Neglected, overlooked, and discarded as inferior fruit!!!

[FlyingFoxFruits]

x

[lycheeluva]

great post Adam.
whats parking lot fruit?
i would have added passion fruit to the list but apaprently it is better appreciated than I thought.
to an extent, all the best tropical fruits make this list in the western markets. People should be lining up on their bended knees to buy mangosteen, lychees, florida mangoes, jackfruit, marang etc, and instead,  these fruits are, on the whole, only appreciated by us fruit nuts.
similarly, all the best varieties of temperate fruits are not sold commercially and herefore undiscovered by the average American idiot who happily buys and eats the tastless shiny flowery hybrids that the fruit markets sell.

but for a specific underappreciated, underutilized fruit, I would add marang to the list. Amazing flavor and fragrance. just has a very short shelf life once opened- would never be an issue for me!

[murahilin]

Acerola- some delicious varieties! wonderful with miracle fruit OH MY GARSH!

The acerola is one of my favorite fruits. I would imagine miracle fruit would ruin its taste.

[simon_grow]

Hey Adam, have you tried "Big Jim" loquat?  It is pretty common here in SoCal and the fruits are very large, sweet and not watered down.  If you like them more tart, you can pick them slightly early. 
Simon

[FlyingFoxFruits]

great post Adam.
whats parking lot fruit?
i would have added passion fruit to the list but apaprently it is better appreciated than I thought.
to an extent, all the best tropical fruits make this list in the western markets. People should be lining up on their bended knees to buy mangosteen, lychees, florida mangoes, jackfruit, marang etc, and instead,  these fruits are, on the whole, only appreciated by us fruit nuts.
similarly, all the best varieties of temperate fruits are not sold commercially and herefore undiscovered by the average American idiot who happily buys and eats the tastless shiny flowery hybrids that the fruit markets sell.

but for a specific underappreciated, underutilized fruit, I would add marang to the list. Amazing flavor and fragrance. just has a very short shelf life once opened- would never be an issue for me!

Thanks Lycheeluva for encouraging words about thread I started....

Parking lot fruit is something I just made up, but here in Central FL, every office builing, and parking lot, seems to have a loquat tree loaded with small orange fruits!!

Nothing compared to the varieties that have been selected, and that have been obscure for years...I hope to spread them around...

PS....saw some vexator seeds sprouting!! so you and ohio are closer to receiving your honorary M. vexators...

[FlyingFoxFruits]

Acerola- some delicious varieties! wonderful with miracle fruit OH MY GARSH!

The acerola is one of my favorite fruits. I would imagine miracle fruit would ruin its taste.

I agree Murahilin, but some hate acid sour fruits, and when you pair this fruit with extremely high levels of vitamin C, with miracle fruits...the taste in phenomenally sweet! Especially when eaten a bit green, white, red, colored (under ripe and firm, or even full sized and green!!!)

Give it a whirl...I send you some free fruit to try with it!! (if you don't have your own...I have berries almost year round)

[nullzero]

Most cactus fruit are overlooked. Take a look at these Stenocereus queretaroensis fruit (they come in all different colors) http://www.flickr.com/photos/samblackman/139206871/#in/photostream/, I have never tried the fruit yet. But I hear people raving about how it has a refreshing sweet and sour taste.

[lycheeluva]

NZ- I've never been able to eat prickly pears without getting several really annoying spines in my fingers and a couple also sometimes get into my tongue.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

Most cactus fruit are overlooked. Take a look at these Stenocereus queretaroensis fruit (they come in all different colors) http://www.flickr.com/photos/samblackman/139206871/#in/photostream/, I have never tried the fruit yet. But I hear people raving about how it has a refreshing sweet and sour taste.

Glad to see you post on this subject nullzero, u r most certainly right, and have raised my interest in cactus fruits, other than dragon fruit (saturated market, limited range).


Thanks for posting!

[Tropicdude]

I believe it has a lot to do with preparation most people would agree that your typical lemon is sour and has a lot of acid. yet there seems to be no problem with popularity. and not many would eat a lemon out of hand.

So lets take Garcinia. xanthochymus, I once tried it fresh and it was very high in acid, and sour as heck.  so I had my wife prepare it the same way she makes "Jugo de Chinola" ( passion fruit juice ) and it was delicious.

Carambola most seedlings are sour, but I have come across nice sweet ones. so getting a grafted sweet variety would be the trick here.

It takes a long time for "new" fruits to become popular, even if they are great tasting, for example the Kiwi, how many decades has it been around before it became a "regular" in the local supermarket?

OK my addition would be Genipa Americana ( jagua, huito ).

There is nothing that taste like jagua, it has a unique flavor.  its almost always used as a drink.

here is the simple recipe.

peel and remove seeds from few jagua fruit.
cut the jagua into slices. place in a pitcher or bottle.
add water and some sugar. cover up and wait.

you can let this steep over night, or a few days.  ( I prefer it strong with slight fermentation ) its almost
like a liqueur.

