Tuesday 27 May 2014

Nisparo

 
It was fifteen years ago that our family went for a holiday to Majorca. We were staying in the small town of Puerta Pollensa, in the north of the island.  
 
 
 During the trip we visited a friend of Celias, a lovely woman called Antonia. She lived in a typical Spanish home of the region. A single story house, painted white, and with green shutters on every window. The garden was enclosed by a white wall, and typically had lemons, olives and nisparo.
 
We didn't speak Spanish, and she didn't speak English, but thankfully Celia spoke both, and so conversations were possible, and a lovely afternoon was had catching up with each others lives.
She cooked us one of the best paellas I have ever had, and it was shared around a large table with some of her family.
 
 
Of course, I took an interest in her garden, and in particular the Nisparo (or Loquat as it's also known), which I had never seen before. She had brought a bowl of it's fruit in for pudding, and the sweet and unusual flavour had made me curious about the plant. With Antonias permission, I picked a few fruit to take home, some to eat, and some to grow if I could.
 
Nisparo - Eriobotrya japonica
 
The seeds are quite beautiful in themselves, a shiny bronze colour. I planted one single seed, and have waited....and waited.
 

 

 Nisparo are difficult to get to fruit in this country, and would normally take around twelve years to reach a mature enough age to do so. I looked out of our kitchen window a couple of days ago, and there at the end of the garden I spied fruit forming....fifteen years later.

The seeds on our tree
 
Yay!...now they just need to ripen.


13 comments:

  1. Wow, you must have been very excited to see them. Just one seek planted and it came to fruition it was meant to be :)

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    1. I must admit to running indoors to tell Amanda about it, and we never thought the climate would allow it to fruit!

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  2. Hello Gary:

    This is a wonderful story and how exciting that, at long last, your own fruit is forming. After such a wait we really do hope that all will be well and nothing go amiss. You deserve that for your patience alone.

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    1. Good morning Jane and Lance,
      We have certainly waited a long time. Nisparo grow well in this country, but don't often have the correct heat/rain balance to fruit. Sadly now though Antonia has passed away, but hopefully we shall once again enjoy fruits from her tree.

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  3. HURRAY! That's great! You did not cut the tree down because it wasn't producing, you let it grow and now it is bringing forth its fruit when it was ready.

    FlowerLady

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    1. Hi Lorraine,
      There were times when we were tempted to cut it down, but the leaves are rather attractive, even If it never fruited. I suppose it also held some fond memories for us. Plants eh?

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  4. Is it growing in the ground? Or do you have it in a pot that you bring indoors?

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    1. Good evening Doc,
      It's growing in the ground, and is now about 12ft x 10ft.

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  5. What a discovery and so wonderful that you got the tree to grow. Fruit is a super bonus!

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    1. Good morning Sherlock,
      Getting the tree to grow was reward enough, but the fruit forming is the icing on the cake.

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  6. i guess climate change can be advantageous for some!

    i congratulate you on your patience

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    1. Hi Kylie,
      Climate change is becoming very apparent here in the UK, although those in power would deny it. Thanks for dropping by.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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