I saw my first pummelo today and they are impressive to say the least. It’s hard to understand how the small branches can support this size fruit . Do they taste good? I would like to grow one of these but I dislike the taste of grapefruit. Do they taste like grapefruit?
Thanks Karl

Most often, they taste much more bitter than grapefruits, technically, afterall, grapefruit is a hybrid between a sweet orange and a pummelo, so that the bitterness is toned down in grapefruits.

However, don't be discouraged, sometimes in your yard, pummelos would taste better than grapefruits. In the Philippines, the Davao pummelos tasted better than any of the grapefruits USA has to offer.

I'm still impatiently waiting for my new UCR pummelos to ripen. I have fruits going bigger each day. I grafted these about 2 years ago.

Joe that's an interesting observation. All of the varieties I know of in Florida are consistently LESS bitter than grapefruit, having very little naringin in them.

I also find Pummelo's be be a lot less bitter than grapefruit. I would categorgize Pummelo as a mild flavor with a somewhat of a "crunchey" taste. - Millet

Millet and Malcolm, you should be correct with respect to most of the cultivars you have tasted here. I am speaking about my entire tasting experience from the Philippines mostly, when it comes to grapefruits and pummelos. That is about to change hopefully early next year when I will be harvesting pummelos and grapefruits from the same tree, so will have better taste test comparisons.

Mostly pummelos that I grafted have been truly selected to be outstanding. The ones that I used to have in the Philippines, excepting the Davao pummelos, are really harsh compared to grapefruits.

One characteristics of pummelos is that the pulp sac separate easily, are firmer and you can peel off each sector and eat the individual pulp sac with your bare hands compared to grapefruits which juices out easily if you try to peel off the sectors.

When I was younger, I enjoy eating both of them, sprinkled with rock salt or brown sugar or both. Now that old age has caught up with me, learned to appreciate the bitterness or sweetness much better without anything added.

Thanks for the comments and even though I read” less bitter” than grapefruit, I am assuming that it is not something that I would not like. The owner of these trees told me that he sells the fruit for $4 each and sell all that he can produce. I may plant one anyway since it is so odd looking with cantaloupe looking fruit hanging all over it.
Thanks Karl

I would agree that they are much sweeter than grapefruit. The HB that Scott brought to the Expo was super sweet without the grapefruit bitterness...

That tree has eight more super-sized fruit this year, But I'm sorry to say that I won't be schleppin' it to the expo in Va. this year.
The tree has not recovered vertically from last years harvest.
The winning fruit came from the terminal branch near the top of the tree. Before the fruit grew that tree was six feet high. The ripe fruit nearly touched the potting medium in the whiskey barrel. That branch is still only a foot above the soil line, but has no fruit on it this year. The tree is five feet wide and only four feet high! This thing is going to look like a huge weeping citrus beast in a year or two.

I would be happy to share seed or a taste of HB if someone wanted.

Laaz, I knew you had a seedling doing well, and had bought a HB grafted tree, but what became of the budwood? Did you get one to take for you?

Photos@11:00

Scott

One of my favorite parts of last years' expo was when Scott gave me a pummelo that he just picked off his tree there. I took it home & ate it, & it was sweeter than grapefruit but not as juicy. That thing was HUGE, but not as big as the one he entered!
I never saw one before that.

as far as getting them from the store tho, (theyre not cheap so i only tried it once) i got one from Wild Oats and it was neat in that you can peel off the individual juice sacs, but it was too dry and a bit boring tasting.

Fruit from home, always better

Hi Scott. I didn't have anything slipping at the time. I tried to root it, but did not work out . The tree I bought this spring is now about 8 ft tall and pushing out some new growth.