As summer is sneaking up on me, I’m starting to think about various fruit I would love to try. My fruit forays have slowed in the last year, but believe me, I still think about finding those elusive little gems that hide in the most unassuming spots. Here are a few that I’ve heard of but have never come across. I’d do a little happy dance (or three) if I could get my hands on some of these. This list isn’t even close to exhaustive, just a few that are swirling round in my brain in no particular order…
Relatively common but a variety I want:
Peacotum
Paw Paw
Mamey Sapote
Surinam Cherry
Fruit with an unusual color:
Blue Apricot
Blue Java Banana (Ice Cream Banana)
Pink Cherimoya
White Blueberry
Pink and Purple Finger Limes
Fruit with a cool name:
Bastard Cherry
Delicious Monsters
Congo Goobers
Lovi-lovi
Num-num
Umbrella Fruit
Doctor Hogg Apple
Exotic fruit:
Lilly Pilly
Camu-Camus
Cashew Apple
Biriba
Peanut Butter Fruit
Star Apple
Jaboticaba
Ice Cream Bean
And tons of berries (I’ve hardly tried any):
Salmonberry
Loganberry
Cloudberry
Chokeberry
Jostaberry
Seaberry
Honeyberry
We get salmonberries around here. I find them to be very mild. They’re my friend’s favorite, but either the ones I’ve had weren’t very ripe yet, or I just prefer stronger flavors in my berries. Doubt you’d think it worth the drive up the coast–unless you’re looking for any excuse or have other reasons to visit Washington or British Columbia. Or Oregon or northern California. Not sure how far south they grow. (I’m in BC.) Salmonberry season approaches, however. Maybe this year I’ll see if I can collect enough to make something with them.
I love the Northwest. I’m always looking for a reason to visit. I need to go since that appears to be the berry kingdom up there.
From my perspective some of those are the relatively common ones 🙂 Not that I’ve actually gotten the chance to try any of them…can’t buy the fruit and I need more room to grow them. I’ve got a pawpaw and a type of ice cream bean (pacay actually) but no fruit yet. I’ve got to ask about the blue apricot and white blueberry though. I’ve heard of blue American persimmons, pink blueberries, and white blackberries, but never blue apricots and white blueberries. Do you happen to have any more information on those ones?
The blue apricot and the white blueberry were listed in a book on fruit I was reading. I haven’t found them on the internet anywhere, so perhaps that isn’t their official name – who knows.
I’ve never heard of the blue persimmon – I’ll add that to my list. And how did I forget the pink lemonade blueberry! Thanks for the reminder @Party Cactus.
I have a blue persimmon tree in my backyard. Didn’t know if it was safe to eat so I’m giving it a try. More prolific than any tree I’ve ever seen. But weird looking.
Oh Nina – a blue persimmon!?! That’s sound sooooo cool. Fruit that is a fun color is my absolute favorite. How does it taste? I would love to get my hands on one of those. Thanks for telling me about it. I hadn’t heard of it.