The French call the medlar tree, cul de chien (translation: dog’s arse). Shakespeare called their fruits “open-arse”. And in a poem, DH Lawrence called medlars "autumnal excrementa". If you’re getting ...

Though popular in Europe in the Middle Ages, medlars have been out of favor for a very long time. Medlars (Mespilus germanica) are members of the rose family along with pears, apples and quince, and ...

Q I have a healthy and fruitful “Royal” medlar (Mespilus germanica). When can I pick its fruits? They are full size by October, but they stay too hard for eating. Any suggestions? — Mariella Potter, ...

Q I have a healthy and fruitful “Royal” medlar (Mespilus germanica). When can I pick its fruits? They are full size by October, but they stay too hard for eating. Any suggestions? — Mariella Potter, ...

Question: I love to grow unusual varieties of fruits and vegetables. Can you recommend any fruit trees that would grow well in our area and whose fruit is not readily available in grocery stores or ...

TWIN OAKS, CALIF. — Forty miles east of Bakersfield, in this remote, sparsely settled valley, an orchard rises from the arid scrubland like a medieval vision. It bears a peculiar fruit steeped in ...

Nothing if not versatile, the fruit of the medlar (Mespilus germanica) could be skinned and served individually with cream, baked with apple, stewed with butter, or roasted over an open fire. It was ...