Berkeley Loquats: Doesn’t get more local (locqual?) than that

I had my first ever loquat on Saturday. How did this strange and wonderful fruit escape me all these years? We were leaving the farmers’ market and a man with a milk crate full of golden fruits on gnarled branches offered us a taste. He was selling the fruits from his backyard tree.

                                                                                                 
I’ve never been one to turn down a taste of anything. So good. Sweet and tart with a perfume-y finish and just enough tannin to keep things interesting. Exotic.
















So of course we bought a few bunches, brought them home, and took them right there on the kitchen table. We couldn’t get over how beautiful the glossy gold-brown seeds are. We’ve saved them in a little bowl because we can’t bear to throw them in the compost.