The plant has medicinal uses, and in South America the unripe fruit is used to make temporary tattoos like Henna, but can last weeks !

[nullzero]

NZ- I've never been able to eat prickly pears without getting several really annoying spines in my fingers and a couple also sometimes get into my tongue.

The trick is to lightly roast the fruit over a gas stove (about 15 secs). This will burn off the glochids, then wash after. If you have a small blow torch it would be even faster and easier. Also its said that using a hot knife (heated knife) prolongs the storage life of the Opuntia (prickly pear) fruit when harvesting.

I believe it has a lot to do with preparation most people would agree that your typical lemon is sour and has a lot of acid. yet there seems to be no problem with popularity. and not many would eat a lemon out of hand.

So true especially with a lot of cactus fruit. Optimally prickly pear is prepared as a puree, blended, or made into jams, wines, and desserts. Fresh eating is great as well if seeds do not offend.

[fruitlovers]

It takes a long time for "new" fruits to become popular, even if they are great tasting, for example the Kiwi, how many decades has it been around before it became a "regular" in the local supermarket?

OK my addition would be Genipa Americana ( jagua, huito ).

There is nothing that taste like jagua, it has a unique flavor.  its almost always used as a drink.

here is the simple recipe.

peel and remove seeds from few jagua fruit.
cut the jagua into slices. place in a pitcher or bottle.
add water and some sugar. cover up and wait.

you can let this steep over night, or a few days.  ( I prefer it strong with slight fermentation ) its almost
like a liqueur.

The plant has medicinal uses, and in South America the unripe fruit is used to make temporary tattoos like Henna, but can last weeks !

In my experience all seedling starfruits (carambolas) from sweet cultivars turn out sweet. The sour carambolas are almost extinct here as a result.
Yes a fruit needs not just good taste but also a whole lot of marketing and advertising to get it into mainstream markets and become popular. So there has to be quite a lot of money and time behind it to make it into a succes story.
I planted jagua (Genip americana) about 10 years ago, and two trees are quite tall ,about 20+ feet, but have never flowered or fruited.
About neglected fruits that are worthwhile, there are hundreds, if not thousands. I think this is one reason we are all at it.    I think there are dozens, if not hundreds, that are also undiscovered fruits, ie totally unknown except by local inhabitants, not made it into any books, many even unnamed by botanists.
Oscar

[NewGen]

Muntingia calabura is not underappreciated, especially by me. I love them. Had loads of them as a kid. Ethan was kind enough to let me try a few of his fruits last year. Tim sent a a small tree last month, it's been growing happily. Can't wait for it to fruit.

[Jacob13]

Hello Friends,

I would have to say "Poha" Berries, or Golden Berries, don't get the kind of attention they deserve. Very Easy to Grow, very prolific, and taste wonderful.  My Mom could eat as many as you could put in front of her, a very unique sweet and tangy taste and very healthy for you as well. A definite must in my book and they take up very little room and can be grown in a pot very easily. Poha Poha Poha !!!!

 - Jacob

[FloridaGreenMan]

Another one to add to the list is the Cocoplum (chrysobalanus icaco). They are native to South Florida & the Caribbean and grow wild all over the place. I know that a some of the Florida fruit guys will smirk when I mention this one but some trees have delicious fruits! The trick is to try several of them on a tree. These are also parking lot fruits and most businesses down here have them planted as hedges.  Look for the plumpest ones. There are purple, white and mixed colors. I find the white skinned ones to be the best.   Sometimes you will try 4 or 5 that are dry and pithy but then you can find some that are sweet moist and taste a little like coconut cotton candy. Even on the same branch some fruits are great and some are not edible. Since the trees fruit heavily, I take bagfuls from the wild. Give this one a try.  Down in the Islands, they are sold commercially.             

[fruitlovers]

Another one to add to the list is the Cocoplum (chrysobalanus icaco). They are native to South Florida & the Caribbean and grow wild all over the place. I know that a some of the Florida fruit guys will smirk when I mention this one but some trees have delicious fruits! The trick is to try several of them on a tree. These are also parking lot fruits and most businesses down here have them planted as hedges.  Look for the plumpest ones. There are purple, white and mixed colors. I find the white skinned ones to be the best.   Sometimes you will try 4 or 5 that are dry and pithy but then you can find some that are sweet moist and taste a little like coconut cotton candy. Even on the same branch some fruits are great and some are not edible. Since the trees fruit heavily, I take bagfuls from the wild. Give this one a try.  Down in the Islands, they are sold commercially.             

The cocoplum that i have, a red colored one is pretty tasteless, like eating cotton. I enjoy cracking them open though and eating the seeds. But i know there are some good tasting cocoplum fruits out there. Had a wild black one in the Everglades that was pretty tasty. I have some black ones here, but they are tiny in comparison. If anyone can send me seeds of some good ones i would appreciate it. BTW, i saw green colored cocoplum being sold in the Brazilian Amazon. Right now this is a plant that has mostly ornamental values, but i think a lot of improvements could be made to the fruits if good selections were found.
Oscar

[johnb51]

To me loquats have always been delicious.  And I've picked cocoplums off hedges and found them quite good.  Also, natal plums! 

