Fruit

During our Thanksgiving dinner at Shauna’s home, Linda and Brad mentioned that they had a lot of persimmons. I joked that they would ring our doorbell and leave a box of fruit. Linda corrected me: She wouldn’t ring the doorbell. They left us a box with 36 large Hachiya persimmons. Dehydrating persimmons is simple. Wash the fruit. Core the top …

In spring 2016 my brother Adam came up from southern California with a 30-inch tall Panache Fig tree from his garden that he transplanted into a 10-gallon pot. The Panache Fig (aka Tiger Fig) has a yellow and green-striped skin with a strawberry-colored flesh. Unlike our Black Mission Fig, the Panache Fig does not have a spring crop. Because it …

Bing is a cultivar of the wild or sweet cherry (Prunus avium) that originated in the Pacific Northwest, in Milwaukie, Oregon, United States. The Bing remains a major cultivar in Oregon, Washington, California, Wisconsin and British Columbia. It is the most produced variety of sweet cherry in the United States. The Bing cherry is not self-fertile (you need another cherry …

Strawberry

Common Fig, Edible Fig, Higo, Mission Fig, Ficus carica   Family: Moraceae (mor-AY-see-ee) (Info) Genus: Ficus (FY-kus) (Info) Species: carica (KAIR-ih-kuh) (Info)   Category: Trees   Height: 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)   Spacing: Unknown – Tell us   Hardiness: USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F) USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F) USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 …

Lemon guava (Psidium littorale (P. cattleianum lucidum), is similar to the strawberry guava except fruits are often slightly larger (1-2″). Flesh is yellow, very fragrant, with the suggestion of a lemon-guava like flavor. Guavas are tropical plants that produce sweet fruit that is high in vitamin C. Guava fruit is often made into jelly or preserves but can also be …

The “Sunshine Blue” highbush blueberry is a semi-dwarf evergreen blueberry featuring a highly branched compact habit to 3 feet tall. The showy hot pink flowers fade to white in spring, yielding large crops of medium sized, delicious blueberries with a unique tangy flavour for up to 9 weeks in the summer. Sunshine Blue tolerates higher pH soils better than other …

Gala have a mild and sweet flavor. Gala apples ranked at number 2 in 2006 on the US Apple Association’s list of most popular apples, after Red Delicious and before Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji (in order). For small Sunnyvale gardens I would recommend a dwarf variety. I got my tree from Four Winds Growers. I have it growing …

The sultana is a “white” (pale green), oval seedless grape variety also called the sultanina, Thompson Seedless (United States), Lady de Coverly (England), and oval-fruited Kishmish (Turkey, Palestine). It is assumed to originate from the Asian part of the Ottoman Empire. In some countries, especially Commonwealth countries, it is also the name given to the raisin made from it or …

The tangerine (Citrus tangerina) is an orange-colored citrus fruit that is closely related to the mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata). Tangerines are smaller than common oranges, and are usually easier to peel and to split into segments. The taste is considered less sour, as well as sweeter and stronger, than that of an orange.   A ripe tangerine is firm to …