Growing Unusual Fruits

What unusual fruits are you growing? I planted a Goumi bush last year and had a few fruits on it this year but the birds got to them before I could pick them. I thought they didn't ripen until July. Maybe the birds thought they looked yummi. I guess I'll have to net them next year. I want to grow some other unusal fruits but want to know which ones you all have tried growing and that taste really good.

Seaberry and Lingonberry are both very worthwhile and very uncommon. Gooseberries and Currants well worth growing as well. Yacon is a necessity (even though it is not a fruit, it is treated like one in some cultures) Korean, Nanking and Bush Cherries (Joel) are also great. Honeyberries yum!

I planted some asian pears this year and they all had fruit the first year. Very crunchy like an apple.

I never tried Honeyberries, do they taste pretty good?

Yes. Think blueberry with weird shape and more distinctive flavor. Almost like a smokey overtone. Note that some people do not like the taste, but I have found that the fruit looks ripe and ready to eat much earlier (weeks) than it is ready. I think the people with negative experience have not left them on long enough to fully ripen. I always wait until I see a few start to drop before harvesting. You can also give them a gentle squeeze as a test. If they are firm, they are probably not ready.

I think honeyberries will eventually become a major crop in the cooler areas. I know that are becoming big in Canada, which has some serious breeding efforts underway.

Thanks for the tip on the Honeyberry. I think I will give that a try. I have read where some people didn't like them. You're probably right in that they don't wait until they are ripe. It's like with alot of fruits, even peaches, strawberries, if you pick too soon, you won't have that sweet taste.
Which of the bush cherries do you find has the sweetest taste?

Let me answer that in a different way. I would not do without the Nankings and the Joel. Nanking may be the sweetest, but Joel is late season. How can you pass up cherries in late July early August??? A fully ripened Nanking right from the bush is a very wonderful thing,. None of these are big and they produce when quite small.

Here are some more options.

passionfruit: maypop only
jujube: hardy to -10 to zero. full sun only
asian persimmon: some hardy to -10

Krowten, Does the Joel need a pollinator? I think I will try getting some bush cherries. Jujube, can you tell me what does the jujube and passion fruit taste like? I tried a persimmons once but didn't like it. It was store bought, probably wasn't ripe enough.

Joel is reported to be self-fertile. I have two Joel and no Jan or Joy.

Passion fruit are used in Hi-C punch. If you have ever had Hi-C then you know what passion fruit taste like. Fruity/tangy with large show-stopping flowers. I think they are the prettiest flowers I have ever seen.

Persimmons should have a very rich and deep flavor that doesnt resemble most fruits we are used to in America. I only eat the non-astringent variety. If you eat one that is not ripe it will taste bad. If you eat an astringent variety that is not ripe, it will be horrible. If you eat them at the right time, they are some of the best fruit in the world.

Jujube are like an apple with different after-taste. It is one of the most drought tolerant fruit trees once it is established for a year or two. It is imperative that you only pick the fruit in the morning as they dump water out of the fruit during the afternoon and reclaim it at night. "Li" or "Sherwood" are one of the best beginners varieties of jujube. They are for fresh eating. Some varieties are specifically for drying such as "Lang". If you want to be adventurous then try "Honey Jar" or "Sugar Cane" for exceptional fresh eating taste. If given all day sun they will produce heavily every year once established.

Thanks for all the info. Once when my husband and I were on a business trip in Thailand, I tried a local fruit and it was just wonderful. I do like to try different fruits. I just want to plant ones that will do well in NC and that taste really good.
I think I will plant some of these you've mentioned.

You guys up North may want to look into PawPaw. Interesting native North American fruit.

I grow a sanbokan grapefruit. Which an odd cold hardy sort of lemon. Not really a grape fruit and goes by a few name, no one is really sure where it came from.

pergarden, since I see you are in NC, I will put in my plug for figs. There are many many different kinds and some have trouble with the winters like last winter. My black mission fig did great in Huntersville, just N. of Charlotte.