"Miracle Fruit"
Someone posted about this a while back, looking for fruit, seeds, etc., and I mentioned that I have a fairly large plant that I bought a few years ago, and it has yet to flower, much less bear fruit.
Well, all that is about to change. I recently moved the plant outdoors and I've been watching it like a hawk to make sure it's adjusting to the move. It pretty much had just been sitting there. I had hoped for some new growth, but no go.
Today, I noticed some odd bumps, and on closer inspection, these are flower buds. And I looked closer, and found lots of flower buds. Now, I just have to hope they pollinate and that I get some fruit out of it. If all goes well, maybe I'll have something interesting to report.
I guess I should do some research. I don't even know how to tell if the fruit are ripe. If I get fruit. I wonder if I can dry them, like plums?
If I get enough, maybe I can find a way to share :-)
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11 Comments:
What type of plant is it? Do you have a photo?
beth1 at 10:19PM on 06/28/08
I guess technically it's a bush. I took some closeup photos of the little buds today, but it's a rather plan plant, otherwise. Wikipedia's got a photo of the berries and part of the plant.
It sort of reminds me of a gardenia plant, but the leaves aren't as dark or glossy, and they're more elongated. And mine lost quite a few leaves right after I got it, probably from shock from being shipped.
Maybe when it's light out tomorrow, I'll take some photos of the whole plant. I'm thinking that I might shoot the buds every day for a while, just to keep track of the progress.
dbcurrie at 10:49PM on 06/28/08
Can you possibly host a couple of photos on photobucket and link us to them?? Sounds intriguiging! If I can't figure out the nature of your plant, I'll e-mail the image to a couple of horitcultural fanatics I know.
chiff0nade at 5:05AM on 06/30/08
Chiff -- it sounds like the plant that makes everything taste sweet. I googled "miracle fruit" and there it was in Wikipedia. Wikipedia rocks!
Blue Iris at 1:24PM on 06/30/08
i think you can buy a plant like this online at www.logees.com - martha stewart once did a segment on this plant.
MadelynRodriguez at 1:56PM on 06/30/08
OMG, you meant the one they highlighted in the NYT not long ago?
Yikes! Are you really going to eat those??
chiff0nade at 4:54PM on 06/30/08
Wow you're growing your own miracle fruit!? Crazy. Let us know when you actually get some fruit!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 5:33PM on 06/30/08
@chiff, if I get berries, I am definately going to eat them. And share them with whatever crazy people want to join me. I bought the plant maybe three years ago, because I read about the berries and wanted to try them, and this is the first time it has even thought about flowering. So maybe I'll get fruit, maybe not.
dbcurrie at 5:43PM on 06/30/08
They look like my crabapples. Not really fit for human consumption. Pretty flowers in the spring though. I believe you can get pectin from them. I don't think I got any this season. I wonder if the lack of bees to pollinate has struck home?
PerkyMac at 5:49PM on 06/30/08
They don't make everything sweet. The miraculum (sp?--but actually the compound that is being studied) causes sour to be percieved as sweet. I was at an event when Harold McGee brought some out. It made a tart lime taste like sugar water. Bewared, the fruit itself isn't so great... and some people it doesn't work for.
Husband at 7:36PM on 06/30/08
@Hus, one writer said that it made Guinness taste like a chocolate milkshake. That ought to be interesting. On the other hand, I like Guinness anyway.
I think it will be a fun experiment, and if it doesn't work, for some people, it might be just as fun watching them suck on lemons.
:-)
hehe..wanna magic fruit? hehehe...
dbcurrie at 12:25AM on 07/01/08