They are big, fruity-sweet, healthy and simply delicious! The fruits of the hardy medlar are relatively unknown as fruit and yet a real delicacy. But have they developed their full aroma and can they be harvested?
The frost does it!
Medlars taste best after a period of frost. After exposure to frost, the fruits are buttery soft. Before that, they are hard and less tasty. The frost causes the contained and astringent tannins to be broken down.
In late autumn, between early November and early December, loquats are ready to harvest and raw or processed are non-toxic and edible. Some varieties ripen between September and October. When mature they are:
- sweet and sour, tart, nutty
- colored rusty brown
- not long storable (up to 14 days in the hard state)
tips and tricks
Those who are hasty can harvest the fruit before the frost. They can be packed in the freezer compartment in their hard state and exposed there to an artificial frost period.