Autumn Gifts of Niche Crops

 At the end of October, it's time to harvest Chinese wolfberries and medlar fruits. Professor Volodymyr Mezhensky, who oversees niche fruit crops at the department, has collected samples for a detailed description of the fruits. Chinese wolfberries come in various varieties. For example, the fruits of Chinese wolfberries are about the size of a cherry, weighing 15-20 grams. Some varieties of medlar are even larger, up to 40 grams. By the way, medlar is also a type of hawthorn. According to recent molecular research, it has been proven that it is a species of hawthorn known as Crataegus germanica (German hawthorn). An interesting feature of consuming medlar fruits is that they only become edible after they ripen, when the flesh becomes soft in texture and acquires a sweet jam-like flavor. Before that, they are hard and extremely bitter. Visit the Department of Horticulture to enjoy these new and unusual flavors.

Volodymyr M. Mezhenskyi,
Professor