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fireballsocal

Has anything knocked your socks off this year?

fireballsocal
9 years ago

I'm curious if you've had a new tree produce fruit for the first time or a developed tree that has finally come into its own supply you with fruit that has really impressed you.

Comments (24)

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    Ginger Gold has been outstanding this yr. The one I tested was 16.5 brix, very sweet and tart. It's way better than Gala which matures about the same time.

    An old favorite, Flavor Supreme pluot, has been my best fruit this yr. I have to hand pollinate to set a good crop but it's worth the effort.

  • trianglejohn
    9 years ago

    My no-name pawpaws have fruited for the first time and the flavor is superb. These are seedling trees grown from seeds from a named cultivar orchard. I bought them at 18inches tall four years ago. I pick the fruit up from under the trees a couple of times each day and put them in the fridge for a week or so. They taste like mango or cherimoya to me.

  • mrsg47
    9 years ago

    My great surprise this year, and good one, was my first real crop of 'Montmorency' sour cherries. Not only were they beautiful and perfect looking they made the best jam. Also not a tree but I put up 20 jars of currant jam that is spectacular. More black, but quite a bit of pink and a bit of white. Extraordinary. Mrs. G

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Wild black raspberry made into jam. Beat any other jam I made. Fantastic and very unique taste. I make blackberry, mulberry, elderberry, and currant jams each year, but this was way better.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    The Superior plum has been my best new addition. It was juicy, flavorful and had 18 brix. It also produced quite a lot, about 20 fruits on this small tree (see below pic).

    I just planted a Jupiter grape vine this spring and it impressed me, bearing a large, very tasty bunch of grapes. I remember reading that Fruitnut had a bad experience with the skin, but it tasted fine to me. I was all prepared for it to have a strong muscadine flavor, but it was just sweet (14-16.5 brix) and relatively mild.

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    My biggest surprise was probably Laroda plum, its shockingly good. If it had a good fruit set it would be my #1 plum.

    Sanguine Tardeva has been an amazing peach, the other peaches ripening with it tasted like sawdust in comparison. Super sweet, super sour, super cranberry flavor. I moved it to a new spot a few years ago and its doing much better there.

    I left the asian pears hang longer than usual and they are bursting with juice, sugar, and flavor. All are good but Hosui might be the best.

    Scott

  • bart1
    9 years ago

    Scott -
    Have you harvest Asian pears already?

  • fireballsocal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Great reports, thank you all! Fruitnut, I'm happy you mentioned flavor supreme. I have a 3in1 pluot that has a graft of that variety. It's only been in the ground 6 months so I have a few years to go yet. We don't have most of the other varieties you all have mentioned readily available here in Ca. I do have a 20th century Asian pear in the ground but it is also 6 months in.

    I will say my Washington navel orange, which has always produced spectacular tasting oranges, has grown a bumper crop this year. They won't sweetin up till Dec. but the tree is incredibly loaded, even with thinning.

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    Bart, half of my asians have been harvested. Hosui, Chojuro, Yoinashi, Kosui are pretty much all harvested now. The rest have not yet ripened.

    Scott

  • maryhawkins99
    9 years ago

    Pristine apple, tastes great , I was eating them July 4.

  • bart1
    9 years ago

    Thanks Scott!

    I was under the impression that they were harvested much later in the season. Maybe that's why mine always taste watery?!?!

    I'll have to check mine out more closely. They all look small to me right now.

  • RobThomas
    9 years ago

    Carolina Gold peach was exceptional. I wish I had more.

    bob, I loved my Jupiter grapes this year, also. The skin can be a little thick, but the flavor more than makes up for it.

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    Bart, if some easily come off when you lift them straight up then they are ripe (not all ripe ones will come off so easily but some should). I also have learned signals in their looks over the years (e.g. the skin color, and "translucency") which helps me.

    Scot

  • jtburton
    9 years ago

    Siskiyou blackberry (fresh eating) and jam made from Royalty Purple Raspberry.

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    Geo Pride...that is an excellent piece of fruit. Juice, some crunch, sweet, free stone, flavor is complex (definite some apricot in there, along with plum..i think it has peach in it, but didn't catch that...yet)...had the first one today. very nice (as borat would say).

  • bart1
    9 years ago

    Thanks Scott!

    My only Asian Pear that should be ripening now is Hosui and the fruits are still very small, but I think that's a function of the health of the tree. Last year for unknown reasons, 3/4s of the tree died. The few small branches that are left, are producing fruit, but small fruit.

    In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have let it fruit at all and focus all energy into making a strong recovery.

  • KarenPA_6b
    9 years ago

    My Asian Pears, Yakumo variety do really well this year, yielding many fruits weighing over 4 oz. They are so sweet and juicy. The cool weather really helps.

  • dancingcook
    9 years ago

    My nectarine "sweet surprise", bought a few years ago from Lowes, fruited this year for the first time - and turned out to be a yellow clingstone peach! It had lots of fruit, probably because I was reluctant to pick off the newly forming fruits as it hadn't fruited before. Can anyone ID the fruit from the pic?

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    Elberta? I have no idea but its insane that you bought a nectarine and ended up with that! ??? Lowes...i think i found your problem. You should take it back.

  • dancingcook
    9 years ago

    Franktank232, thanks, but it's far too big now to return it! And the peaches are rather delicious. Next year, I'll have it pruned and sprayed to get rid of brown rot. Cheers,

  • olpea
    9 years ago

    Frank is correct that the peach looks like Elberta. And the timing is right for Elbertas around here. The problem is Elberta is freestone (as with just about any late season peach) so unfortunately it's not Elberta.

    My guess is that it's some commercial cling canning variety. Note there is absolutely no red in the flesh (red in the flesh is considered a huge detriment for commercial canning peaches).

    There are a lot of cling canning varieties out there. I planted a Babygold #5 this spring. It is supposed to ripen about this time, but there are a ton of canning peaches out there, so it could be anything, or perhaps even rootstock of a canning peach (like Lovell or Halford).

    This post was edited by olpea on Thu, Aug 28, 14 at 19:56

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    DIdn't think of that. Would make sense that it is just the roostock... probably not the first time that has happened. Scion could have died at some point. Who knows.
    You got yourself a canning peach.

  • dancingcook
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone. I did a lot of canning/bottling, just because there were so many peaches ripe at one time. Sounds like I made the right decision. I made some jam, which isn't great, plus made peach chutney, and am trying to make a peach vinegar shrub for the first time - it's not ready to drink yet, but I'm looking forward to sampling some on a couple of months.

  • franktank232
    9 years ago

    {{gwi:122559}}

    {{gwi:122560}}

    I think Geo Pride has the perfect amt of firmness...its not an apple crunch, buts its still firm and not mush (yuck). Great flavor. I'd recommend this one. Yum. Kids loved it.