Peewee Kiwis and Other Sweet Delights
(Page 5 of 6)
June/July 2004
By Lee Reich
Sources: Burnt Ridge, Edible Landscaping, Forestfarm, Hidden Springs, Nolin River, Oikos, One Green World, Peterson, Raintree
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Juneberries (Amelanchier spp.)
Ripening in late June, juneberry fruits resemble blueberries, to which they are often compared. The best juneberries are juicy and sweet, with the richness of sweet cherry with a hint of almond. These self-fertile trees and bushes are not finicky about soil and are year-round beauties. Early spring brings clouds of white blossoms, and summer brings soft, green leaves that in autumn burst into shades of purple, orange and yellow. The striated, gray bark and the neat form of the plants make them ornamental through winter, too.
Sources: Burnt Ridge, Edible Landscaping, Forestfarm, Hidden Springs, Oikos, Raintree
Che (Cudrania tricuspidata)
Meld together all the characteristics of fresh figs and mulberries — both relatives of che — and you end up with something close to a che fruit. Che is a round fruit, 1 to 1 1/2 inches across. It has a maroon skin with a rich red interior, a slightly chewy texture and a few edible seeds. The flavor is most definitely fresh fig plus mulberry, but not as rich as the fig nor as sweet as the mulberry. This mostly self-fertile, small tree tolerates almost any soil as long as it has sun, and it flowers late enough not to be bothered by spring frosts. It's also quick to bear, mine yielded its first fruits the year after planting. Leaves of this plant have been used in China to feed silkworms, to produce a silk for lute strings, which make sounds of particular clarity.
Sources: Edible Landscaping, Hidden Springs, Raintree
Shipova (Sorbopyrus auricularis)
This hybrid of mountain ash and pear retains the best of its parents. With fat, woolly buds, this large, self-fertile tree resembles the magnolia in winter. Come spring, it's bedecked with big clusters of white blossoms and downy-white leaves. A close flavor comparison would be with a pear. The buttery flesh — a bit more meaty than a pear — melts with each bite to fill the mouth with semi-solid, sweet and fragrant ambrosia. The tree takes a number of years to begin bearing, but needs little pruning or other care. The fruits are about 2 inches in diameter when fully mature.
Sources: Burnt Ridge, One Green World, Raintree
Raisin Tree (Hovenia dulcis)
When you eat from the raisin tree, you bypass the dark, dry, pea-sized fruit itself to nibble instead on the fruit stalks. Unlike other fruits, whose stalks remain gracefully thin, the raisin tree's stalks swells into gnarled, meaty masses. They're small but borne in massive quantities at the ends of the twigs, and they taste more like candied walnuts than raisins. This self-fruiting tree resembles linden and needs little in the way of care. The "fruit" ripens in autumn; don't rush the harvest, though, or the stalks will taste like nothing more than stems.
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