[jonewer]

Has anyone ever grown or even tasted medlars before?

I'm toying with the idea of getting one in the garden but dont really know what they're like at all.....

Thanks.

[purplejaguar]

We have just bought one and put it in the Graden, waiting to see now what the fruit tastes like .
Its also known as the Dog's A**s Tree lol  .

[tosca100]

We have just bought one and put it in the Graden, waiting to see now what the fruit tastes like .
Its also known as the Dog's A**s Tree lol  .

Yes, I can see that!
Local farm shop has two medlars dripping fruit and also two quince, also heavy with fruit. No doubt it will all be wasted, they are at the entrance where no-one goes.

[jonewer]

Yeah... want a quince also.

Wife keeps moaning about why we cant have normal fruit like other people 

[missycat]

There's a medlar on our allotment site. I was told that the fruit is ready to pick in November so will try it then. Everyone who tried it last year said it's disgusting! I think it's usually grown as a novelty rather than a crop.

[peterjf]

the only medlers i know of is the old guys on our allotment site in hull , you know the medlers i mean , dont do that , do this , etc etc

ive counted 4 this year

[Pip Judgeford]

Love those medlars (trees that is ).  I get 400-500 fruit a season.  The flowers are beautiful, the tree is attractively gnarly in shape and the fruit are...interesting.  "An acquired taste" is the expression I think.

 I let them blet (blet= wot you do to medlars: look them up in the dictionary!), cook them just covered in water, sieve the pulp and use for chutneys, jams & cheese.  Blackberry and medlar jam is to die for :  rich blackberry taste and velvet mouth feel from the medlar texture.  Medlar cheese made with a smigden of chilli is fab

Good on you for growing an ancient and noble tree. 

Pip

[Mr Red]

Last year ITV had a countrified programme showing a jam maker that made medlar jam.

They showed the process and stated they used un-bletted fruit. Very specifically. Further research will show that there is consensus that getting Medlar jelly to set requires more pectin than bletted fruit provide. Adding un-bletted fruit - or as the professional jam maker stated all un-bletted is the way to go.

They also invited people with Medlar trees to call on them and they would pick the fruit. Paying in jam - I assume.

They chopped the fruit, added water and boiled. Strain as expected.

You can bake them as per apples - with butter and cloves. and make wine.  Search for these topics and there are a myriad recipes (and opinions).

[gremlin]

I planted a medlar 15 years ago.  Var "Monsterous"

Lovely tree - vaguely related to a pear. Beautiful blossom. Only drawback is that when the unpicked fruit eventually drops off by itself in Dec/Jan it goes very squishy on the grass and is revolting to tread on the following spring in bare feet. 

You dont eat the fruit even after it has softened - but we make it into medlar jam (jelly) It's taken a few goes to get it right. It generally goes too solid and rubbery and it needs much less boiling than jam -  'er indoors says.

We plan to pick medlars this weekend, blet in cool dark place for a month and it's out with the jam making cauldron.