In January of 2009, I planted the following organic fruit trees...
- Apples
- Anna
When the Anna apples are the size of a dime, thin each cluster to the largest (usually center) one. Then keep 8" of spacing between the apples. This will help prevent the fruit drop you had in '06. You can do your first summer pruning right after you thin, so that you can see what wood is the fruiting wood.
- Fugi
The Fuji has been the favorite apple in Japan and China for many years, and now the west is falling in love with it as well. In fact, it has recently become the third most popular apple in the US, and the most widely planted variety worldwide. It is a generally large, globular apple, ranging in color from a greenish background with a red blush to a brighter red. The flesh of the Fuji is extremely crisp and juicy and stays that way longer than any other sweet apple. What makes the apple so appealing is the complexity of sweetness and tartness, leaving a deep, interesting taste lingering on the palate. And the flavor of the Fuji, like fine wine, actually improves with age!
- Mutsu
Mutsu, also known as Crispin, is an exceptional apple that was developed in Japan as a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo. Its most ardent supporters are in Japan and the Eastern U. S.
This is a very large apple that matures late and stays in perfect shape in storage for months. The fruit is yellow-green which tends to draw comparisons to Golden Delicious or Granny Smith, but Mutsu’s tender-crisp flesh and complex flavor make it a much more interesting apple that either of those more common varieties. Mutsu is best enjoyed as a dessert apple, but it makes tasty sauce and cider also.
Mutsu can be sold from regular storage with no loss of pressure or taste into February. It’s a marvelous, sophisticated apple that deserves a lot of attention.
- Pink Lady
The Pink Lady® is an exiting new bi-colored apple that originated in Australia. It is a cross of Golden Delicious and Lady Williams which was bred in 1973 by the Agriculture Department of Western Australia.
The fruit is medium in size and conical in shape with a distinctive pink blush over a yellow back-ground. The fine-grained flesh is crisp and crunchy and does not brown easily after the fruit has been cut. The first bite tastes pleasantly tart followed by a delicious sweetness. The fruit ripens in September and is available throughout the fall months.
- Apricot - Royal Blenheim
Zones: 7-9
Chill hours: 500
Dave Wilson's Taste Test Top Scorer
Low chill hours, good choice for milder climates.
Harvest: June 25-July 5
Looks: Freestone
Personality: Sweet, aromatic, flavorful
Facts of note: California's first choice in apricots; early bloom; good all-purpose fruit; excellent flavor
Pollination: Self-fruitful
One of the earliest ripening fruits. Blooms very early; generally difficult to grow, especially in late frost areas. Needs well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Thin fruit early in season to maximize size and quality. Susceptible to bacterial canker, shot hole fungus, brown rot and peach twig borer.
- Banana - ?
- Cherimoya - Pierce
Also known as the custard fruit the cherymoya is native Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. The creamy fruit is sweet with a slight hint of pineapple.
- Cherries
- Surinam (2)
The fruits should be picked only when they are so ripe as to fall into the hand at the lightest touch, otherwise they will be undesirably resinous. Gathering must be done daily or even twice a day.
Children enjoy the ripe fruits out-of-hand. For table use, they are best slit vertically on one side, spread open to release the seed(s), and kept chilled for 2 or 3 hours to dispel most of their resinously aromatic character. If seeded and sprinkled with sugar before placing in the refrigerator, they will become mild and sweet and will exude much juice and serve very well instead of strawberries on shortcake and topped with whipped cream. They are an excellent addition to fruit cups, salads and custard pudding; also ice cream; and can be made into pie or sauce or preserved whole in sirup. They are often made into jam, jelly, relish or pickles. Brazilians ferment the juice into vinegar or wine, and sometimes prepare a distilled liquor.
- ?
- Fig - ?
- Guavas
- FEIJOA, Pineapple Guava
The feijoa is also an egg-shaped fruit with a thin lime-green skin. The flesh inside is cream-colored and encases a jelly-like center. The texture is gritty, close to that of a pear. The flesh tastes like a combination of several other fruits, usually described as pineapple, guava, and strawberry. Some people report a taste similar to that of a quince or lemon. Feijoa is native to South America, but is now commercially grown in New Zealand and California. It is also commonly called a pineapple guava.
