My first taste of Rambutan

[Michiganian]

It's good! But I still prefer longan.

http://youtu.be/agjLLGgfTQc

[starling]

I agree that they lack the complexity of Longan. I have never tried pulasan, which is touted as being much superior to both.

[plantlover13]

Awesome video!!

[HMHausman]

Excellent production/presentation.  Where did you get the "the fruit flesh only adheres to the seed when the fruit is overly ripe" information? I have had very different experience.  There are "free stone" types and those that are very much not freestone.  I have never heard that over ripeness could cause additional adherence.  But, I haven't made a practice of eating overly ripe fruit.....so I am not saying you are wrong.

[BMc]

Different types have differing levels of adherence to seed or worse, the testa simply sticks to the flesh but comes easily away from the seeds, making the whole experience rather wooden. I have had one or two good ones up north that have come close to a crisp lychee, but in general, especially when shipped, they are just a bland, crisp fleshed fruit that vaguely resembles lychee crossed with cardboard. They don't have the flavor that longan does and I wouldn't compare them at all.

[Michiganian]

Thanks everyone.

As to the information of the fruit sticking to the seed, clearly the website I was reading through earlier didn't have the whole scoop. I've amended that line.

I have not had a chance to try lychee or pulasan yet. Both are at the top of my growing ( thanks TFF ) "want" list.

I wasn't trying to compare the two, BMc. Just stating that the rambutan has not taken over as my "favorite fruit". My favorite fruit used to be strawberries until I tasted longan. -- These rambutan actually do have a lot of flavor. And they weren't in the mail too long after being picked (was only supposed to be 2 days, but FedEx delayed and it ended up being 4).

[fruitlovers]

Very nice video Cassandra. Those rambutans look just a tad past their prime with their splinterns starting to blacken. I'm sure they're still good, but not at their very best taste. Hawaiian hula berry? Nobody uses that name here. I saw that in an article, someone just totally recently invented that name in their head, and it only exists in that one head. Most of the rambutans commercially sold are cultivars and are non cling pulp to the seed. As BMc points out almost all rambutans still have the testa which will stick to the fruit. The testa is the outermost very thin layer of the seed. Sometime you get similar thing happening in avocados. It just a very minor nuisance in my opinion, although some ultra fussy people make a very big deal about it. I would say a great majority of people here prefer rambutan over longan. Rambutan usually fetches a slightly higher price and seems to sell a lot better than longan. But maybe that could just be because longan is available most of the year and rambutan is seasonal. By far the biggest favorite here is lychee. Pulasan most people don't even know what that is yet. Pulasan is very very rarely seen for sale at farmer's markets. It's not a commercially grown fruit here. Welcome to the world of sapindaceaes. There are some very good fruits in that family.

[starling]

Very nice video Cassandra. Those rambutans look just a tad past their prime with their splinterns starting to blacken. I'm sure they're still good, but not at their very best taste. Hawaiian hula berry? Nobody uses that name here. I saw that in an article, someone just totally recently invented that name in their head, and it only exists in that one head. Most of the rambutans commercially sold are cultivars and are non clig pulp to the seed. As BMc points out almost all rambutans still have the testa which will stick to the fruit. The testa is the outermost very thin layer of the seed. Sometime you get similar thing happening in avocados. It just a very minor nuisance in my opinion, although some ultra fussy people make a very big deal about it. I would say a great majority of people here prefer rambutan over longan. Rambutan usually fetches a slightly higher price and seems to sell a lot better than longan. But maybe that could just be because longan is available most of the year and rambutan is seasonal. By far the biggest favorite here is lychee. Pulasan most people don't even know what that is yet. Pulasan is very very rarely seen for sale at farmer's markets. It's not a commercially grown fruit here. Welcome to the world of sapindaceaes. There are some very good fruits in that family.

If I had to pick one to eat forever it would be lychee, for sure. I know pulasan are grown in Australia but I am unaware as whether or not this done commercially, probably not. I'm pretty sure Mike has grown them before, from memory. They wouldn't survive  my local climate so I guess I'll just have to go on wondering. Can grow lychees with a bit of care in Brisbane, though my record with them up til this point is fairly terrible. I'm yet to meet another person who has killed a B3. Longans are super easy to grow here compared to lychees.

S

[Michiganian]

Hawaiian hula berry? Nobody uses that name here. I saw that in an article, someone just totally recently invented that name in their head, and it only exists in that one head.

