Medlar Flower

Day 218: I fully expected the medlar tree to drop its buds after planting, but almost every tip now has a flower, and I'm hoping there are enough pollinators around to do the job. Technically, I suppose I shouldn't allow it to set fruit for a couple of years, but medlars are more vigorous than better-known fruit trees like apples, pears, peaches and such, so I think I'm simply going to let Nature take her course. Obviously, there won't be enough for a batch of jelly, but I can either freeze the juice to add to next year's crop, or I can eat medlars. Yes, the fruit of this unusual tree is edible, although most people cringe at the thought of eating it when it has turned to mush. It is actually quite tasty, somewhat honeyed, perhaps with notes of apple or rose. The texture is similar to that of persimmon, another oddity which has varieties suitable for the Pacific Northwest.