Harvesting Loquats

I spy with my little eye something yellow!!!

Loquats have been in season in Southern Florida for a little over a month now. I remember when we first moved in to the house during May two years ago I didn't know what these things that had fallen on the ground were....they were kind of a nuisance. Last year I knew their name and knew they were edible, my friend and I tried one but it was very bitter....very bitter. Perhaps not ripe though.

This year, I decided to reach out to my friends and neighbors through a website called nextdoor, and see if anyone would be interested in having some of the loquats from our yard and lo and behold I was able to find two couples in the neighborhood that loved them and had plans for canning, pies, and chutney with the little things.

So what is a loquat like? It has the flesh of peach, but the taste of a lemon. They're small and are a bit of work to get to the flesh too, they have 2 to 3 large seeds in the center giving less fruit. Because loquats have a short season and the flesh of the fruit is so small, they're rarely for sale in markets. Perhaps in more tropical climates like the islands. But here, not so much. Nor are there any tree groves that I know of for the fruit specifically. However, since I have not one but two loquat trees in my yard.....I knew giving them away was far more prudent than letting them fall. The experience of meeting neighbors was great too.