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syntria

...Can I eat the fruit from this mysterious tree?

syntria
10 years ago

Hello friends,

I am living in a rental house right now and in the backyard there's this tree that appears to be producing pear like fruit.

I did eat a little bit of one, well chewed and spat a piece out. It didn't taste terrible, though unripe whatever it was.

So, what is this mysterious tree? Edible or not?

Thanks!

Comments (11)

  • yukkuri_kame
    10 years ago

    maybe quince

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quince

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Looks like quince - is it fuzzy on the outside, very fragrant but hard as a rock?

    You have to cook quince, they're too hard to eat raw (not to mention they don't taste good). Probably not ripe yet either - they should be yellower. You don't say what zone you're in, here quince don't ripen until Oct or so.

    Here is a link that might be useful: good picture of quince and recipes

  • syntria
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    They are hard as a rock for sure. Squirrels are eating them. They are falling off the tree heavily. I'm in Arlington, Texas. My neighbor says he thinks he remembers a former tenant tell him they were Russel Pears.

    I'll go feel if it's fuzzy tomorrow morning. I don't think it is though.

  • canadianplant
    10 years ago

    If the flowers in spring were white, its more likely a pear. IF they were pink or red, it is more likely a quince. Quince also dont get too tall if I am not mistaken either.

  • trianglejohn
    10 years ago

    The leaves look like my pear tree's. My quince has leaves with rounded ends (no point). The fruit looks like un-ripe pear. They will probably ripen in late August or September if any survive the squirrels.

  • murkwell
    10 years ago

    I vote pear as well, not quince.

    Congrats on the good fortune to luck into a very healthy looking, producing tree.

  • maryhawkins99
    10 years ago

    My guess is a Keiffer pear. If it tastes good in a month it was a grafted pear; if it tastes awful its from seed.

    I believe it's edible.

  • syntria
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well I shall try it in another month! The tree's pretty large, there's probably 100's of fruits on it. I wanna learn how to graft myself so I can take part of it with me when I leave D:

  • lucky_p
    10 years ago

    Agree, it looks like Keiffer - but could be one of any number of sand pear hybrids.
    Even in TX, its still a ways off from being ripe. Folks who're used to eating those soft, mushy, cloying Bartlett, Anjou, etc. will denigrate Keiffer as being barely edible, but having grown up in the Deep South, where fireblight is a constant threat, Keiffer and its ilk are bomb-proof, and what a pear is supposed to be, in my mind - firm, juicy, tasty, and, yes, gritty!

  • insteng
    10 years ago

    It looks like a Kieffer to me as well. They will be rock hard until they are ripe even then they will be hard. I prefer them to the soft pears myself. Though you have to peel them to eat them. They also make great pear butter or canning pears. You can also store them for a long time in the fridge.

  • marknmt
    10 years ago

    Pears are the easiest to graft to. Lucky will tell you that all you need is a little soft light, music, and a glass of wine, and you're halfway there. Or maybe that's me.

    In any event, do learn to graft to your pear. It works.

    :-)M

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