North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["V. Michael Bove Jr." <vmb@teakettlefarm.com>]

In zone 6 (RI/MA border) we get 20+ pounds of these things a year  
from a 10-year-old tree.  And use only a few of them.

The fruit takes some getting used to.  The juice is so bitter that  
you need to dilute it a lot in order to make it usable at all.  That  
said, we've made whiskey sours and chiffon pies with them, and a  
small amount of the juice (say a half-dozen drops) improves the taste  
of a pitcher of iced tea.

By the way, the thorns are murderous.  Even with elbow-length heavy  
leather gloves and a full-face guard, pruning is not much fun.

--Michael Bove
Teakettle Farm

On Feb 26, 2007, at 4:53 PM, Geoffrey Tolle wrote:

> 3) Oranges - Ponicirus trifoliata is listed as having fruit that is
> inedible (bitter, I assume) or lemon-like. What are people's  
> experiences
> out there? Is it worth growing as a lemon substitute? Does the fruit
> mature in sone 5? Does anyone have experience with any of the other
> winter-hardy hybrids out there?