🍎
American persimmon · Apple (Malus) · Bee balm · Black raspberry · Black walnut · Blackberry · Blackcurrant · Bur oak · Butternut · Common yarrow · Community garden · Dwarf chinkapin oak · European pear · Hazel · Jerusalem artichoke · Mulberry · Nettle · Passionfruit · Pawpaw · Pecan · Red raspberry · Serviceberry · St John's wort · Valeriana officinalis · elderberry
📍 244 Smith St, Lafayette, IN 47905, USA
🗓 Season: October · November · December · August · September · June · July · May · April · March
🔍 When is it ripe?
American persimmon: Must be fully ripe (very soft, almost jelly-like) before eating. Harvest after first frost or when naturally falling. Dark orange to purple when ready. Rich, caramel-sweet flavour.
Apple (Malus): Background skin colour shifts from green toward yellow; seeds turn brown when ripe. Fruit separates from the spur with a gentle upward twist. Aroma develops near the base. Wild Malus fruit is often small and tart — excellent for cider and jelly.
Black raspberry: Deep purple-black, duller than blackberries. Separates from the hollow core like a red raspberry. Richer, more intense flavour than red raspberry. Short season — harvest daily.
Black walnut: Harvest when the green husk turns yellow-green and the nut falls naturally or can be shaken loose. Wear gloves — the husk stains permanently. Remove husk immediately, then cure nuts in a cool, airy place for 2–3 weeks before cracking. Intensely flavoured.
Blackberry: Fully black (not red or dark red) and comes off the stem with no resistance — zero pull. Dull rather than shiny; a shiny black berry is still slightly underripe and tart. Eat the same day for best flavour.
Blackcurrant: Fully black, glossy berries hanging in strigs. Ripe when all berries on the strig are black. Tart but intensely flavoured — leave a few extra days for sweetness. Best for juice, jam, and cordial.
Butternut: Elongated green husks turn brown-black and fall. Wear gloves — stains like black walnut. Cure for 2–3 weeks. Mild, oily, and buttery — not as strong as black walnut.
European pear: Pick when background colour shifts from green to yellow-green and the stem separates cleanly. Finish ripening indoors — flesh near the stem should give slightly when pressed.
Hazel: Green husks turn brown and pull back from the nut; ripe nuts fall freely or shake loose. Gather before squirrels. Dry in a warm place for 1–2 weeks for best flavour. Catkins (male flowers) are edible in early spring.
Mulberry: Ripe when fully coloured (white, red, or black by species) and falls at a touch. Spread a sheet and shake the branches. Extremely perishable — process or eat immediately.
Passionfruit: Purple varieties: skin wrinkles and turns deep purple. Yellow varieties: fully yellow and slightly heavy. Both are ripe when they fall freely. Wrinkled skin indicates riper, more aromatic flesh — not deterioration.
Pawpaw: Green skin turns slightly yellow and gives like a ripe avocado. Custard-like, mango-banana scented flesh inside. Falls at the slightest touch. Very short shelf life — refrigerate and eat within days. Found throughout eastern North America.
Pecan: The green husk splits into four sections and turns brown when ripe. Shake branches or wait for fall. Cure in a cool, dry place for 2–3 weeks. Kernels should be full and not shrivelled.
Red raspberry: Bright red and detaches from the core plug with no resistance. Fragrant and very soft when ripe. Autumn-fruiting varieties produce a second flush in September–October.
Serviceberry: Small, round, turning from red to deep purple-black. Sweet and blueberry-like when fully dark. Birds eat them as soon as they ripen — check daily. Best fresh or in pies and jam.
elderberry: Dark blue-black clusters when ripe. Cook thoroughly before eating — raw berries are mildly toxic. Ripe when all berries are dark and clusters hang downward.
Footbridge Sharing Garden. This is a publicly accessible community and forest garden. The forest garden is naturalized planting and combination of fruit and nut bearing plants as well as native and medicinal plants. It one of the many gardens in the GrowLocal Lafayette network. There are multiple varieties of the several of plants listed above.
1
Views
0
🍃 Yes reports
0
🚫 No reports
0
Notes
Recent sightings 0
No sightings yet. Be the first to report!