North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Mike Levine <mlevine@umich.edu>]

Can anyone give advice on when exactly to pick the green umeboshis?  I get
a crop now and then, but they all drop before I have the chance to doing
anything with them.  It's good to know that they are pickled when green,
but at what size or how many days after petal fall?  Is there some formula
to know when to pick them?  Do they ever ripen to a sweet fruit or can they
only be used for processing as the article implies?

Thanks,
Mike Levine
Ann Arbor, MI zone 5b (USDA says zone 6 now, but I'm skeptical)



On Wed, Jan 9, 2013 at 1:31 PM, derry walsh <derrywalsh1@gmail.com> wrote:

> Sam,
>
> Thanks for forwarding the link on Prunus mume.
>
> I have about six varieties of P mume in my garden.
>
> I can tell you that it may be the longest flowering fruit tree in (some
> areas of) China, but it is short-lived in my area (PNW one hour from
> Vancouver, B.C.)
>
> In years when we get frosts when the tree is in bloom (February) it is
> subject to what I think is 'bacterial canker', Pseudomonas sp., which
> gradually kills the tree.
>
> My favourite variety is 'Beni shi don' a tree with red blossoms.
>
> I have found that this variety needs a pollenizer to produce fruit. The
> VanDusen Gardens in Vancouver has many specimens of this variety and
> none produce fruit.
>
> Soon after my 'Rosemary Clarke' bloomed, I had fruit.
>
> As the article says, the fruit is picked when hard and green and soaked
> in brine.
>
> The tree itself is a small tree and it is not attractive, but when in
> bloom it is magnificent, often at Chinese New Year.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Derry Walsh
> Aldergrove, B.C.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 1/9/2013 8:08 AM, Brungardt, Sam (MPCA) wrote:
> > Umeboshi, Japanese apricot, Chinese plum: Prized fruit by any
> > name<
> http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-lh-growing-umeboshi-20130108,0,7655132.story%3Ftrack%3Drss&ct=ga&cad=CAEQAhgAIAAoATABOAFAr-yzhwVIAVAAWABiAmVu&cd=qVruKf1JM1E&usg=AFQjCNHP44MKuVv-UnnAs9FtgnD4dwudeQ
> >
> >
> >
> Los Angeles Times
> > The Japanese apricot -- a plant native to China, actually -- is one
> > of the longest lived of the flowering fruit trees. It's a symbol of
> > resilience in the face of adversity thanks to its early flowers,
> > delicate promises of spring that can begin ...
> >
> > Umeboshi, Japanese apricot, Chinese plum: Prized fruit by any
> > name<
> http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-lh-growing-umeboshi-20130108,0,7655132.story
> >
> >
> >
> By Jeff Spurrier
> > [Description: Umeboshi, Japanese apricot, Chinese plum: Prized fruit
> > by any
> > name]<
> http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-lh-growing-umeboshi-20130108,0,7655132.story
> >
> >
> >
> Story | January 8, 2013 | 7:53 PM
> > ... smoked, boiled or cured with sugar, salt or alcohol, a lengthy
> > process that can take months. The Japanese turn them into umeboshi
> > (sour plum) and add them to sushi for a distinctive salty-and-sour
> > punch. Koreans and Chinese use the fruit to make ...
> >
>
> >
> >
> >
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