CHE FRUIT - A Fascinating Lumpy Fruit Related to Osage Oranges, Jackfruit and Mulberries!

[@DeathMetalDerf]

The world really is just filled with wild and wonderous things if you know how and where to look. Just because of this channel I'm able to talk about different fruits, some of which I'll probably never get to see first hand, because I've been inspired to look further and really see what's out there to be seen. Thanks so much for everything you create and share with us, Jared. You're awesome! I hope everyone is doing well, and having a great day!

[@KerriEverlasting]

This is such a nice comment 💖

[@commenter4898]

The mulberry family also includes figs. They're like the oddball in the family with their "outside in" fruits.

[@Youdontknowmeson1324]

Pakistan mulberries are really cool

[@Multivits]

These grow wild in the hills around Hong Kong, My parents used to pick them to snack on while gathering firewood as children. From what I remember from my hikes In the hk countryside the bushes are quite thorny.

[@jeremybyington]

Like a few other species, female Che trees will give you fruit without seeds. If there is a male Che tree nearby it will pollinate the female and result in even more fruit but they will all have seeds. I’ve got a “Norris” variety I am eagerly looking forward to fruiting in a couple years!

[@robertmacfergus9288]

Just for other people in the comments section, but this is being parthenocarpic. A few plants like the Issai hardy kiwi are this but are sold as either self fertile or self pollinating.

[@dawnkirk2838]

I believe I have a Norris too. I bought it at @Cricket Hill. I'm in zone5b. Not supposed to grow here but it's covered with mulch around the bottom during winter and it's about four years old. No fruit yet!

[@dirtyfiendswithneedles3111]

Just like cannabis. Cool

[@skybirdmakes]

I think you could definitely do a comparison video on Mulberry, since red are typically more tart while white are sweet there is a ton of variety I can't even begin to get into!! Not to mention hybrids Since they're common and relatively easy trees to identify in the US, each one is like it's own fruit. I have a local park I like to stop by which has a handful of trees, mostly red and tart, but one hybrid is white with purple spots that tastes exactly like watermelon, while another that's fully white tastes like Banana and green grapes! They're pretty interesting fruits

[@mirandamom1346]

Wow. The only mulberry I’ve had tasted exactly like sugar water. Purple sugar water, but…

[@Catlily5]

I only tried the purple kind. They have taste but I don't know how to describe it.

[@SlavicCelery]

@@mirandamom1346 Oh, those are overripe then. Or you just got a bad bush. Lots of white mulberries taste like that. I think the choicest mulberries are the ones that are mostly red with a tiny blush of purple. I grew up with a bunch of different mulberry trees near my childhood home. It was a rite of childhood to inevitably stain the soles of your feet purple while foraging for the berries.

[@Darkice77]

I just bought 12 of these trees for my food forest. Can't wait to get them. If you plant the female trees without the male, there won't be any seeds. But they take longer to ripen so you need a longer growing season.

[@yanj111]

this fruit spreads in the mountains of a few provinces in China, local people call it "wild Lychee" ， very sweet.

[@dankline9162]

I would love to experiment crossing this Che with an Osage orange if they are so related to get a bigger fruit with the taste of the Che. I doubt mulberries are closely enough related to cross, but worth a try as well.

[@TheMastertbc]

I think they are most likely too different to cross

[@AllYourRAw]

Can definitely graft them at least

[@esmeraldagreen1992]

Osage oranges aren't edible and contain a natural insecticide

[@tffcaesar569]

There are hybrids between Che and Osage Orange, called Osage Silk Thorn (Macludrania hybrida). Apparently they have large orange-like fruit, but theres very little information available on it. I have a male Maclura cochinchinensis (I’ve heard it has a peachy taste) and am in the process of acquiring a female Che clone, so if my Che bears seeds, it’ll be a confirmed hybrid.

[@geomundi8333]

genetic engineering is worth donig too; mix those genes up or knock out what you need too; till you get osage sized che; mmm. then enhance the flavor genes for health benefits

[@commenter4898]

Che is an older way to romanize Chinese 柘. The modern way to spell it is zhè, pronounced something like "juh". For those who read IPA it's /ʈ͡ʂɤ⁵¹/

[@WildVoltorb]

IPA, that was deep 😅

[@emilyninety-nine8954]

Damn you, Wade-Giles romanization system! 😡

[@erutuon]

Here I was thinking of Che Guevara. 😅

[@DarkFoxKirin]

I’ve never had it, but I heard about it and the description made me fall in love immediately! I’ve already bought three trees, eagerly waiting for them to mature!!

[@metranisome]

Steven Murray is growing these, a few years ago (2019) he also posted on his Instagram about visiting a che farm in China. I think he might have some that are cultivated varieties from China, I wonder is there is a flavor and quality difference.

[@amessnger]

Yes, it seems there is (much likes figs) there are different cultivars with different flavor profiles. Norris variety is said to be very good. Others are more bland

[@jacobpugh9531]

Thank you for finally reviewing the che, I have wanted to plant some seedless che trees for a long time. I have relied on your palate for fruit for years. This just cements that choice for me. Again, thank you.

