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Yangmei, a sweet fruit native to Asia, is rich in vitamin C and has been cultivated for thousands of years. The tree grows up to 10 meters and is often planted in areas with poor soil. The fruit is small, round, and red, with a short window of maturity. It is highly perishable and must be kept cold.
Yangmei, also called red bayberry or yamamomo, is a type of sweet fruit native to Asia. It’s nearly unheard of in the United States, although the tree can be found growing along many city streets. The fruit is very rich in vitamin C and has been cultivated for thousands of years in China where today it is eaten raw, fermented into alcoholic beverages and used to produce a distinct reddish dye which is extracted from the bark of the tree.
The tree grows up to 10 meters (32 ft) in temperate environments. The yangmei fruit ripens on the tree during the summer months, with a very small window of maturity of just a few weeks. The tree is evergreen, with pale silvery bark and thin green leaves. It is often planted in areas with poor soil because it is a nitrogen fixer and will replenish the soil in which it grew. For this reason, it makes an excellent crop for fields that require long-term nitrogen replenishment, as it will produce profitable fruit by renewing the soil.
The yangmei fruit is round and red and somewhat resembles a strawberry in flavor and texture. These fruits are typically very small, with most being slightly larger than cherries. However, yangmei comes in an assortment of sweet and sour flavors, with thicker flesh than typically found in strawberry. In the center of the prickly fruits is a small pit.
Due to the short window to harvest, yangmei trees have been known to make a mess on public roads when they drop their fruit. The resulting reddish powdery mass is well known in temperate climates around the world, where the tree is often employed as an ornamental, although few people realize they are stepping on edible fruit. The fruit must be kept cold from harvest to consumer and, for this reason, is often expensive.
Unfortunately, the Yangmei fruit is highly perishable. In China, it is often squeezed into juice that can be transported or fermented, because it will keep longer than the delicate fruit. If consumers can get yangmei, they should plan to store it in the refrigerator for no more than a week, wrapped and kept away from other fruit. When purchasing it, people should look for fruit with a still rich red color, no bruising, and no moisture. The meat will have a creamy color and people who eat it should be sure to discard the pits.
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