One tree that puzzled our visitors this autumn was the medlar, it’s a small garden tree that bares brown fruits with a rather unique shape. Medlars (Mesipilus germanica) were at their peak of popularity in Victorian times, affluent Victorian households laid down jars of medlar jelly as a Christmas conserve.
The fruit is harvested in November but cannot be eaten until it has rotted, or ‘bletted’.
Bletted fruit is softened and full of brown pulp, I can assure you the taste is better than you would expect, sweet toffee apple with a hint of lemon.
Also see the Garden and Grounds