I've been visiting my sister in Southern California, soaking up the sun and making some delicious discoveries. On a trip to a garden spot called the Urban Homestead in Pasadena, we picked up some of the walnut-size fruit, pictured here.
I had never tasted a jujube, but after munching on them, I did some digging. (Thank you Wikipedia!) The fruit is also known as a red date, Chinese or West Indian dates. Though they taste more like an apple than the sticky dates most people wrap in bacon.
They have quite the storied history, being used for medicinal purposes in addition to culinary applications. Jujubes are believed to have anti-stress properties and they're antioxidants, too.
The head homesteader who sold us the fruit -- as well as beautiful Mexicola avocadoes and honey from the on-site apiary -- told us many folks like to chutnify them. And that's exactly what we did, simmering them on the stovetop with some chopped shallots and raisins, a little bit of sugar and a splash of vinegar at the end. Didn't get as jammy as a typical stone fruit chutney, but the taste was bright and sweet. Just the right note of pucker power. Can't wait to serve it with some grilled pork chops!
-- Leslie Kelly
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