We have a terrible problem right now. Our wax apple tree is ripening hundreds and hundreds of fruit.
Before we moved here, I’d never seen a wax apple. I had heard the name somewhere, but I couldn’t describe the tree or the fruit if I were put on the spot.
Now I’m eating at least a half-dozen of them every day.
The slightly underripe fruit have a flavor similar to a green apple, but the fully ripe fruit is sweet with a hint of a rose-like bouquet on the palate. They retain their crisp, apple-like crunch even at peak ripeness.
The tree itself is quite beautiful and the fluffy white flowers betray their relation to guavas, though you’d never know it by the flavor. The Latin name is Syzygium samarangense, just in case you want to amaze your friends with your grasp of the ancient language of the Caesars.
The tree should grow quite well in South Florida but you’d probably have to use my south wall trick to grow it further north in the state. It’s also good for Southern California and I’ve had a report that it grows in South Texas as well.
There’s a good article with a lot more information on the wax apple here.
Here’s a video on this tree I posted yesterday:
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Have a great Wednesday… I’m off down the hill to check on my grain corn!
13 responses to “Too Many Wax Apples”
Does *everyone* have an embarrassment of wax apples? I can easily see your family setting up a temporary farm stand and selling fruit- great homeschooling experience!
No, there are actually not all that many trees that I’ve seen. The Chinese brought them in to share as part of a research project and now a few folks are growing them here and there. I don’t know if there’s a market for them or not, but it would likely be worth trying to sell some as a test.
I am in such an admiration and envy state watching your video. Every time I visited Taiwan, I made sure that I visited in the season. I will eat about 25 to 50 a day. It’s not easy to grow them in Southern California. I was finally able to grow two trees… one is 5 feet tall and staying at 5.5 feet for two years – no fruit for 5 years now. There are flowers now… I am so worried about their well beings. One is 7 feet tall. It had 100 plus wax apple last year. Not a shadow of any flowers now. :( Before the tree, I used to go to a Chinese market and buy them. 2 lb bag is between $20-30. And it’s hard to find. :(
Are your fruit sweet. I like them juicy and slightly sweet! Thanks for sharing. It’s my only favorite fruit growing up.
Very interesting, David! Thanks for sharing – I get the idea that you guys are enjoying your new homestead!
Thanks, Rob. We’re having fun. Working hard, too. I spent the morning working with a native guy to clear up the corn field we planted a few weeks back. The weeds grow so fast here it’s incredible.
If you need a live in weeder, let me know, I am available. I weed 9 hours a day, but no windows! Amazing the difference a thousand miles or so makes to the difference in agriculture.
I guess dehydrating or canning them would be a waste of time if the pretty much perpetually fruit.
Yes. Come help weed.
I wonder what wax apple wine would be like.
I like the way you think.
Wax Jambu does indeed grow well in south Florida.
And it will attract every fruit fly in a 50 mile radius.
Shame really, because I really like them.
The nasty parasitic flies that drill into the fruit, or the ones that feast on the fallen rotting fruit?
Both!