North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Richard Moyer <ramoyer@gmail.com>]

Due to slim pickings, any fruit still hanging looks better and better.  For Dec. fruit in quantity consider medlar.  The Corvallis germplasm repository well worth a December visit to sample the medlar collection.  By late Dec. a number of these have bletted on the tree.

Depending on the severity of late fall freezes, we've enjoyed picking red raspberries in December.

Wild nibbles available are Celtis occidentalis or laevis (hackberry or sugarberry), Viburnum (wild prune or wild raisin or nannyberry), and certain sumacs if the rain has not washed out the flavor.

A relative unknown for late fall and winter fruit is Eleagnus pungens.  Early to mid fall blooms with scent similar to gardenia; sweet, musky and heavy.  Late fall and winter-ripening fruit.  Fruit survives a surprising amount of Zone 6 hard freezes.  Fruit still looks good on my neighbors 2 bushes despite lows of 13 then 10F.  But this one is a problem invasive in disturbed areas.  The riverwalk between the Augusta, GA canal and Savannah river is being overtaken by E. pungens.  Whether we visit my parents for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years, we find E. pungens bushes with all stages of fruit ripeness and sweetness.

In the book 'Pomona's Harvest', Fred Janson highlights some of the fruits and methods for fresh winter fruit, in times before electric refrigeration.

Richard Moyer

Zone 6, SW VA