In Season: What to do with the sweet loquat

I'd never tasted a loquat until I moved to Sonoma County, where these interesting-looking trees grow all over the place.

That's because the climate here is darn near perfect for this member of the rose family. It's not too hot and humid, or too cool - conditions under which it won't set fruit. But when it does set fruit, what wonderful fruit it sets!

It likes California but will grow well in USDA zones 8 through 10, where it's planted as an ornamental for its big leaves and the dense shade it throws. It tends to fruit sporadically if at all in most of its range across the southeastern U.S. simply because it's picky about conditions for fruit set. But it loves the climate here in Sonoma County.

Sweetly - some think intensely - scented flowers appear in late fall or early winter, followed the next spring by panicles of fruits in clusters that range from as few as four to as many as 30. Each fruit is about an inch or two in length, round to oval, with yellow to orange skin that sometimes shows a red blush. The skin is smooth or very lightly downy.

The flesh inside is succulent, tangy, apricot-like, but juicier. Each fruit has from three to five large brown seeds - in fact, most of each fruit is taken up by the big seeds. The delicious flesh is almost an afterthought.

Kids who live around here, or anywhere in coastal California, must have a favorite loquat tree that they visit when the fruits are ripe - at least I hope they do. It's a memory reserved for youngsters lucky enough to live in loquat land. Luther Burbank did some work trying to improve the loquat but didn't get very far. Like the kids, he loved its flavor, calling it superior.

There's not a lot of commercial production of loquats, for several reasons. The fruits are fragile and need to be hand-harvested by snipping them from the panicles, leaving a stub of woody tissue. If they're pulled off, the fruits tear open and are spoiled.

They must be ripened to a soft stage on the tree, because they don't ripen further once picked off the tree, and if picked too early, they'll be unpleasantly acidic. Even when harvested at the right time, they should be eaten fresh or at least within a day or two. When you do find them commercially, it's usually just a few basketfuls at farmers markets or roadside stands, but mostly, your harvest will be the few handfuls you swipe off a neighbor's tree.

Despite their scarcity, they are worth looking for because they make excellent jams, jellies, tarts and fruit chutneys to accompany sweet meats like duck and pork. Most homeowners or growers don't need to spray them, so it's likely the non-commercial loquats will be pesticide-free, if not organic.

Loquats' botanical name is Eriobotrya japonica - the species name tells us that it's a native of Japan, but while it's prized in Japan, it's actually a native of southeastern China.

The fruits are high in sugar, acid, and pectin. They're a good source of phosphorus, potassium, and beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. The peel is five times richer in this nutrient than the pulp. Most loquats are eaten out of hand, but peeled and seeded fruit will star with other fruits in a raw compote - especially with tropical fruits like citrus, sliced banana and shredded coconut. They can be used in pies and tarts, in chutneys, and can be poached in a light sugar syrup. Make sure any you take from a tree have softened slightly and sweetened up. Firm loquats are sour and won't get sweeter after picking.

Look at the stem end and make sure they haven't torn there. Blotchy freckles on one side of the fruit usually are simply an indication they've been exposed to strong sun on that side. As they become fully tree-ripe, they lose some of their pectin, so commercial pectin may be needed to firm up jams and jellies.

There are two types of loquats - the Chinese and the Japanese groups - with two kinds of flesh - white in the case of the Chinese variety and orange in the Japanese type. Most of the cultivars you'll find here in California are the Japanese kind, with broad leaves and round to oval fruits and yellow to orange flesh, but white-fleshed fruits, though rarer, are grown.

As the loquat season is peaking in June, the strawberry season is coming on big time. This recipe combines them beautifully. Their flavors fit together like spoons in the silverware drawer.

Loquat and Strawberry Jam

Makes 4-5 cups

3 cups seeded loquats

2 cups organic strawberries

1 box fruit pectin

6 cups sugar

Trim and wash the strawberries. Seed the loquats. You can peel them if you wish, but it's not necessary if you want the nutrition available in their peels.

Put the strawberries and loquats in a saucepan with a half cup or so of water.

Cook gently over a low heat, and mash with a potato masher until the ingredients form a thick mixture. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.

Add the pectin and stir it in until it dissolves, stirring from the bottom to prevent sticking. Turn up the heat until it achieves a rolling boil, stirring frequently. Add the sugar and boil until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has boiled for one minute.

Immediately pack into sterilized jelly jars and seal according to jar manufacturer's directions, usually in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Jeff Cox is a Kenwood-based food and garden writer. Reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net