[@WeirdExplorer]

Click here tiege.com/weirdexplorer to get 30% off your first Tiege Hanley box plus a FREE gift! Let me know what gift you chose in the comments below!

[@KerriEverlasting]

What is your ALL TIME FAVOURITE fruit of alllll time? The bestest ever?

[@mackea1]

I wonder if a cross between the Che fruit and the Osage orange could be created. Cross pollination and nature I wonder if it would be as flavorful as the Che but the size of the Osage.

[@melhawk6284]

Oh gods... imagine eating what amounts to a huge mulberry like an apple! I would be in DEEP trouble! And the pies....

[@Antipix3l]

Apparently it exists! It's called Macludrania Hybrida.

[@dorindafulton]

I hope I find that fruit in an international market. That's usually where I find most of the foreign fruit and veggies. Thanks for sharing and have a great day 🌞😊🤗

[@MotoHikes]

This looks legit mouth watering.

[@Fredjikrang]

Nice! I planted one of these about a year ago. Looking forward to the fruit in a few years!

[@WeirdExplorer]

Best of luck

[@warriorprincessphl]

After waiting for about 5yrs & seeing inedible fruit every year.. finally got some edible fruit this year. I think it could taste better than what he described .. it is like watery watermelon.

[@JTMusicbox]

Every time I see a fruit which is in fact a cluster of small fruits it brings Prainea limpato to mind. Hopefully you will find kesusu one day.

[@XoroksComment]

Great to see you finally made a video about this fruit :) I planted four different varieties of Che in our garden, hopefully they'll fruit some day so I can compare.

[@mannurse7421]

I have one of these trees! A Che grafted to an Osage orange. I got it as a 6 inch twig and now it’s a 6 foot twig. 🤞hopefully I can keep it alive to make me some fruit.

[@man-xy1cs]

I would love to try this. Another Maclura species grows wild here, looks edible too

[@justalittleblackraincloud]

Oooh I want to try this one!

[@WeirdExplorer]

it's a good one!

[@alessandromariani3015]

You know so many fruits, so i struggle to find something you don't know in my country, but i think i found it, i had such fruit all the time under my nose. The caper plant, capparis, is used a lot in italy, but i don't see a video about the plant in your channel, is it unknown or common? We mainly use the flowers with salt, for cooking, and it's one of my favourite flavours in disces, but we also use the fruit, the cucunzo. You should ask someone to send you some.. if you don't have it in America. It's usually stored with vinegar or salt, fresh isn't that tasty. It's very hard to start growing and usually it appears magically in walls and rocks, usually wild.

[@WeirdExplorer]

Ah yeah! capers would be a cool one to explore. I'd love to make a video on them one day

[@alessandromariani3015]

@@WeirdExplorer There are some recipes that also use the leaves, but the fruit is much more interesting indeed. Another one to try is the Carrubo (Ceratonia siliqua) , a very unique and ancient fruit used in italy (ancient rome too), linked to tamarindus and fabacee. You absolutelly have to try it. Was used to make flour in ancient times, now it's uncommon. It grows wild where i live. i don't know if you have plans for italy too, if not i can maybe try to send them to you... two wild italian species ..love your content and fruits in general!! I'm one of the many fruitarians that you are shaping ;) Anyway i'm sure you have plenty of peoples from italy that can help you, if not ask me. Thz, cya

[@pralta4939]

i have one Norris in a container right now but i got one spot left for a tree in my garden . Cant decide between my Mayer lemon or Che :).

[@WeirdExplorer]

Meyer lemon would be more useful but che is more fun 😄

[@radionoakmont7756]

i gotta get seeds for the che fruit i definetely had some a small sample of the jam a decade ago it tasted so heavenly oh thank you Weird Explorer for shwoing this another gem i have been seeking for many years now this is oen id love to grow well protected in a big greenhouse for a tasty variety of fruits and goodness a treasure of good food.

[@robinsnest68]

It looks like a raspberry in a way. I don't travel much. From Northeast PA...

[@tylernaturalist6437]

You forgot to mention Ficus (Figs) are in the same family!

[@wamlartmuse]

Mulberries are really good. The woods I go to have lots of mulberry trees. I'll pick a couple handfuls & just chill there for a bit. My fingers & mouth will be blue when I'm done lol.

[@JohnBozon]

Love the video man!! Keep working hard!! We appreciate it 🙏

[@AlbinoAxolotl]

I’m so excited that you finally tried this one! It’s in my top three of fruit I’m dying to try. I bought a tree a few years back that will flower but the fruit either hasn’t set or the birds have gotten every one before they’re even close to ready. One of these days I’ll get to try Che berries!

[@Melissa0774]

What's your number one favorite fruit that you've tried for a video, that you can't easily get in the U.S? What would you grow in your back yard if you could?