Selection
Select fruit that is fragrant and gives slightly to gentle pressure. Ripe feijoas are delicate, so take caution not to bruise the fruit. Imported feijoas are available from late March to June; while domestic ones reach the market in the fall. Feijoas are gaining in popularity and are becoming easier to find in supermarkets. They are already easy to find in specialty markets and can often be ordered out-of-season through several online merchants.
FeijoaStorage
Ripe feijoas may be refrigerated, but they don’t have to be. Ripen feijoas in a paper bag at room temperature; to ripen quicker add an apple to the bag. Ripe feijoas normally last about 3 to 5 days. Feijoas may be frozen, but only if peeled and cooked into a puree.
Preparation
Feijoas are most often eaten raw. The fruit is ripe when it is slightly soft and the jellied inner section is clear. The fruit is unripe when the jelly is white and is spoiled when the jelly is brown. Unfortunately, this test of ripeness may only be determined once the fruit is opened. Peel the fruit before preparing, as the skin is bitter.
- Red Strawberry
Psidium cattleianum
a.k.a. Cattley Guava 
Dark red skinned guava, closely related to the common guava, with an excellent strawberry like flavor. Fruits are small, to 1.5" around, and the pulp is translucent and very juicy. It some varieties, the flesh can taste pleasantly spicy.
Description: Small bush or tree to 20-25ft, although often much smaller.
Hardiness: Strawberry guava's are hardy to 22F when full grown.
Growing Environment: The strawberry guava is very adaptable and can be grown outdoors throughout much of Florida and California. It will fruit in a container almost anywhere if protected from hard freezes. Trees grow well in full sun and with ample water, although short periods of drought will not harm the plant. Lots of water is needed during fruit development and for proper ripening to occur. The yellow strawberry guava (Psidium cattlenium var. lucidum) is said to be not quite as hardy as the standard red strawberry guava, but seems to survive temperatures to 25F.
Propagation: Usually by seed, sometimes by cuttings.
Uses: Usually eaten fresh or used to flavor beverages, ice creams, and desserts. The fruit can be eaten by cutting them in half and scooping out the pulp and seeds. Strawberry guavas taste like a passionfruit mixed with strawberry; lemon guavas have a more acidic and spicier flavor.[citation needed] The seeds are small and white in colour and can be roasted as a substitute for coffee. Its leaves may be brewed for tea. The skin is also edible and tastes a bit like rose petals but is best removed for a sweeter flavour.
Native Range: Native to coastal areas of Eastern Brazil. The strawberry guava is now a weed in many parts of the tropics where it has quickly adapted to a variety of climates. There are major infestations on Hawaii and many Caribbean islands. In tropical climates, the strawberry guava is most often found growing at higher elevations, where the mean temperature is much cooler. The yellow form tends to be a bit less hardy and therefore is found at slightly lower elevations.
Yellow Strawberry
Psidium cattlenium var. lucidum is said to be not quite as hardy as the standard red strawberry guava, but seems to survive temperatures to 25F
- ?
- ?
- Jujube
The fruit is a drupe, varying from round to elongate and from cherry-size to plum-size depending on cultivar. It has a thin, edible skin surrounding whitish flesh of sweet, agreeable flavor. The single hard stone contains two seeds. The immature fruit is green in color, but as it ripens it goes through a yellow-green stage with mahogany-colored spots appearing on the skin as the fruit ripens further. The fully mature fruit is entirely red. Shortly after becoming fully red, the fruit begins to soften and wrinkle. The fruit can be eaten after it becomes wrinkled, but most people prefer them during the interval between the yellow-green stage and the full red stage. At this stage the flesh is crisp and sweet, reminiscent of an apple. Under dry conditions jujubes lose moisture, shrivel and become spongy inside. Tests in Russia indicate a very high vitamin C content. The fruit has been used medicinally for millennia by many cultures. One of its most popular uses is as a tea for sore throat
The fruits are used in Chinese and Korean traditional medicine, where they are believed to alleviate stress. The jujube-based Australian drink 1-bil avoids making specific stress-related claims, but does suggest drinking 1-bil "when you feel yourself becoming distressed".
