Look at the beautiful loquats in this photo from reader Camilla. She is wondering what to do with all this fruit on her tree.
What do I do with loquats? I just moved to Southern California, and while I love the other fruit trees in my yard which I could identify, I spent a few weeks just trying to find out what the loquats were and now I've no idea what to do with them besides watching the squirrels and birds fight over the fallen fruit.
Camilla, lucky you! The loquat is a unique tree in that it bears fruit much earlier in the year, so April or May for California, and early spring or even late winter in other parts of the world. So while you have them, enjoy them! We think that the best way to use these is just to eat them straight. Peel the skin off the ripe fruit and enjoy!
But if you have a lot or want to try something else, they make great preserves. Loquats are distantly related to the apple, and they are high in pectin. So try simmering some together with a little sugar, water, and perhaps lemon zest until thick. Spread on toast and enjoy.
Readers — how do you like to use loquats?
Related: Good Question: Identify This Mystery Fruit!
(Image: Camilla)
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Wait till they're ripe and eat them fresh outside so the juice just runs on the ground and have spitting contests and celebrate when you get one with 4 or more pits!
view slipperymarshmallow's profile
we just ate ours fresh, right off the tree. one of our friends always took some to make jam. don't wait too long or each and every one will have a squirrel bite on it!
view foodefafa's profile
I have a tree and I just stand under it and peel and eat! I have to fight the squirrels off for sure, but so far I am winning!!!
view caterpillargirl's profile
Yes, eat them---and put bags of them on your neighbors' porches when they are not at home. Does anyone have a clever craft idea for using loquat seeds?
view SunnyBlue's profile
Oh yum... I love loquats... I always had a tree in the backyard growing up. They taste absolutely delightful straight off the branch but I can't help imagine they'd make a lovely tart and part of me wants to say they might got lovely with cottage cheese. The real issue with cooking with Loquats is that they would be difficult to prepare. You have to remove the skin, the two pits, and then also the weird tough skin that encases the pits in the center. Might be too much work, and who cares to cook 'em when they taste so nice just the way they are...
view Jesse Lu's profile
Also, I know they grow everywhere in spain... so you might look for a spanish recipe?
view Jesse Lu's profile
Jam sounds delightful. I'll give it a try!
view Roethke's profile
Reporting back: I made preserves with a little lemon and sugar, and they tasted divine. They took ages to peel and seed, though.
view Roethke's profile
They're popular in Asian sweets. After hearing they're hard to peel, though, I wonder if it would be worth candying them. I've never actually eaten one... but they grow all over my part of Houston.
view whytephoenix's profile
Oh!!! They are called biwa in Japan and I grew up eating them. I miss them terribly and they don't travel well so I don't see them too often in NYC. We ate them as is but I've seen them put on top of cakes, tarts, baked in cakes, etc.
Enjoy them!
view hareyakara's profile
I made a delicious chutney with some last year.
view jennywenny's profile
I used to have a loquat tree, and I would make chutney. They do take forever to prepare though because of how small they are and all the seeds.
view mollyjade's profile
I have a tree that produces a couple hundred pounds of loquats a season - this weekend I'm planning on canning some jelly and perhaps a loquat upside-down cake. It's also really good as a crumble.
Enjoy!
view Faith (L.A.)'s profile