Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site rtech.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!gymble!lll-crg!dual!unisoft!mtxinu!rtech!jeff
From: jeff@rtech.ARPA (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Medlars
Message-ID: <324@rtech.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 27-Apr-85 02:37:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: rtech.324
Posted: Sat Apr 27 02:37:39 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Apr-85 06:25:01 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Relational Technology, Berkeley CA
Lines: 24

I have a copy of "Jams and Jellies" by May Byron, a book that tells how to
make all types of preserves.  It was originally published in 1917, and
re-published by Dover in 1975.  It contains the following description of
medlars:

"Note.- This remarkable fruit, which, though wild in Britain, has been
cultivated for many centuries, has apparently little justification for its
existence.  It is an apple of sorts; but it is not edible, in any form,
till beyond maturity and on the high-road to over-ripeness.  In fact, until
the fruit has 'bletted' or softened for from two to four weeks, no expert in
medlars considers it worth his attention.  The medlar is unknown to many
people, though its fine bloom upon a gnarled and twisted growth renders it
conspicuous in park or orchard.  I give some recipes for preserving the medlar,
with the proviso that not everybody will like its peculiar and quite original
flavor."

Has anyone in netland ever tasted a medlar?  Are they really as disgusting
as this makes them sound?
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak

{amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff
{ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff