Loquat - when is it ripe ?

[greenman62]

This is the first year my loquat has fruit.
a few of them have split, maybe 10%. i am guessing it got too much water.

the flavor is a bit muted from what i remember them tasting like as a kid.
i think ive only had 2 or 3 in the last 40yrs... LOL.
but, also, some have shriveled up.
Very few have fallen off so far, and most are a yellow to yellow-orange color.
i dont know if they are just not ripening properly ?
if this will get better as the tree matures ? - its 5yrs and a decent size tree already.

 i have 4  trees  total. - 2 have new grafts.
 - 1 tree has a graft from last year that has fruit. (none are ripe enough to taste though.)

large fruit from large tree - not grafted


graft


pics of large - fruiting tree (no grafts)

[achetadomestica]

I like to eat them when they are a little green, which makes them a
bit more tart. You can peal them before you eat them. The one in the picture
looks ripe. There are so many types, some are more orange and there is a
huge tree down the road from my house and every fruit has exactly one seed.
I have seen some have as many as 3-4 seeds. I may end up grafting that tree?
The best thing I like to do is get a handful and sit outside in the shade and peal them
and spit the seeds as you go.

[WaterFowler]

When the birds start picking at them. 

[Future]

Sweetest when they just turn orangish.

[savemejebus]

Sweetest when they just turn orangish.

Agree - I usually eat them full yellow to a hint of orange. They don't usually last on the tree much longer than that between the fruit flies and the critters.

[scottarch]

When the birds start picking at them. 

Haha so true. Those darn birds. But really, I will gently squeeze mine with two fingers, a soft loquat with a little give is properly ripe.