I did not know…

…quite what to make of these when I saw them in my little local grocer’s (not one of the huge chain stores), so I took a few shots and did some research!

Juju Apples

From the Upland Nursery web site:

Jujube Apples

The jujube is a small, deciduous tree, growing to 40 feet tall in Florida, but smaller in size in California.  The naturally drooping tree is graceful, ornamental and often thorny with branches growing in a zig-zag pattern.  The wood is very hard and strong. Jujube cultivars vary in size and conformation, with some being very narrow in habit and others being more widespread.  One cultivar, the So, seems to be fairly dwarfing in habit.  After 30 years of growth in an average site, trees can be 30 feet tall with a crown diameter of up to 15 feet.

Fruit: The fruit is a drupe, varying from round to elongate and from cherry-size to plum-size depending on cultivar.  It has a thin, edible skin surrounding whitish flesh of sweet, agreeable flavor. The single hard stone contains two seeds.  The immature fruit is green in color, but as it ripens it goes through a yellow-green stage with mahogany-colored spots appearing on the skin as the fruit ripens further.  The fully mature fruit is entirely red.

Shortly after becoming fully red, the fruit begins to soften and wrinkle.  The fruit can be eaten after it becomes wrinkled, but most people prefer them during the interval between the yellow-green stage and the full red stage.  At this stage the flesh is crisp and sweet, reminiscent of an apple.

Under dry conditions jujubes lose moisture, shrivel and become spongy inside.  Tests in Russia indicate a very high vitamin C content.  The fruit has been used medicinally for millennia by many cultures.  One of its most popular uses is as a tea for sore throat.

Harvest: The crop ripens non-simultaneously, and fruit can be picked for several weeks from a single tree.  If picked green, jujubes will not ripen. Ripe fruits may be stored at room temperature for about a week.  The fruit may be eaten fresh, dried or candied.

I didn’t buy any…maybe next time, because they do sound interesting, don’t they?