
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Nothing new here. Still enjoying my early Goldrush apples and Southern Home muscadines.
My wife and I make cake with them. They are a bit different in taste. I’m not all about them… but maybe another type may be better.
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Depends on the weather. Not sure.
Nothing I grew, but I’ve been pigging out on all the fancy fruits during my visit to Japan. Most of what I’ve had rivals or surpasses homegrown and handsdown beats anything from the grocery stores back in the US.
The melons are so soft, melting, and fragrantly sweet.
These grapes are ridiculous. They taste like this candy called Hichew, practically like eating candy since they were pure sugar. The flavor is similar to Kyoho grapes, but they were seedless. Definitely worth nearly $20 to try these.
Hosui pears here are pure sugar, too. They are picked much more ripe than what I ever see at markets. I can only hope my young tree one day produces pears this flavorful and juicy.
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Thanks Tony. I ate one of the really ripe ones today, it was a bit too mushy, and was a bit off. I have one left. Anyway, I harvested the seeds out of it, came up with 11 big ones. I cleaned them off and put them in a plastic bag. Should I put these in a frig until they’re ready for planting next March? Will they be OK being in the frig that long, or do they maybe need to be wrapped in a wet paper towel to keep them from drying out?
Regarding named varieties, are most of those off patent?
Yes,that should work.I use damp Peat moss in a baggie and don’t have to be concerned about reapplying water before planting.Brady
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Have been eating 5-6 Zephyr nectarines per day for the past two weeks, including today. As I have mentioned before, it’s my best nectarine, actually my top fruit. I also, for the first time, ate Magness, Blake’s Pride and Gem pears that I picked today from a local orchard. Magness was fantastic…
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I looked and there is a Zephyr graft on my Fantasia Nectarine.Thanks for the endorsement. Brady
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