Lychees

[jennyjoan]

Lisa and John Torode used these last Sunday.

I have never heard of them - Sainsburys have them tinned. Are they nice.

[pastafreak]

My ex adored the fresh ones. I wasn't impressed.

[bednobs]

I wonder if they are one of those foods that do not deserve their reputation - like asparagus

[-SharonA-]

Love lychees. Never had tinned ones though. Very sweet and juicy.

[gingejbee]

The only canned fruit that I really like is guava.

[woofgang]

DO NOT bother with the tinned ones, really sweet and tasteless. IMO the fresh ones are the food of the gods but very expensive and they don't keep. A similar fruit is the Rambutan which is a close relative but has a peel that looks like the coat on a horse chestnut. One of my favourite memories from travelling in the Far East is buying both Lychees and Rambutans freshly harvested still on the branch.

[woofgang]

"I wonder if they are one of those foods that do not deserve their reputation - like asparagus"

In that case I will have yours :) fresh picked English asparagus lightly cooked and served with melted butter is completely amazing

[bednobs]

If you say so. IMO, asparagus is overrated: it tastes just like any other green vegetable!

[KARL]

Tinned lychees are in my opinion an excuse for the fruit, the difference between the fresh and tinned being at least as stark as with peaches. If you can't get fresh ones I would suggest waiting until you can rather than having them tinned - at least drain all the syrup off the tinned ones and even wipe them dry before eating. I agree regarding rambutan which I actually prefer, less fiddly to peel, I find - unless very fresh the lychee skin hardens and fragments under peeling. Both fruits and more besides are quite different from so much else we northern Europeans are used to. If you are not particularly interested in fruit in general (or only very selectively) then it is a matter of how you take to something really unusual - personally I am very keen on any and all fruit with very few exceptions, jackfruit being one.

[bednobs]

jackfruit is another overrated food, you are right

[Prudie]

OMG Rambutans!! As an RAF child my father was always bringing fresh ones back from a trip to Far East. I adore them but I've not seen them available in shops for years.

[pastafreak]

I agree about asparagus. In recent years I realised I wasn't as fond of it as I should be.

[woofgang]

Bedknobs I agree about jackfruit. I am not a great lover of veg of any description but one of the few I really love is asparagus.

[woofgang]

JJ109 can I ask if you are in the uk? I have got loquat trees in my garden but not big enough to fruit yet. I'd love to grow lychees.