Loquats

“Loquat fruit ripens three months after flowering, in late winter or early spring, at a time when most other fruit plants are only just beginning to flower. The fruit is one to two inches long and round to pear-shaped. It is a thin-fleshed pome like an apple or a pear and is borne in clusters, like grapes, of four to 30 fruits.”  Excerpted from “What’s

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Lemons

“We once owned a large lemon tree when we lived in southern California. It was loaded with dozens of ripe lemons one spring when a friend came to visit. He promptly harvested all of the lemons. All of them. Then he juiced them, made a fresh lemon meringue pie, and froze the remainder of the juice. The pie was fabulous, we used the frozen juice

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Pineapple Guava

“Pineapple guava has small, tasty, strongly aromatic, kiwi-like berries one to three inches long in August to October. The berries are smooth skinned and gray green. The fruit falls off the plant when it’s ready to eat. You can pick it early and it will ripen indoors.”  Excerpted from “What’s Wrong With My Fruit Garden?” by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth. Timber Press, December, 2013.

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Grapefruit

“How it got the name grapefruit is something of a mystery. Some believe it’s because the large, round fruit hangs on the tree in clusters, like grapes. On the other hand, the size and shape of the fruit strongly resembles grapeshot, or cannonballs. Grapeshot was stacked on the decks of tall wooden sailing ships of the 18th century in clusters, again, like grapes.”  Excerpted from

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Figs

“Soft, juicy, and sweet as honey, fresh figs get top-ratings from most people lucky enough to have tried them. If dried figs are the only figs you’ve ever eaten you’ve got to try some fresh figs. Fresh figs are to dried figs as table grapes are to raisins. Both are good but they are so different in texture and flavor that it’s hard to imagine

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Grapes

“The European grape, Vitis vinifera, the wine grape of  history, legend, romance, and religion has been entwined with human culture for untold millennia. Recent discoveries show we’ve been making wine from this grape for 7,400 years, since the Neolithic period.” Excerpted from “What’s Wrong With My Fruit Garden?” by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth. Timber Press, December, 2013. Click here to pre-order your copy of

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Currants and Gooseberries

“The berries of currants are small, but potent. They have four times the vitamin C as oranges and black currant has twice as much antioxidants as blueberries. Currant berries are borne in long dangling clusters of gem-like little berries.” Excerpted from “What’s Wrong With My Fruit Garden?” by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth. Timber Press, December, 2013. Click here to pre-order your copy of the

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Bananas and Plantains

“Bananas and plantains are large-leaved, tropical, evergreen plants grown in the humid tropics and subtropics throughout the world. Banana fruits which are starchy and need to be cooked before eating are called plantains, those that are sweet and eaten fresh are called bananas. Delicious and extremely popular, bananas are the fourth largest fruit crop in the world after tomatoes, grapes, and oranges.” Excerpted from “What’s

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Chestnuts

“Chinese chestnut, Castanea mollissima, is the best, most disease resistant chestnut for home gardens. Japanese, C. crenata, and European, C. sativa, chestnuts can sometimes be grown in the west where chestnut blight is less problematic and where winter temperatures are more mild. But east of the Rockies the Chinese chestnut is the best choice.” Excerpted from “What’s Wrong With My Fruit Garden?” by David Deardorff

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Avocado

“A large, tropical, evergreen tree to 60 feet tall the avocado hails originally from south central Mexico. In cultivation for centuries by the peoples of the new world from Peru to the Rio Grande, the avocado is highly prized today for its savory, not sweet, fruit which, like olives, contains valuable oil. A heart-healthy addition to your diet, avocado contains cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fatty acids and

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