Jujubes - photo from www.ediblelandscaping.com
I've only eaten one jujube in my entire life, and I didn't really like it. It was a Lang jujube, and it to me it tasted like a wooden apple. So why plant some? Well first of all, I'm a crazy person who can't stand not growing something. Second, after reading more about jujubes, I realized that I probably shouldn't let one experience sour me on a potentially amazing fruit for Houston.
I read that Lang is actually a variety that it better for drying, not fresh eating. According to several sources, the varieties 'Honey Jar', 'Sherwood', 'Sugarcane', and 'Tigertooth' are the best for fresh eating. Unfortunately, they're very hard to find. Since I have young children, it's very hard for me to make it to the big fruit tree sales, and forget about finding some of the best varieities from online nurseries.
So what can you do? Email Roger Meyer at [email protected]. His website is kind of weird, if not incomplete, but he has varieties of jujubes you won't find anywhere else. Before ordering, I got lots of mixed feedback from other members of the Texas Rare Fruit Growers Club, so I wasn't sure I wanted to risk ordering from him. In the end, my compulsion to grow fruit trees won out, so I emailed Roger and ordered a 'Honey Jar' and a 'Sugar Cane.' $22 each plus $10 shipping. Pretty good deal, all things considered. I also added a 'Honey Jar' to my order for a fellow fruit enthusiast so we could save a little on shipping.
Just a few days later, a packaged arrived from California. I got home from work, anxious to see whether or not the trees were in good shape or not. I was very happy to open up the box, and find just what I had hoped for. The bare-rooted jujubes looked fine, and the grafts looked good to me. I quickly placed them in 3-gallon pots with potting soil to keep the roots moist until I could transplant them to their permanent home in the yard. I can't wait for them to fruit so I can taste the unique flavors of these varieties. If any one else is growing these, let me know how they taste.
I read that Lang is actually a variety that it better for drying, not fresh eating. According to several sources, the varieties 'Honey Jar', 'Sherwood', 'Sugarcane', and 'Tigertooth' are the best for fresh eating. Unfortunately, they're very hard to find. Since I have young children, it's very hard for me to make it to the big fruit tree sales, and forget about finding some of the best varieities from online nurseries.
So what can you do? Email Roger Meyer at [email protected]. His website is kind of weird, if not incomplete, but he has varieties of jujubes you won't find anywhere else. Before ordering, I got lots of mixed feedback from other members of the Texas Rare Fruit Growers Club, so I wasn't sure I wanted to risk ordering from him. In the end, my compulsion to grow fruit trees won out, so I emailed Roger and ordered a 'Honey Jar' and a 'Sugar Cane.' $22 each plus $10 shipping. Pretty good deal, all things considered. I also added a 'Honey Jar' to my order for a fellow fruit enthusiast so we could save a little on shipping.
Just a few days later, a packaged arrived from California. I got home from work, anxious to see whether or not the trees were in good shape or not. I was very happy to open up the box, and find just what I had hoped for. The bare-rooted jujubes looked fine, and the grafts looked good to me. I quickly placed them in 3-gallon pots with potting soil to keep the roots moist until I could transplant them to their permanent home in the yard. I can't wait for them to fruit so I can taste the unique flavors of these varieties. If any one else is growing these, let me know how they taste.
Delivery from Roger Meyer.
Three bare root jujube trees. 2 Honey Jar, and 1 Sugarcane.
Roots packed with wet grass clippings and mulch to keep them moist.
Potted jujube trees.
Close up of one of the grafts.
