Odd fruit

[rawstrength]

I don't know what this fruit is called, but it is edible and grows like crazy around my college. It's delicious. Just peel off a bit of the red skin, suck out the insides, then spit out the seeds. They're at their peak right now, so get them while you can!

[Veganforlife]

Is it lychee??????????

[coco]

we have those here too but our season is over. they are crab apples i am told. lychee grow in asia, i am assuming that you're in north america.

[Frugal Raw]

I don't think it's lychee. Lychee are usually more bumpy (although the exterior color is right) and have a single, large brown pit encased in white fleshy fruit. What town is your college in? That might help solve the mystery.

Not crab apple either. Those are like teeny red very sour apples. No husk to remove.

[rawstrength]

I've had crab apples and these are definitely not crab apples.
I've also had lychees when I was in China, and these are definitely not lychees, either. They do look remarkably like lychees, but they taste different and have many small seeds (lychee has one big seed).

[Veganforlife]

I don't think so. Crab apples are smooth-skinned.

[rawstrength]

I don't think it's lychee. Lychee are usually more bumpy (although the exterior color is right) and have a single, large brown pit encased in white fleshy fruit. What town is your college in? That might help solve the mystery.

Not crab apple either. Those are like teeny red very sour apples. No husk to remove.

I'm in SE connecticut.

[Veganforlife]

...and the plot thickens...

[Veganforlife]

You could contact:

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1106, New Haven, CT 06504, or call (203) 974-8440. CAES is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Persons with disabilities who require alternate means of communication of program information should contact the Station Editor at (203) 974-8447 (voice); (203) 974-8502 (FAX); or Vickie.Bomba@po.state.ct.us.

Taken from:

http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/special_features/NativeAlternatives.pdf

[rawstrength]

I think I'm going to ask the folks at the college's arboretum later.

[Veganforlife]

Well, duh - yeah!?

sorry...

[coco]

no, they are crab apples. there are several variety of crab apple, just like regular apple.
i can't find a google image of them but that's what they are.
http://www.gmushrooms.com/Posters/ModAppleBlk.htm

[SheLovesToEat]

I don't know what this fruit is called, but it is edible and grows like crazy around my college. It's delicious. Just peel off a bit of the red skin, suck out the insides, then spit out the seeds. They're at their peak right now, so get them while you can!


how did you know they were ok to eat? thats whats making me the most curious. i am very wary of eating plants i dont know about. are others on campus eating them too? wouldnt they know what they are?

[coco]

here are my pics of the same thing from earlier this summer. i know that it's edible and what it is because i asked a wise grandpa from the neighbourhood, that's my stand-by for hidden knowledge!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/ripesugarplum/crapapple.jpg

[rawstrength]

Yes, my grandma taught me to eat this kind of fruit! I didn't know they were a kind of crab apple. I've been eating some smooth-skinned crab apples, too, but those are really really tart!
I eat the best food ever, always, and for free!
coco's picture looks exactly like what I have been eating.

[SheLovesToEat]

here are my pics of the same thing from earlier this summer. i know that it's edible and what it is because i asked a wise grandpa from the neighbourhood, that's my stand-by for hidden knowledge!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/ripesugarplum/crapapple.jpg

WOW! those look so yummy and older folks are great souces of information on that kind of thing. i never find too much wild things to eat here in the desert but the cactus pears are out now. thats about all.
when i lived other places with more green like the tropics...there was always LOADS to eat off the trees.

[irishserra]

I wish I would have thought to post a pic of here when I had a similar question a couple of weeks ago.

I went to a farmer's market recently and picked up a piece of fruit that really intrigued me. NOBODY knew what it was??? Anyway, it was a very light pale green and almost shaped like a wrinkly pear...but not quite pear shaped. We had no idea if/when it was ripe and it just sat on the counter until I decided to just slice it open. The inside was white and slightly firm, but had no taste.

I hunted through the internet and couldn't find a single picture or description of it.

My husband described the appearance of the fruit (and he was right, truth be told) as a replica of the female anatomy. And it did! It really did look like it.

Does anyone have a clue as to what the fruit could be? I looked up every sort of pear I could find and it does not appear to be a pear.

