Summer Bounty Comes Rolling In

Our waldo peas seem to be finally finishing. I'm not sure why, but the leaves have developed a waxy white covering that may be due to overwatering. I think I'm going to trim them back so they can fall to compost in the garden box soil. In the meantime, I noticed that there are actually new shoots coming up, which is fantastic because my son LOVES to eat these peas!

Today I'm making a roast pork tenderloin in fig sauce for dinner and we needed figs. We are incredibly lucky that there's a bike path a block from our house. There's an incredible array of fruits that grow along the path and on fruit trees that grace the walk to the path.

We headed out to the fig tree on the path this morning only to discover that the most recent blush of ripe figs had been harvested by others. There are plenty more on the way, and we did manage to find the last few edible ones for our sauce.

Likewise, our pear tree is producing beautifully this year. Above is a shot of the (as yet) uneaten parts of today's bounty. We already ate a lot of peas and some pears and figs!

The Miracle Fruit that is the Loquat

In case you don't know what a loquat is...well.. you haven't lived. I just discovered them last year. They're AMAZING. They are a plum sized orange / yellow fruit that grows on trees.

Flavor
Their flavor varies throughout the season, but the "freshly ripe" ones are slightly tart with (to me) a green grape / apple / apricot type taste and grape-ish texture. The middle ripe ones are sweeter with a balance between the tart and sweet and the past-prime are just super sweet.

Important Note:
Loquats have large seeds inside - the number varies - I've seen one and up to three. They are like apricot seeds or very large apple seeds, but the main point is, like apricot seeds... DON'T EAT them - they're poisonous.


How to Eat:
Also, to eat a loquat properly, you peal the outer skin and nibble around the seed.

Loquat Season is Here!!!

Yay!!!! All last spring, I cajoled my (then) very strong willed 2 yr old into early evening walks with me by enticing her with the prospect of getting some delicious loquats from neighborhood trees (there are three fruiting, quasi-public domain trees on our block alone).

Today, we had our first loquats of the season. Perfection!

My toddler son had his first taste and is hooked and I have a new incentive for my (now) very strong willed 3 yr old to take after dinner strolls with me!