Advice on lychee

[julieb]

I have my first crop of lychee coming on. I realize I know nothing about how to tell when they are ready to pick. I ate one today, good but still a little tart. Is there a way to know when to pick? Do I pick, or leave them on the tree until I want to eat? Do they keep? Need to keep in a fridge? Anything else I should know? Mahalo for any info.[?]

[rbrgs]

Pick when there's no green or yellow left in the channels between the ridges; the fruit should be all red. Some varieties may have a few small brown spots at that point; don't worry, the spots are only skin deep. They'll keep for a couple of weeks off the tree (don't worry about what the skin looks like) as long as you cut off whole bunches rather than trying to pick individual fruits. Refrigerating them will lower the quality. They're really only good for a few weeks every year; that's why they're so expensive.....

[Kapohocat]

It looks like a bumper lychee crop this year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mailes]

Lychee hits lowest price I've seen on the Big Island in a LONG time.

$2.50 lb FINALLY learned to make cheese, bread, eggs (lol); too bad I won't get to canning until next year. Probably be $5.50 next year.

Here's an ad on craigslist (for Kona anyway). http://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/grd/3045791892.html

Saw a guy on Railroad on the corner between Home Depot and Target yesterday selling for $4.00 lb

[riverwolf]

The Makuu market had some for $2.50 lb last week. Gaia Yoga Nursery had them at that price . Nice guys. They are the ones with the bamboo and coconuts. Out at the end of the booths, next to Island Wide Tankless, where Morningstar has her booth.
enjoy.

riverwolf

[coppercoin40]

Mailes - forgive the stupidity of my questions but do you mean lychee cheese, and bread made with lychee? couldnt it be used for jelly also?

[mailes]

Oh..copper....Definitely jelly! I mean, I've been learning new (old) things.

I've mastered bread making, I made some cheese like mozzarella, and I'm on cheddar now. Finally gotten my chicken thang' all worked out. We're getting eggs and, poor little things, roast, bbq etc.

When I made some yogurt my ole man thought he'd like some lychee yogurt. He really like it, I don't really like the hint of flowers in my food and lychees really have that flavor. But we got some at the end of the season last year for $1.50 a pound and had to give a bunch away.

Since my next project is supposed to be canning (jarring really) it would have been great to be on that project this year to take advantage of the cheap crop.

My ole man takes a pound, adds 4 lemons from our tree and I'm embarrassed to say how much sugar...heats it until the sugar melts and puts it in the freezer. He's so happy on Saturday afternoon sitting on the lawn chair after mowing, I think he goes through a half a gallon.