[Tomas]

I think there are many Eugenia species that are virtually unknown to most people that deserve more attention.

Tomas

[mangomandan]

Loquat- some varieties selected by Larry Shatzer of Our Kids Nursery, near me in Orlando, are the most amazing I've had!  I used to hate loquat, and I always thought loquat was a trash, parking lot fruit...but when I tasted and saw ones with sweet delicious, white flesh (light yellow), about the size of a goose egg, it was amazing!!!  I am procuring bud wood, and grafting all of his varieties this year!! He has kept them to himself so to speak, not selling that many over the years...I can understand, but it's time to share!  Very healthy fruits, in season when others aren't, sometimes producing multiple crops per year!

Let us now how your loquat project goes.  Think you'll find some buyers here 

[Soren]

About neglected fruits that are worthwhile, there are hundreds, if not thousands. I think this is one reason we are all at it.    I think there are dozens, if not hundreds, that are also undiscovered fruits, ie totally unknown except by local inhabitants, not made it into any books, many even unnamed by botanists.
Oscar

I completely agree Oscar - especially African fruits have been overlooked - and while many growers for example have a Bunchosia sp. in their collection, no one have ever tasted the numerous African fruits which are far superior in taste. Which remains me, another thread could be over-valuated fruits - Peanut Butter Fruit is surely one of them.!

[zands]

Loquat- some varieties selected by Larry Shatzer of Our Kids Nursery, near me in Orlando, are the most amazing I've had!  I used to hate loquat, and I always thought loquat was a trash, parking lot fruit...but when I tasted and saw ones with sweet delicious, white flesh (light yellow), about the size of a goose egg, it was amazing!!!  I am procuring bud wood, and grafting all of his varieties this year!! He has kept them to himself so to speak, not selling that many over the years...I can understand, but it's time to share!  Very healthy fruits, in season when others aren't, sometimes producing multiple crops per year!

I am very interested!!!  Picked some parking lot loquat yesterday and I like that too...only problem is you get too many (unripe) sour and shriveled ones and not enough dead ripe and sweet. But I eat them anyway.

[HMHausman]

I completely agree Oscar - especially African fruits have been overlooked - and while many growers for example have a Bunchosia sp. in their collection, no one have ever tasted the numerous African fruits which are far superior in taste. Which remains me, another thread could be over-valuated fruits - Peanut Butter Fruit is surely one of them.!

I am with you on the Bunchosia being over rated........for me, of horticultural interest only. This falls into the category of edible but really not all that eatable.......for me, definitely not a taste sensation.

Harry

[JoeP450]

I think the cereus peruvianis, peruvian apple cactus is neglected. A real piece of cake to grow, can become really large show piece cactus, beautiful but short lived flowers and fruit similar to dragon fruit with crunchier seeds.






-JoeP450

[fruitlovers]

Loquat- some varieties selected by Larry Shatzer of Our Kids Nursery, near me in Orlando, are the most amazing I've had!  I used to hate loquat, and I always thought loquat was a trash, parking lot fruit...but when I tasted and saw ones with sweet delicious, white flesh (light yellow), about the size of a goose egg, it was amazing!!!  I am procuring bud wood, and grafting all of his varieties this year!! He has kept them to himself so to speak, not selling that many over the years...I can understand, but it's time to share!  Very healthy fruits, in season when others aren't, sometimes producing multiple crops per year!

I am very interested!!!  Picked some parking lot loquat yesterday and I like that too...only problem is you get too many (unripe) sour and shriveled ones and not enough dead ripe and sweet. But I eat them anyway.

In the USA loquat is mostly treated as an ornamental plant. In Japan the fruits are highly valued and very many cultivars have been developed, including giant sized fruits and a seedless loquat.
Oscar

[nullzero]

Loquat- some varieties selected by Larry Shatzer of Our Kids Nursery, near me in Orlando, are the most amazing I've had!  I used to hate loquat, and I always thought loquat was a trash, parking lot fruit...but when I tasted and saw ones with sweet delicious, white flesh (light yellow), about the size of a goose egg, it was amazing!!!  I am procuring bud wood, and grafting all of his varieties this year!! He has kept them to himself so to speak, not selling that many over the years...I can understand, but it's time to share!  Very healthy fruits, in season when others aren't, sometimes producing multiple crops per year!

I am very interested!!!  Picked some parking lot loquat yesterday and I like that too...only problem is you get too many (unripe) sour and shriveled ones and not enough dead ripe and sweet. But I eat them anyway.

In the USA loquat is mostly treated as an ornamental plant. In Japan the fruits are highly valued and very many cultivars have been developed, including giant sized fruits and a seedless loquat.
Oscar

Would love some scion from Japan  . Loquats are great spring time fruit, more attention should be given to the development of new varieties besides the standard Big Jim. I had a 'Vista White' loquat but unfortunately it got a bad case of blight and died.