10 Comments
May 26, 2023Liked by Evan Kleiman

When I was growing up in Santa Barbara we would eat loquats in the afternoons as we rode horses around the neighborhood. We could reach the higher fruit from horseback! Great memories.

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I live in SF and have memorized the location of all the trees that I can access from the street :) In Japan they are called Biwa. As is the case with any fruit grown for the Japanese consumer the ones I saw there were huge and cosmetically perfect! I love introducing them to people who have never tried, or heard of them.

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Hi Evan, I am not sure you got my previous comment on loquats, but this may amuse you:

In Morocco, where loquat trees are ubiquitous, the word "loquat", equates with "joke." The fruit are small and sort of sweet--they need a good kick if you stuff them with meat.

Kitty Morse

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May 27, 2023Liked by Evan Kleiman

I grew up in the LA South Bay, where we had a loquat tree in the backyard — one of the only ones in our neighborhood. So delicious. Now I live in the SF South Bay, and they are everywhere!

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Growing up in New Orleans in the ‘60s, we had a 30-foot loquat tree (we called it a Japanese plum) in the front yard, a tree we laddered down from our second story balcony after Hurricane Betsy left our usual egress impassable. We ate the fruit with abandon all season, the most delicious treat there was, I thought. Nearly 60 years later when my new neighbor in Wilmington, NC, lost her enormous loquat to fire blight, I was distraught because I had been so hopeful to relive that childhood delight. But this spring, in my yard, I found a 4-inch tall volunteer with those familiar fuzzy leaves. I surgically removed it from its completely inadequate spot and installed it in a place of honor in my backyard, where I’m tending it like a child. Someday... someday...

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May 25, 2023Liked by Evan Kleiman

Our dog Fudgie ate them all the time. He sat under the tree!

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May 25, 2023Liked by Evan Kleiman

I have more fruit than ever on the tree in my front yard - volunteer that grew after we moved into the house. Unfortunately most of the fruit is showing mold on the flower end. I've just been cutting it off and eating the rest...

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I have a happy memory of a huge loquat tree in my grandmother’s yard in Berkeley. It was right next to the swing set where my brothers and cousins and I would spend Sunday afternoons. I remember feasting on the ripe fruit and spitting the pits everywhere. It seemed that you had to eat a lot of fruit to feel satisfied because the pits were so big. After a while we’d give up and just start throwing them at each other. Thanks for bringing back a memory. Now I’m going to start looking for loquats trees in surrounding neighborhoods. Maybe I can summon the courage to ask for some of the fruit. I’d love to try making a pie!

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