On 3/4/05 4:12 pm, in article
, "Totty"
wrote:

Thank you for your welcomes, Duncan & Sacha.
snip of fascinating account
I have struggled here for twenty years, and now work on the premise
that if a wild plant does well, don't fight it. The small bright pink
flowers of our resident bindweed provide colour without being too
invasive.

Is that Ipomoea - morning glory which I think of as purple but I *think*
there's a pink one as well. It grows like a weed, literally, in Med.
Countries.

What does well? In flower at the moment are wisteria, yellow
jasmin, lavender, sage, roses, orange trees, dymorphia (known locally
as matacabras...goat killers) kalanchoe and freesias, which propogate
easily from seed here. I also have a flowering shrub sold locally as
'Polygona' which has a purple pea flower throughout the year.

I think this is what we call Polygala? It's a lovely plant but not hardy
here.

snip
Nisperos sold in nurseries are grafted onto quince, but
they grow well from seed, just take longer to fruit. If you can't track
down a plant, I could send some seeds over when the fruit are in season
as they need to be planted fresh. The seeds look like small chestnuts.

As I look out the window at a cold, grey Sunday, I'm very envious of your
description, poor soil or not! But what is a nispero - I don't think I know
that at all?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Is that Ipomoea - morning glory which I think of as purple but I
*think*
there's a pink one as well. It grows like a weed, literally, in Med.
Countries.

No Sacha, not the bright blue, large flowered Ipomoea. This rampages up
telephone poles and smothers anything it can get a grip on. *My*
bindweed is more like the lesser bindweed of UK, but with hairy leaves.
Flowers are about 1" in diameter. There is also a white flowered
version, but I don't have it....yet.

I think this is what we call Polygala? It's a lovely plant but not
hardy
here.

There was a single speciman in the garden when we bought the house
twenty years ago. About 5 years ago, it suddenly started to seed
itself around the garden. I now pot a few of these up just after
germination as they will not happily stand transplanting later. They
are expensive to buy here, so I give them away as pot plants. They can
be trained into attractive standards.

But what is a nispero - I don't think I know
that at all?

I first came across it in Portugal back in 1966, then didn't come
across it again until came here to the Costa Blanca. I think it is a
type of medlar - I know it is grafted onto quince, and the latin name
is Mespilus Germanica L. and it belongs to the rose family. If you put
the word 'nispero' into an image search engine you will get an idea. I
use it to make chutney, as it is the one fruit that I can't eat raw. It
is very sweet, but at the same time acidic.
Jo

On 3/4/05 17:08, in article
, "Totty"
wrote:

Is that Ipomoea - morning glory which I think of as purple but I
*think*
there's a pink one as well. It grows like a weed, literally, in Med.
Countries.

No Sacha, not the bright blue, large flowered Ipomoea. This rampages up
telephone poles and smothers anything it can get a grip on. *My*
bindweed is more like the lesser bindweed of UK, but with hairy leaves.
Flowers are about 1" in diameter. There is also a white flowered
version, but I don't have it....yet.

I think I know what you mean but it sounds lovely - even if a weed with you!
It would probably be a carefully nurtured, hovered over tender thing here.

I think this is what we call Polygala? It's a lovely plant but not
hardy
here.

There was a single speciman in the garden when we bought the house
twenty years ago. About 5 years ago, it suddenly started to seed
itself around the garden. I now pot a few of these up just after
germination as they will not happily stand transplanting later. They
are expensive to buy here, so I give them away as pot plants. They can
be trained into attractive standards.

"Seed itself around".....sigh......! ;-)

But what is a nispero - I don't think I know
that at all?

I first came across it in Portugal back in 1966, then didn't come
across it again until came here to the Costa Blanca. I think it is a
type of medlar - I know it is grafted onto quince, and the latin name
is Mespilus Germanica L. and it belongs to the rose family. If you put
the word 'nispero' into an image search engine you will get an idea. I
use it to make chutney, as it is the one fruit that I can't eat raw. It
is very sweet, but at the same time acidic.

Ah - we planted a medlar a couple of years ago, and I'm waiting happily for
it to fruit. AIUI, with medlars you wait for them to be almost rotten
before eating them. I have at the back of my mind that you eat this year's
next year, sort of thing.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

It would probably be a carefully nurtured, hovered over tender thing
here.

LOL. When my husband is struggling to tame some particularly tough
tussocks "in the bottom" (level) I tell him that UK garden centres are
charging the earth for his weeds, and he shakes his head in wonder!

I have at the back of my mind that you eat this year's
next year, sort of thing.

I did read somewhere that you should put them in a drawer and forget
about them. Storage is not possible with the nispero, even
transportation is difficult as they bruise very easily, so that is the
main reason they are rarely exported.
Jo

Sacha wrote:

Ah - we planted a medlar a couple of years ago, and I'm waiting happily for
it to fruit. AIUI, with medlars you wait for them to be almost rotten
before eating them.

I've seen some discussion of medlars on the North American Fruit Explorer's
E-list. An ancient relative of pears, I believe.... the process is called
"bletting," and it's sort of controlled decay. But then, I made a batch of
sauerkraut, and am in the process of eating it!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

In article , Gary Woods
writes
Sacha wrote:

Ah - we planted a medlar a couple of years ago, and I'm waiting happily for
it to fruit. AIUI, with medlars you wait for them to be almost rotten
before eating them.

I've seen some discussion of medlars on the North American Fruit Explorer's
E-list. An ancient relative of pears, I believe....

They're in the same subfamily of the rose family as pears ... and also
apples, quince and hawthorn. So not particularly related to pears more
than any of the others.

the process is called
"bletting," and it's sort of controlled decay. But then, I made a batch of
sauerkraut, and am in the process of eating it!



--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

But then, I made a batch of
sauerkraut, and am in the process of eating it!

Being married to a dedicated sauerkraut eater of the Swiss variety, I'm
not sure if I wouls agree that fermentation is equivalent to
"controlled decay". Any experts out there?
Jo

In article .com,
Totty writes

I first came across it in Portugal back in 1966, then didn't come
across it again until came here to the Costa Blanca. I think it is a
type of medlar - I know it is grafted onto quince, and the latin name
is Mespilus Germanica L. and it belongs to the rose family. If you put
the word 'nispero' into an image search engine you will get an idea. I
use it to make chutney, as it is the one fruit that I can't eat raw. It
is very sweet, but at the same time acidic.

Medlar is Mespilus germanica.

Googling suggests that nispero is often used for 'japanese medlar' ie
loquat, Eriobotrya japonica, but that's presumably not the one you mean.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"