Actually, the company from whom I bought the rambutan is promoting the Hula Berry name. So maybe it's going to start picking up (or has already, outside of Hawaii)? I stuck the N on the end of Hawaii though. Thought it sounded more proper.

I would say a great majority of people here prefer rambutan over longan. Rambutan usually fetches a slightly higher price and seems to sell a lot better than longan. But maybe that could just be because longan is available most of the year and rambutan is seasonal. By far the biggest favorite here is lychee.

I have a guess on the longan versus rambutan there, and I could be totally wrong. But to me, visually, rambutan is a much more interesting fruit. Longan look rather, eh. Brown and potentially boring, to the unsuspecting new customer. It's a known statistic that the color red pushes more sales. Lychee seems to have the best of both. It's pinky red and slightly bumpy, which makes it more interesting to look at than longan, but (apparently) tastes better than rambutan.

[Zambezi]

Cassandra,

I'm loving your videos... Great Job!! They are truly well done, and so professional.
I'm glad you got to try Rambutan, it's a great fruit.

Thanks for the video..

[fruitlovers]

Hawaiian hula berry? Nobody uses that name here. I saw that in an article, someone just totally recently invented that name in their head, and it only exists in that one head.

Actually, the company from whom I bought the rambutan is promoting the Hula Berry name. So maybe it's going to start picking up (or has already, outside of Hawaii)? I stuck the N on the end of Hawaii though. Thought it sounded more proper.

I would say a great majority of people here prefer rambutan over longan. Rambutan usually fetches a slightly higher price and seems to sell a lot better than longan. But maybe that could just be because longan is available most of the year and rambutan is seasonal. By far the biggest favorite here is lychee.

I have a guess on the longan versus rambutan there, and I could be totally wrong. But to me, visually, rambutan is a much more interesting fruit. Longan look rather, eh. Brown and potentially boring, to the unsuspecting new customer. It's a known statistic that the color red pushes more sales. Lychee seems to have the best of both. It's pinky red and slightly bumpy, which makes it more interesting to look at than longan, but (apparently) tastes better than rambutan.

Hula Brothers and Hula Berries. I get it. Unfortunately for them they are the only ones calling it that. Their advertising for themselves has not caught on.  Rambutan is already a very well established name here.
A very high percentage of our population are Asian so they definitely know already what longan is. So doubt that visual appeal alone accounts for higher sales of rambutans. I think it's their taste and much larger size.

[Michiganian]

Thanks GreenThumb. If anyone wants me to do more videos, all they have to do is mail me a box of ripe, good looking fruit and I'll get to work on more. 


Okay Oscar, that makes sense. Longan didn't seem to be the most popular while I was in Thailand either. I'm (unfortunately) a very curious person by nature. If I were actually in Hawaii, I think it would be interesting to ask local people which they prefer and why. -- I have a very big sweet tooth, and longan is a lot sweeter to me than this rambutan. Rambutan seems to be a sweet, tart, citrusy mix, which is why I said it reminded me of fruit punch. Longan just seems strong and sweet, minus the tart and citrus. I know a lot of folks who don't like "sweet" as much as me. They probably would prefer the rambutan.

[fruitlovers]

Thanks GreenThumb. If anyone wants me to do more videos, all they have to do is mail me a box of ripe, good looking fruit and I'll get to work on more. 


Okay Oscar, that makes sense. Longan didn't seem to be the most popular while I was in Thailand either. I'm (unfortunately) a very curious person by nature. If I were actually in Hawaii, I think it would be interesting to ask local people which they prefer and why. -- I have a very big sweet tooth, and longan is a lot sweeter to me than this rambutan. Rambutan seems to be a sweet, tart, citrusy mix, which is why I said it reminded me of fruit punch. Longan just seems strong and sweet, minus the tart and citrus. I know a lot of folks who don't like "sweet" as much as me. They probably would prefer the rambutan.

I think longan is probably a lot more popular in Thailand than it is here. They also probably have 1000x or more production than here. If you visit northern Thailand you can see endless miles of roads with farms growing only longans.
I think your description of fruit punch for rambutan is quite good. Rambutan is also quite sweet, it's just that the sweetness is not a concentrated and there is just a bit of acidity. I think the sweet-sour appeals more to westerners, in general, than fruits that are purely sweet, like longan. Longan is highly esteemed fruit in Asia, not just for eating but also as a medicinal. I just dried a bunch of longan and it's almost better than fresh....very yummy!

