Loquat Tree Great Food Producer
The Loquat grows into a small tree are a large bush. It can reach heights of 30 feet tall but 20 is more common even in very old trees. Incidentally the Loquat tree can reach ages of about 50 years old.
The Loquat tree is native to southeast Asia has leaves that are similar to Southern Magnolia leave but have toothed margins and are more pointy... lanceolate shaped. The Leave can easily be longer than your entire hand. The fruits are a medium sized fruit about two to three inches long depending on the variety of which there are many. The color of the loquat fruit is mostly yellow tending to maybe orange when fully ripe. They have a slight fuzz on the skin like a peach but not as much fuzz. The fuzz is easily removed by simply wiping it off.
The fruits ripen in the late winter to spring depending on variety and are shifted a bit by your local climate. This shift could be earlier or slightly later. The taste of the fruit is said to be a comparable to a apricot/peach mix, very sweet also depending on the variety.
The fruit is edible straight off the tree but it doesn't last, only about a week, so to eat it raw you must eat it all quickly. The good news is that there is a very easy way that you can preserve it and store it for later use. And honestly I think eating it raw is one of the less desirable way to eat a loquat. Don't misunderstand there are a lot of people that really love them straight off the tree.
The best way to preserve them in a survival situation is to dehydrate them. Here is how. Cut the fruit in half the same way you would an artichoke. Remove the seeds of which there may be two or there may be as many as five or six. Plant the seed for more Loquat trees! After removing the seeds there will be an easily removed skin that was between the seeds and the flesh of the fruit. You can simply remove that with you finger, no tools needed.
Next, place the fruit in an oven with the temperature between 110 and 120 degrees F. It will take about 12 hours and in that time the fruits will shrink dramatically. Place the dried fruit in an air tight jar and enjoy them over a much longer time period as a snack or diet supplement.
The fruit can also be used in pies, cobblers or jellies.
And here is a crazy way to eat a loquat tree that I am guessing you would never have ever considered. Loquat leaf tea!!!
I am not a big tea lover, but loquat tea made from the leaves is actually quite good. Just pluck off about three leaves to make a single batch. Remove the hair from the leaves by simply rubbing it off. Much more difficult than removing the fuzz from the fruit but actually not hard at all. Some people skip this step altogether. Some health benefits you get from the leaves might be reduced if the leaves are scrubbed. The leaves contain compounds that help with the lungs, liver skin and help with lowering blood sugar levels, cholesterol as well as providing vitamins such as Vitamin A. It is even is supposed to reduce sneezing.
But I digress. Place the leaves in a pot with an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil than simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove or strain the remaining water. It should basically look like apple juice or grape juice. Adjust the amount of water in subsequent attempts to get the proper concentration for your taste or simply dilute to adjust strength. Taste nice and is healthy to boot!
More Details about the plant
What is a Loquat tree? Loquat aka Japanese Plum (Eriobotrya japonica) is a small evergreen tree. Loquats are related to apples although the fruit is more peachy than appley. Do not eat the seeds but the rest of the fruit can be eaten. Some people prefer to peel the skin away and again, no tools required. An ungrafted tree grown from seed will probably produce its first fruit when it is between the ages of six and ten.
Loquat trees when young are a bit sensitive to high heat and scorching temperatures that you might experience in the desert southwest. Just keep them hydrated and provide some partial shade. After that they can tolerate harsher conditions without any precautions. The mature trees are both drought and wind tolerant. Most varieties are self-pollinating but a few others are not, so it is a good idea to have a couple for pollination but it is also a good idea to have multiple trees so that all your eggs aren't in the same proverbial basket too.
Loquat trees prefer full sun but will certainly tolerate partial shade. It sort of depends on your local climate as to which is best but really they aren't all that picky. As with any young tree, water the tree enough to keep the soil lightly moist. Over time watering can be reduced and in most places the tree can be left unfertilized and unwatered after it becomes established. Initially keep a layer of mulch around the base to suppress weeds.
As mentioned low temps below 27 degrees F will begin killing the fruit. High heat and scorching temps with little water can in some areas cause the fruit to drop as well. Not as widespread a problem as low temps it just depends on where you live. If your tree suffers from this you can often see it in the leaves as well as they can become scorched and die.
Fire blight is the worst disease you will likely have to deal with. In wet humid climates I have read that fertilizing the tree can actually cause the tree to more easily catch fire blight. Fire blight is a bacterial disease. The disease occurs in spring after the temperatures reach 60 degrees F. Fire blight is more prevalent in climates that are warm and also humid with a good bit of rain. Infected plants will have their flowers turn black and fall off. It will then move down the tree as it progresses. Remove all infected parts of the tree by cutting off the affected leaves and affected branches. It is better to take off a bit more of the affected branch than appears infected to be safe. Clean and sanitize any tools used in the pruning.
