Jujube

 

Jujube is an unusual and probably somewhat underutilized fruit. A sprawling tree with thorns, it won’t win any arboreal beauty contests, but it is vigorous and highly productive. Its very palatable winter fruit tastes rather like a miniature Granny Smith apple, but sweeter. 

 

The ripening fruit of the jujube starts green, then turns yellowish, which is the perfect stage for eating out of hand. If left on the tree, it becomes darker yellow with brown patches, and eventually dark brown. By that time, it’s very sweet, but has a strong, fermented taste that most of us find rather unpleasant.

The jujube tree is a famously vigorous and wild grower, spreading fifteen or twenty feet in a single year. We prune ours back extremely aggressively to control its expanse. Our Giant Thai jujube, furnished by Fruitscapes Nursery on Pine Island, was planted in late 2015. It took substantial damage in Hurricane Irma, but bounced back fast and produced its first market fruit in early 2019.