Author Topic: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree  (Read 3347 times)

Millet

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At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« on: February 04, 2018, 02:46:43 PM »
My New Zealand Lemonade (NZL) tree has produce a nice crop of fruit.  This year I let the fruit remain on the tree until they were fully mature and very yellow.  The mature fruit was about the size of an Eureka lemon.  Yesterday I picked a couple fruit for taste testing.  Unfortunately the fruit did not taste like lemonade, but rather had a washed out lemon taste to it.  I would not say they tasted unpleasant, but rather bland.  The sour aspect was much less than that of a lemon.  In the past, I remember eating the fruit while it was still green, much the way one eats a lime, but don't remember much about the exact taste, other than I liked it.  The tree has a ton of flowers on it, so new fruit should be coming soon.  I plan on tasting the new crop at various intervals trying to determine when the fruit should be picked. Anyone else with a NZL tree have comments concerning picking time?
« Last Edit: February 04, 2018, 02:48:20 PM by Millet »

Vlad

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2018, 03:05:02 PM »
I picked mine as soon as it turned yellow and it tasted like lemonade.

luak

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2018, 03:11:42 PM »
Millet, have you tasted a Santa Teresa yet this year? Just wondering to compare with others you grow. Mine S/T is growing well. Can,t wait what this  year going to do with my citrus tree,s.

Millet

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2018, 03:27:29 PM »
Luak, yes I have.  ST is a really GREAT lemon, you will love it.  Also makes outstanding zest.  Vlad, thanks for the information, I'll certainly try it at that stage.  I think I left mine hang too long. 
« Last Edit: February 04, 2018, 03:31:15 PM by Millet »

mrtexas

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2018, 08:16:40 PM »
My New Zealand Lemonade (NZL) tree has produce a nice crop of fruit.  This year I let the fruit remain on the tree until they were fully mature and very yellow.  The mature fruit was about the size of an Eureka lemon.  Yesterday I picked a couple fruit for taste testing.  Unfortunately the fruit did not taste like lemonade, but rather had a washed out lemon taste to it.  I would not say they tasted unpleasant, but rather bland.  The sour aspect was much less than that of a lemon.  In the past, I remember eating the fruit while it was still green, much the way one eats a lime, but don't remember much about the exact taste, other than I liked it.  The tree has a ton of flowers on it, so new fruit should be coming soon.  I plan on tasting the new crop at various intervals trying to determine when the fruit should be picked. Anyone else with a NZL tree have comments concerning picking time?

Same experience near Houston. Tried them around Thanksgiving and they were very nice. Panzarella grafted to grapefruit
and the fruit is large and watery. I put mine in the ground this year. Rats got the fruit expect for a few.

Tom

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2018, 11:47:18 PM »
I’ve had some that were very green and seemed more like most lemons. I had some very yellow that were insipid. I’d guess like limes they are best right before they start to yellow.

Millet

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2018, 06:00:31 PM »
I found a fruit that still had some green in the peel, really very little green, but not yet fully yellow.  I ate it and it was better than the totally yellow fruit.  It had a little more sugar (very little) but did have some what of a lemonade flavor.   My guess at this time is that taste testing should begin when the fruit just starts to turn yellow.  Taste one fruit every 3 to 5 days to determin the prime fruit color for harvesting..
« Last Edit: February 05, 2018, 06:02:50 PM by Millet »

Vlad

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2018, 11:11:42 PM »
How much is citrus flavor influenced by environmental conditions during fruiting? Could differences in environmental conditions be responsible for the different opinions people have about fruit flavor? For example, my wife and I agreed that my NZL fruit tasted a lot like lemonade.

Tom

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2018, 11:52:19 PM »
Vlad, yes. I’m sure environmental factors affect the flavor but I’m not sure we know what will or did affect flavor until it’s too late of even beyond our control. Fruits and vegetables and other food stuffs can vary greatly from year to year. Many variables to numerous to list but here is just a start. Too much or too little : sun, heat, water, cold, insect damage, fertilizer and so forth ! It is not easy. Tom
« Last Edit: February 08, 2018, 01:19:59 AM by Tom »

Popo1984

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2018, 12:07:03 AM »
I shared one on Christmas Day with my family after my neice pulled it off my tree. It was sweet juicy and lemony. Everybody liked it.

simon_grow

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #10 on: June 08, 2019, 06:17:00 PM »
Did anyone happen to get a Brix reading on their NZ lemonade fruit? They are selling these trees at my local Armstrong nursery and my friend just picked one up. I’m wondering how sweet this fruit is. Thanks,

Simon

Kelley_GA8a

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #11 on: June 09, 2019, 06:36:17 AM »
Following, as I have been mulling over getting one for awhile, but space is limited and I already have 20+ trees. I received NZL budwood from the CCPP, but the grafts were destroyed by my puppy before I could move them out of reach.

TooFarNorth

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #12 on: June 09, 2019, 07:10:07 AM »
This is the first year for my NZL to bear fruit, so I hope to get to taste some at different stages of ripeness.  I really like the looks of that black bark.

TFN

Laaz

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #13 on: June 09, 2019, 08:01:21 AM »
If anyone has seeds let me know. I want to try this as a rootstock with it's nice growth.

Yorgos

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Re: At What Stage To Pick Fruit From A New Zealand LemonadeTree
« Reply #14 on: June 11, 2019, 10:26:46 AM »
My New Zealand Lemonade (NZL) tree has produce a nice crop of fruit.  This year I let the fruit remain on the tree until they were fully mature and very yellow.  The mature fruit was about the size of an Eureka lemon.  Yesterday I picked a couple fruit for taste testing.  Unfortunately the fruit did not taste like lemonade, but rather had a washed out lemon taste to it.  I would not say they tasted unpleasant, but rather bland.  The sour aspect was much less than that of a lemon.  In the past, I remember eating the fruit while it was still green, much the way one eats a lime, but don't remember much about the exact taste, other than I liked it.  The tree has a ton of flowers on it, so new fruit should be coming soon.  I plan on tasting the new crop at various intervals trying to determine when the fruit should be picked. Anyone else with a NZL tree have comments concerning picking time?

Same experience near Houston. Tried them around Thanksgiving and they were very nice. Panzarella grafted to grapefruit
and the fruit is large and watery. I put mine in the ground this year. Rats got the fruit expect for a few.

Never have had a rat problem with my citrus except for some minor meiwa kumquat depredation a few years ago.  And living in Houston we do have rats around. 
Near NRG Stadium, Houston Texas. USDA zone 9a