North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

1.  Best I've had is <x-tad-bigger>Crataegus mollis.  Soft, moist mild flavored.  
Equally good is C. tanecetifolia.  Large as a Bing cherry, dark red, easy to extract the pulp.  Very biennial in bearing though.

4.  I have P. munsoniana from Oikos.  Very small fruits, but mild and pleasant, and the tree is exceptionally healthy.  Burbank is supposed to have used it In Shiro, and I can see a family resemblence.
_Lon Rombough </x-tad-bigger>
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com  Winner of the Garden Writers Association "Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003. 
Grape pruning video: http://www.bunchgrapes.com/dvd.html View a short, low resolution clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q58zFY0B1M
A video about The Grape Grower : http://cookingupastory.com/index.php/2008/04/18/the-grape-grower/

On Dec 7, 2010, at 10:59 AM, Steven Covacci wrote:


<x-tad-bigger>Subject: Your Opinions: Best Rosacea pome fruits by species for cultivation...</x-tad-bigger><x-tad-bigger> </x-tad-bigger>

<x-tad-bigger>1. </x-tad-bigger><x-tad-bigger>Hawthorn</x-tad-bigger><x-tad-bigger>: I hear that Crataegus flava, C. [sub]mollis, and C. succulenta are among or are the best hawthorns for eating out-of-hand.  I have no idea if these recommendations have more to do with pome size or flavor.  From experience, I know that some hawthorns are highly subject to larval infestation; there was a small-fruited one that I found that was nearly worm-free and tasted much better then all other species I've tasted - perhaps it is Washington hawthorn (C. phaenophyrum)... it's been a while, so I don't remember for sure.  </x-tad-bigger>


<x-tad-bigger>4. </x-tad-bigger><x-tad-bigger>Plums:</x-tad-bigger><x-tad-bigger> Does anyone have Prunus munsoniana (wild gooseplum; Munson plum; Potawatmie) from any location?  Ken Asmus from Oikos told me that it is better then any other native plum - doesn't have the astringent skin of sandplum/chickasaw and American plum, etc.  I don't remember where the material is, but I read something from around 1900 that suggested this plum as extraordinarily conducive to horticultural production as superior to all other native plums - I bet it's excellent.</x-tad-bigger>