My ride today went past a couple of orchards with mulberry trees overladen with berries. Mostly red, but a couple of ripe ones here and there. Peak season in these parts can only be 2-3 weeks away :discodance:
Pineapples sure are good lately!
Where do you live? In the north the mulberries ripen around late August early Sept. At least the wild ones we go picking from.
I concur!
One of the better threads here on Forumosa! Yeah - Taiwan has awesome fruit!
So, I’ll add my random observations:
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The mulberries are out (or is that “in”) now, at least in the middle of Taiwan. The round ones (a bit sour) are best used for juices and jams. For whatever reason, it seems that sour fruit is better for jams and juices. After eating some of the round ones, plain and unsugared, I agree. (My neighbor just gave me a sample from her garden.) My neighbor also gave me some long mulberries - they’re sweet, juicy and have an almost passionfruit flavor when you eat the stem with them (no sugar required). For plain old eating off the bush/tree, try to get some of the long ones! First time I’ve had the long ones - what a delicious treat!
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The little Taiwan green mangoes are so good this year. A bit stringy near the pit - but who cares! The flavor and texture is amazing!
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I know, it’s not from Taiwan, but … the (currently available that I’ve tried) imported Thai durian are overpriced and … not good. If you like durian, at least ask for a sample before you buy - at any price. Hopefully, they will get (much) better with successive shipments.
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The papayas and pineapples I’ve had lately have been hit and miss. Some have been wonderful, some just OK. I love the “milk” pineapples (for their visual whitish color) but they cost more. They are worth it! That said, I’m sticking with milk pineapple, if I can find it.
As for the better-tasting papayas, I dunno. Look and feel don’t seem to indicate flavor.
Any suggestions on how to assess a tasty, flavorful papaya?
I’m just after eating myself some tasty ‘ba jiao’, the primitive wilder cousin small bananas you can find here, they rock. It’s like they shrunk all the flavour of three regular bananas into a pint sized stickier version. Interestingly enough the same phenomenon happens if you eat guava from some of the semi wild trees planted decades ago dotted about Taiwan, they pack a much bigger flavour bunch than the modern supersized milky version.
All over Taichung the trees are flowering now, first the flowers, then the fruit.
Love those. try one with some peanuts
Mulberries all over the trees here in Xin City right now. Making a right bloody mess of the car. The little bananas are indeed amazing, but for me right now, nothing can beat the loquats, which are out now. A bit of a fiddle to eat but boy, are they ever GOOD!
My wife just brought home a few bags of these:
I immediately thought of what Lost Swede had been posting about, but I don’t think so. There’s no skin to them, intensely sour, practically citrusy, yet pleasant, not astringent, grape sized berries with a pit. Very nice
That looks just like them, but the ones I had were preserved I guess. Any idea what they are?
Oh and I just took delivery of 4kg’s worth of huge Lychees… :lick:
[quote=“IYouThem”]As for the better-tasting papayas, I dunno. Look and feel don’t seem to indicate flavor.
Any suggestions on how to assess a tasty, flavorful papaya?[/quote]
Pick one that’s ripe if possible. The scent is a good indicator. The skin doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be more yellowish than green. It helps to let the fruit ripen for a day or two in room temperature, and having some bananas nearby speeds up the ripening process. 
Yellow watermellon…so sweeeet!
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]That looks just like them, but the ones I had were preserved I guess. Any idea what they are?
:[/quote]
Think I finally have the answer, Rubus rosifolius or something similar, locally known as 樹梅
so that’s shu4 mei2, never seen those before. Anything sour is good, have to ask around.
was standing in a watermelon field today, as you do. That watermelon plant, boy, is it ugly. Low, straggly sort of plant, with dry dusty-looking leaves that have a rough hairy underside. But it sits there pumping water day after day into its fruits, forming these monstrous watermelons.
Plant and fruit : chalk and cheese.
[quote=“Nuit”]so that’s shu4 mei2, never seen those before. Anything sour is good, have to ask around.
[/quote]
They are wonderful with some syrup. Season is short though I hear.
Looking closer, the plants you see them growing on don’t look like Rubus (raspberry/blackberry family) type plants. Haven’t been able to find a definitive species ID for them.
far as I know , mangosteen is not grown in taiwan at all. Mangosteen is imported from Thailand I believe. Taiwan also imports durian and rambutan from Thailand i understand. I LOVE mangosteen.[/quote]
just overdosed on mangosteens in south thailand. Really really tasty fruit. I’ve never seen them here, but they are in season. Can they be got in Taipei at the moment?
[quote=“Nuit”]
just overdosed on mangosteens in south thailand. Really really tasty fruit. I’ve never seen them here, but they are in season. Can they be got in Taipei at the moment?
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god those are the best. you used to able to find them here, but I haven’t seen them in recent years. none in sabah that I saw unfortunately, just those snakeskin things, sigh.
too bad. you’d think as there such a great taste, they’d be grown here. Funny how each country has their own favourite fruits.
could it be that taiwans weather is not suited to the fruit? Im sure it would sell if the price was less. Mangosteen, yummy. WE have them here imported from thailand but way too expensive for me. And i dont think the fruit travels well.
Suddenly getting really into 杨桃 (yang-tao) starfruit. They’re so juicy, with that citrus undercurrent.
Don’t like to cut them into stars, mind. Prefer to slice lengths off down the ribs, then nibble away at the core that’s left.
