Comments on: Brandied loquats

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:26:19 +0000

Hi Mary Beth, unfortunately I don’t have any tricks to keep the color so nice — I didn’t do anything special, that’s just how they came out. I think my loquat jam also turns a rusty color, not red. Maybe it’s the variety.

Loquat baklava sounds like a great idea!

By: Mary Beth

Mary Beth — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 06:03:05 +0000

I forgot to say that I live in southern California.
I just bit into the loquat baklava I took out of the oven about half hour ago. It’s dellicious! I was just going to have one slice, but cant stop eating it. The recipe (June 2012 issue of Sunset magazine, page 90) called for apricots.

By: Mary Beth

Mary Beth — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 05:53:06 +0000

Hi Liz,
We have a loquat tree in our backyard and this is the first year we have done anything with them. I looked up recipes a couple months ago (we originally thought it was a kumquat tree) because our tree was bursting with fruit. I have picked over 100 pounds of fruit off the tree this year and have made dozens of jars of jam and jelly. They will be Christmas gifts for family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and the kids teachers. I just found your website tonight while searching for some loquat answers. I am excited to see more variety in recipes on your site. I can’t wait to try the ice cream, and the brandied loquats.
Here are a couplle questiions;
How do you keep the loquats from browning so fast? They look so good in your photos. I was peeling a batch of fruit tonight to make jam and squeezed some lemon juice into the bowl, but they all still turned brown.
My loquats rangge from yellow to orange in color. The first couple of batches of jelly I made came out a bautiful orange color. The rest are yellow~ still nice, but I prefer the orange. Is there any way to control the color of the finished product? The pulp Im cooking now turned a light brown color when the recipe (from a different site) said cook the pulp until it turns a cherry red. I’d much rather eat a jar of jam that is red rather than brown.
Thanks again for all the great recipes!

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:36:32 +0000

Hi Judy, I personally prefer working with firm loquats instead of overly ripe ones, but it might be a matter of taste. Thanks for the rum suggestion, and thanks for writing!

By: judy rahaeuser

judy rahaeuser — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:02:16 +0000

Hi! Just started looking for receipes for loquats.
Funny thing is, i forgot what the name of the tree planted in the yard about 12 years ago. So, first I had to ID my fruit tree-lol!
This is the first year with quite a few loquats on my tree.
Living in southern California, 40 miles SE of Los
Angeles, you see this trees around–not terribly common in this area, but they are a few.
Since my fruit color is a bit different, I realize I have a differnt variety of loquat than the trees I’ve seen locally.
My first mistake was thinking that the fruit should be dead ripe.
That is how I make my peach jam. Just before the peaches are starting to go bad-I just cut off the bruises or areas starting to go bad.
Guess you are suppose to start the jam making process BEFOFRE they get ripe for loquats.
Also–for those that like a bit of a kick, I add 1/4 cup of light rum to the end proces of making strawberry or peach jam. Everyone loves my jam made that way.
Think that, if my loquat fruit is still ok to use this year, I will make at least one batch with rum and see how it turns out.

Thankyou to all who wrote–the ideas (and where you are) makes me really believe we are all on spaceship Earth!

Peace & happy eating to all! Judy R in southern California.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:33:08 +0000

Hey, thanks for commenting. The information about the leaves is very interesting — I haven’t found much information about how they’re used.

I’d also presume that loquat pits contain the same poisons as other fruit pits, but I have no idea, and I also don’t know how much you’d have to consume in order to feel the effects.

By: Kerrick

Kerrick — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:43:56 +0000

Loquats are ripe now in my area, so I’ve just found your recipe. I’ll try it tonight! Maybe peeling them will be too much work, but I’ve heard if you blanch them the peels come off easily.

I have made a loquat tea from the leaves for a dry cough, as directed by an acupuncturist. The tea was also time consumingâ€”there are fine hairs on the underside of the leaf that take some rinsing and rubbing to remove before boiling the leavesâ€”but it didn’t hurt me, and seemed to help my cough. The syrup of the fruit itself also makes a good cough remedy, though, and is much more pleasant tasting.

The almondy flavor of apricot pit liqueur comes from cyanide compoundsâ€”just like the almondy flavor of actual almonds. I presume loquat pits contain the same toxin. Like anything else with toxic compoundsâ€”coffee, chocolate, potatoes, spinach, alcoholâ€”it’s the dose that makes the poison.

By: Molly

Molly — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:35:52 +0000

I haven’t thought about the shezek tree at my house in Jerusalem in many many years. I enjoyed reading many a book under the shade of that tree. Thank you for the reminder of that lovely spring.

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 12:49:39 +0000

Loquat salsa, that’s an interesting idea. I’ll keep it in mind for next loquat season.

If you ever find out more about the loquat pit liquor, I’d be interested. Sounds similar to the process of making amaretto (apricot pits) but this is the first I’ve heard about it.

Thanks for commenting!

By: Shoshana

Shoshana — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:57:27 +0000

Great article and discussion! I just finished a fantastic loquat salsa from my backyard tree’s fruit. Delicious! About the pits: I’ve heard that a liquor can be made from them, and has an amaretto flavor. Since you say they’re poisonous, I can only assume they’re discarded after the fermentation process. Greetings from Oaxaca, Mexico!