Ziziphin, a compound in the leaves of the jujube, suppresses the ability to perceive sweet taste in humans. The fruit, being mucilaginous, is also very soothing to the throat and decoctions of jujube have often been used in pharmacy to treat sore throats.
Culinary use
Dried jujube fruits naturally turn red upon drying. The freshly harvested as well as the candied dried fruits are often eaten as a snack, or with tea. They are available either red or black, the latter being smoked to enhance their flavour. In mainland China, Korea, and Taiwan, a sweetened tea syrup containing jujube fruits is available in glass jars,photo and canned jujube tea or jujube tea in the form of teabags is also available. Although not widely available, jujube juice and jujube vinegarphoto are also produced.
In China, a wine made from jujubes called hong zao jiu is also produced. Jujubes are sometimes preserved by storing in a jar filled with Chinese liquor, which allows them to be kept fresh for a long time, especially through the winter. Such jujubes are called jiu zao (literally "spirited jujube"). In Korea, jujubes are called daechu and are used in teas. It is said to be helpful in aiding the common cold.
In addition, jujubes, often stoned, are a significant ingredient in a wide variety of Chinese delicacies. In Persian cuisine, the dried drupes are known as annab.
The jujube's sweet smell is said to make teenagers fall in love, and as a result, in the Himalaya and Karakoram regions, men take a stem of sweet-smelling jujube flowers with them or put it on their hats to attract women.
In the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, jujube and walnut were often placed in the newlyweds' bedroom as a sign of fertility
In Bhutan, the leaves are used as a potpourri to help keep the houses of the inhabitants smelling fresh and clean. It is also said to keep bugs and other insects out of the house and free of infestation
In Japan, the natsume has given its name to a style of tea caddy used in the Japanese tea ceremony.
In Korea, the wood is used to make the body of the taepyeongso, a double-reed wind instrument.
In Vietnam, the jujube fruit is eaten freshly picked from the tree as a snack. It is also dried and used in desserts, such as sâm b? l??ng, a cold beverage that includes the dried jujube, longan, fresh seaweed, barley, and lotus seeds.
- Kei Apple
A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known fruit has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare. Kei-apples are often eaten fresh, or sprinkled with sugar to complement their natural acidity. Aside from being eaten fresh, the fruit can be made into jam, and is also popular pickled or used in desserts.
- Loquot
Loquats reach maturity in 90 days from full flower opening. Determination of ripeness is not easy, but it is important because unripe fruits are excessively acid. Full development of color for each cultivar is the best guide. The fruits are difficult to harvest because of the thick, tough stalk on each fruit which does not separate readily from the cluster, and the fruits must be picked with stalk attached to avoid tearing the skin. Clusters are cut from the branch with a sharp knife or with clippers. Whole clusters are not particularly attractive on the market, therefore the individual fruits are clipped from the cluster, the stalk is detached from each fruit and the fruits are graded for size and color to provide uniform packs. Great care is taken to avoid blemishes. Major Japanese growers have monorail systems for conveying the picked fruits and equipment from their hillside plantations.
Loquats generally will keep for 10 days at ordinary temperatures, and for 60 days in cool storage. After removal from storage, the shelf-life may be only 3 days.
The skin of the loquat is easily removed. Peeled and seeded fruits are eaten fresh, sometimes combined with sliced banana, orange sections and grated coconut. They are delicious simply stewed with a little sugar added. The fruits are also used in gelatin desserts or as pie-filling, or are chopped and cooked as a sauce. Loquats canned in syrup are exported from Taiwan. Some people prepare spiced loquats (with cloves, cinnamon, lemon and vinegar) in glass jars. The fruit is also made into jam and, when slightly underripe, has enough pectin to make jelly. The jelly was formerly manufactured commercially in California on a small scale.
- Mulberry
- Pakistan
- Persian
- Nectarine - Double Delight
- Pear - Warren
- Persimmon - Hachiya
- Plumbs
- Burgundy
- Weeping Santa Rosa
- Pomegranate - Ambrosia
- Strawberry Tree
- White Sapote - McDill