[HMHausman]

I just dried a bunch of longan and it's almost better than fresh....very yummy!

I remember, quite vividly, being challenged by you when I said that I preferred some fruits dried to their fresh form (I think we were referring to figs if I recall correctly).  Your comment was to the effect that dried fruits were good for trail mix and that if I found dried better then I wasn't eating the best quality fresh fruit of the variety dried.....or words to that effect. Am I mis-quoting you?  Well, anyway, you did say here that the longans you dried were "almost better than fresh" so I guess you're still consistent.  But, it sounds like you may be coming around to my way of thinking. I also like dried longans but I find fresh far superior.

[fruitlovers]

I just dried a bunch of longan and it's almost better than fresh....very yummy!

I remember, quite vividly, being challenged by you when I said that I preferred some fruits dried to their fresh form (I think we were referring to figs if I recall correctly).  Your comment was to the effect that dried fruits were good for trail mix and that if I found dried better then I wasn't eating the best quality fresh fruit of the variety dried.....or words to that effect. Am I mis-quoting you?  Well, anyway, you did say here that the longans you dried were "almost better than fresh" so I guess you're still consistent.  But, it sounds like you may be coming around to my way of thinking. I also like dried longans but I find fresh far superior.

Almost only counts in horseshoes, not in other games. Besides as i also posted in another thread, the edible amount left after drying longans is really really small. I think most people would find it quite frustrating cause you have to crack so many to get a small amount to eat. But i, being a bit perverse, find it a kind of fun pastime. I think if i were to do it again i would remove them from the shell and remove the seeds before drying, i dried them whole and that's easier, but more work down the line. BTW, i only dried them and froze them cause i got a bumper crop this year, never did that before...just way too many to eat fresh.

[Michiganian]

If I like something enough, I'm willing to work hard to get it. I've got no problem opening longan. That parallels my enthusiasm for snow crab. My mom always said she never saw anyone as dedicated to efficiently cleaning out every piece of meat from the shell as I.

I haven't tried any of these fruits dried. I had a bad experience as a kid and tend not to eat the dried stuff so much now... Long car ride and a tub of dried apricots. Silly me didn't realize that dried stuff is going to expand in your stomach. I ate the entire tub. They did not remain in my stomach long.

[fruitlovers]

If I like something enough, I'm willing to work hard to get it. I've got no problem opening longan. That parallels my enthusiasm for snow crab. My mom always said she never saw anyone as dedicated to efficiently cleaning out every piece of meat from the shell as I.

I haven't tried any of these fruits dried. I had a bad experience as a kid and tend not to eat the dried stuff so much now... Long car ride and a tub of dried apricots. Silly me didn't realize that dried stuff is going to expand in your stomach. I ate the entire tub. They did not remain in my stomach long.

If you find yourself in Thailand again try buying a block of dried longans. They make them into large brick shapes. Tastes really good as they dry them in wood fired stoves and they get a nice smoky/sweet taste. OK, don't eat the whole block in one taxi ride. HAHA

[AnnonAddict]

Rambutans are pretty good... I prefer them over a mediocre lychee. They are quite expensive though... we have organic ones for sale at the local Whole Foods and sometimes at Lazy Acres. They are $10.00 a pound at each store for an un-named variety! What a rip off, and they sell lychees for a quarter the price exactly, $2.50.

[Michiganian]

I probably will be going back to Thailand, so I'll keep an eye out for that. Yeah, just little nibbles at a time though.

AnnonAddict, sounds like it would be cheaper for you to order rambutan through the Hula Brothers (when they have them in season -- theirs is just winding down). You have to get 7lbs at a time, but it ends up being around $8.56 a pound ($59.95 total, including shipping). So if you have some folks who want to split the order with you, it makes it a little cheaper for everyone.

[FloridaGreenMan]

Here in South Florida in May-June, you can buy top quality Guatemalen grown Rambus for around $4 per lb. They are very nice & sweet.   

[Jsvand5]

For me pulasan and lychee are miles better than longan and all three are better than rambutan. The seed coat issue makes me not even want to eat rambutan. I see them at my local Asian market often but rarely buy them. They flavor is decent to me but I would prefer lychee and pulasan even if there was not the seed coat on the rambutans.