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Here's the next quiz

USA | Tuesday, 18 November 2008 | Views [713] | Comments [21]

Mystery fruit closeup.

What's this fruit? We've seen it twice as a garnish on desert. It's about the size and consistency of a large cherry tomato, and tastes somewhat bland but sweet. We saw it growing on a house in Portsmouth today so we snapped a photo. (We don't know the answer to this quiz....)

Comments

1

Looks like a kumquat?

Mel Nov 18, 2008 9:09 AM

2

Yup, I did some hardcore "google" research. Definitely kumquat. What's my prize?

Mel Nov 18, 2008 9:12 AM

3

Knowing that you are extemely more intelligent (or your siblings and uncs haven't looked at the photo yet) should be plenty a prize!

Anita Nov 18, 2008 6:43 PM

4

Ummmm.... I respectfully (and tremblingly) disagree with Mel...kumquat leaves are very citrus-y like, dark green, glossy, oval-tapered-- not the palmetto configuration in the picture. And their skin is just like an orange.

However... still searching.

Philip Nov 19, 2008 5:53 AM

5

It's almost winter, the leaves are yellowed because they're about to fall off. There are also several varieties of kumquats. The only other fruit it could be is possibly apricot. Period.

Mel Nov 19, 2008 8:12 AM

6

OMG. who are the dorks arguing about kumquats on this blog? looks like an apricot.

Bethanie Nov 19, 2008 1:16 PM

7

A Georgian kumquat maybe...

As reigning geek/dork, I call on the quizmasters for more info: skin fuzzy or glossy, meat crisp or mealy, single stone or many-seeded?

No more skipping dessert!!

I'm thinking loquat... a cross between kumquat, apricot and marijuana.

Philip Nov 20, 2008 1:19 AM

8

The solution to naming this mystery fruit might rest on the full, yet tantalizingly furrowed underside of the fruit speciman in the middle upper part of the photo…almost Rubenesque! I am not seeing such in the many photos of kumquats on the www. I would agree that the leaf structure also belies such an ID. Kumquat….er… not!
OBTW....I be offended that no one responded to my late posting to the Tom Cobleigh puzzle.

Stephen the Elder Nov 20, 2008 7:17 AM

9

Philip: Skin glossy (like a large cherry toeMAHtoe), meat mealy like a not-so-ripe plum, no seeds noticed, but definitely not a single large stone.

Stephen: "Widecombe Fair" was on one of the Burl Ives albums that the younger four listened to, something that you must have missed. And yes, I did hum it for several days. Come to think of it, I'm humming it right NOW!

Vinnie Nov 20, 2008 7:58 AM

10

Mystery fruit update: we had them on tonight's deserts again, and we asked for the name. We were told the name (and that they come from Africa), but google has failed to return a successful answer, though we tried all the spelling variants we could think of.

New close-up photo posted above.

Vinnie Nov 20, 2008 8:10 AM

11

OK, we've found it. Exotic tropical fruit, no one's guesses are yet close.

Vinnie Nov 20, 2008 8:21 AM

12

It's a marula fruit.

Mel Nov 20, 2008 10:55 AM

13

Marula Fruit: Round to oval. Green when young, becoming butter-yellow. Thick, soft, leathery exocarp encloses white, slimy fruit pulp and a large, hard, woody stone. Seeds are nut-like, white.
VS
Vinny Fruit: Skin glossy (like a large cherry toeMAHtoe), meat mealy like a not-so-ripe plum, no seeds noticed, but definitely not a single large stone.
Mel....er....not marula, but keep digging

Stephen the Elder Nov 20, 2008 2:14 PM

14

Ah Atlantis,re: Tom Cobleigh<br>I was listening to "Widecombe Fair" when you were still a gleam in Dads eye! "Sweet Betsy from Pike" resonated from the Webcor Hi Fi in the front room at English St as I was folding the papers for the PM paper route..."Darlin' Cori" wailed through the house as Peg and I washed the evening dishes. I was humming "Widecombe Fair" when you were being bathed by dear mother in the pink bathtub on the dining room table in front of the gas heater that took the edge off the foggy mornings in Petaluma....just a historical update.

Stephen the Elder Nov 20, 2008 2:23 PM

15

Mel, sorry try again. (Begins with "p")

V Nov 20, 2008 7:28 PM

16

"That plant has a resemblance to the Passion Fruit used as a rootstock for other Passion Fruits particularly Passiflora edulis, the ordinary black Passion Fruit. I think but am not sure that it originated from New Guinea and has red flesh it is edible but as you state a bit bland." (Quote form a www that I sent the pict into and got responses from all over the world.)
Thanks, Vinny, for cleaning up my intemperate remarks re: Tom Cobleigh...late night, etc. This site is fun!

Stephen the Elder Nov 21, 2008 4:34 AM

17

No one has even come close yet. The fruit is sweet and quite tasty...begins with Ph and is from Africa....is ends with an A..okay, moemoe's have at it...
PS: Steve, have you joined the world of Bernie? :)

Anita Nov 21, 2008 4:53 AM

18

Passion fruit, tortured by the Devon climate

Bernie Nov 21, 2008 5:36 AM

19

Physalis peruviana

Bernie Nov 21, 2008 5:57 AM

20

I'm sticking with "Passiflora caerulea"....and I like the tortured by the foogy, foggy dew.

With Bernie on the Passion Fruit....not so much the Physalis.

Stephen the Elder Nov 21, 2008 7:27 AM