[rawstrength]

irishserra, it's not a fruit but a gourd called a chayote squash. http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/chayotes.htm

[irishserra]

Thank you so much!! That's exactly what it was! See, now why on earth didn't I consult you guys first??

[rawstrength]

Chayote squash make nice raw pasta. Enjoy!

[ArcturusXIV]

I've only tasted zucchini used as a raw pasta. I'll have to try that...

[oai]

that does it! i'm going into the 2 forests near my home on Sunday! dang it! :p

[Veganforlife]

How come hers are red? Are you sure? Look!

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=prickly+chayote+squash&gbv=2

[gingincal]

In Louisiana we call those mirlitons :)

[rawstrength]

"it was a very light pale green and almost shaped like a wrinkly pear...but not quite pear shaped"
VFL - she said they were light green, not red.

[juliebove]

I wish I would have thought to post a pic of here when I had a similar question a couple of weeks ago.

I went to a farmer's market recently and picked up a piece of fruit that really intrigued me. NOBODY knew what it was??? Anyway, it was a very light pale green and almost shaped like a wrinkly pear...but not quite pear shaped. We had no idea if/when it was ripe and it just sat on the counter until I decided to just slice it open. The inside was white and slightly firm, but had no taste.

I hunted through the internet and couldn't find a single picture or description of it.

My husband described the appearance of the fruit (and he was right, truth be told) as a replica of the female anatomy. And it did! It really did look like it.


Does anyone have a clue as to what the fruit could be? I looked up every sort of pear I could find and it does not appear to be a pear.


Sounds like Chayote, aka Merliton.

http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/kitchen/2002su_chayote.html

There's no pic at that link. Let me see if I can find one...

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2062207750044019865cOCrcq

[Veganforlife]

"it was a very light pale green and almost shaped like a wrinkly pear...but not quite pear shaped"
VFL - she said they were light green, not red.

I'm just way confused because the photos show them red!
Oh well...

[rawstrength]

Two different odd fruits are being discussed in this thread - I was talking about my red crab apples, while irishserra was asking about green chayote squash.

I hope this helps disambiguate!

[Veganforlife]

*smacks self on head*

Phew - thanks for letting me know I'm not nutz!!!

[coco]

it's amazing how many fruits look like female reproductive organs

http://photo.net/general-comments/attachment/282458/forbiddenfruit2.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dieharddk/276162229/

http://flickr.com/photos/thatgrumguy/446989854/

http://apeyron.deviantart.com/art/forbidden-fruit-28762793?offset=50

http://picasaweb.google.com/jww2nc/ThailandNam#5137534147514018082

i love nature.

[oai]

omg! :eek: i will not look at an apple the same way ever again! at least, i never liked apples. :p

now i wish we had some kind of foraging type field trips at school.

[RawKnitster]

Do they grow on bushes? There is a large shrub in a bank parking lot not far from me. When my daughter was a young she was fascinated by the little fruits. They looked like strawberries. There are so many fruits on the bush. It gets pretty messy when they start falling off. I asked around and found out it's called a strawberry tree. I never considered they might be edible!

There is a new building on that lot now. If the shrub is still there I will take a picture. I'm really curious to know if it's the same thing. :confused:

[rawnhealthy]

We have a fruit tree out in front of our house with fruit like that. I'm told it is a strawberry fruit. They have a very mild flavor but nice to eat.
Wonder if that's the same is your red fruit?
here's a link to the one we have: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_Tree

[coco]

interesting. i can't tell from the picture but i'll pay attention to the tree next year and see what the young fruit and the blossoms are like. too bad there weren't any pictures of those!

[Aleesha Sattva]

kinda looks like the fruit from our dogwood tree. i thought they were not edible though. off to do some research.

[Aleesha Sattva]

hmmm you said they were tastey? well this says they are not. so it must not be a dogwood tree.

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/dogwoodfaq2.html

http://www.usna.usda.gov/graphics/usna/Gardens/faqs/cornusfruit.jpg

[rawstrength]

Yes! It is a dogwood! Thanks, Aleesha.

[coco]

that is so much what the fruit looks like but i'll have to wander down there and check out the leaves. the fruit is sweet but mealy, it wondered if it was a bit late in the season and if they tasted better earlier on in the summer but i'll have to check next year to see for sure.