Loquats are always our first fruit of the season. We have a mature tree down in our part of the canyon and it’s in the early stages of blossoming now. CRFG says the fruit mature 90 days after full blossom, but I think our season starts closer to mid-April.
We eat them fresh off the tree, and I’ve tried various ways to preserve our abundant crop, but the processing is really tedious. Each fruit has somewhere between 2 and 5 seeds to remove in addition to the skin, which stains your fingers a nice ‘homestead brown’ after peeling a few pounds. I’ve made spiced loquat halves and different jams and chutneys, but nothing’s been a big enough hit to make it seem worth it.
I’m thinking this year I may take a little fermentation adventure and try making something like wine or cider. At least I wouldn’t have to deal with peeling them – just knock the seeds out and crush. Could be good???