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

The osage orange is so fun to look at, and that's just about all it's good for, lol

[@Youngstomata]

Greetings indeed

[@markus_selloi]

I saw something that maclura pomifera is sort of edible and that just the sap can be irritating. I remember seeing someone eating it on video and the taste was also okay i think

[@coop5329]

Actually my experience is that che has an extended ripening season; that is, they don't all get ripe at the same time and once they start to ripen I have to check the fruit every day to pick the ripe (soft) ones. My seedless che trees ripen an entire month earlier than the seeded che. Which is a very big deal here because the seeded che may not ripen before actual winter sets in. The only downside is that the seedless che are only about half the size of the seeded. Both are delectable when fully ripe, and there is a good reason they are called melon berries, they really do taste like melons. If they are not fully ripe they are juicy but bland. Lots of labor checking every fruit every day to pick the ones that are ready.

[@rebeccacook5494]

Thanks for sharing. Are the seeded ones good to eat? I read they have a cotton-ey texture around the seeds that is unpleasant. Also I'm wondering how long yours took to bear fruit? I planted two seedless ones last fall.

[@tjcihlar1]

I planted an edible landscaping che berry last year. It died back to the roots, so now I have a tiny osage orange growing. I've had similar struggles with mulberries, so it could be a general problem. Not sure I will give it another go. Mulberries have better flavor (if they would ever grow for me), and Che can take a long time to fruit and be fickle, and some have problems with them growing without a pollinator (per other internet commenters).

[@ReapWhatYouSowGardening]

This fruit is so cool

[@azael1474]

I had it once, found in a farmers market in Georgia (the caucasian one). Tasted just a like a water down mulberry. Definitely looks cooler than it tastes edit: caucasian = in the Caucaus. it's not that hard, stop making a fuss.

[@jrcorsey]

You should definitely say "the Asian one", because, at least in America, Caucasian sounds like a racial comment

[@phoebe5]

​@@jrcorsey what? Why would they say the Asian one when they are talking about the state? I mean saying Caucasian one is kinda strange still but it gets the point across.

[@baddriversofcolga]

@@phoebe5 The country Georgia is located in Caucasia. Saying Georgia (the country) would've been more logical, though.

[@phoebe5]

@@baddriversofcolga ah yeah that makes more sense

[@coop5329]

Probably not completely ripe (comment from a che grower). Although they look fully colored up for quite a while, they have very little taste until that sudden soft-ripe condition occurs. Somewhat like autumn olive, which looks wonderful but is unpleasantly astringent until all of a sudden it hits that magic perfect sweet and juicy ripe condition. At which point the birds seem to get engraved invitations and if you don't pick them that day there will be none the next morning!

[@gardenofseeden]

Bleh, I grow this and other odd fruits and veggies. I totally wanted you to come by one day and make some vids and che was going to be one that I didnt see you try. Also related to figs!

[@gardenofseeden]

Its fruiting this year!

[@frankmacleod2565]

Love the color.

[@Erewhon2024]

There is also a Maclura cochinchinensis, which grows more like a liana than a thorny shrub (which is what Osage orange and che do), from Indochina. The fruit was described as raspberry + peach (by Oregon Exotics, before they went out of business) flavor, but that was probably marketing hype. Che is a bit of a monster if not grafted on Osage orange. It suckers (at 10 to 20 ft distance) like a wounded black locust or a running bamboo. Never got any fruit off it either, green "fruitlets" (flower clusters) formed but never ripened. I suspect it was a male. Only purchase plants from ethical companies.

[@jbfanta]

How cold hardy is it? I’ve seen it for sale before..

[@kateblack6406]

I'm growing these and hoping to get them fruiting this year!

[@davidarundel6187]

It may not make good jam , though it looks like it would preserve whole ok , as well as make up a liquor of some distinction .

[@violethouseworth5943]

I will be growing from seed>>so excited

[@austinmyers843]

love this channel

[@branchingoutpermaculturewi4766]

im dying to get these in my food forest. should grow in my zone6b southern ontario. when i get a tree or seed ill will have to make a video on it. any suggestions where to get seeds or bare root trees? love the video

[@batmanphone]

Still waiting for you to find a paper mulberry fruit. They look awesome and are syrupy sweet. Hard to get though because of a short shelf life.

[@zprince4120]

What zones does this grow in?

[@bobbob3470]

very awesome Duck Stab shirt brother

[@theislandgardeners6615]

Nice, I have a tree in my garden that has some fruits on it now :) , I hope I finally get a chance to find out how they taste this year 😂

[@Shanask487]

Ah, the name in modern mandarin is Zhe. That tree is useful in making high quality paper.

[@waderutherford9083]

I actually beat you to this one and I know a place in Kentucky where these are growing.

[@travisporco]

We ought to have a project to breed the osage orange back to edibility, just for the heck of it.

[@GhostofJamesMadison]

Im a pretty hard core meat eater but fruit i think is so interesting, i never get tired of watching your vids. I think humans were built to eat fruit and meat exclusively

[@WeirdExplorer]

yeah man. fruit is for all. put it on meat if you wanna.

[@diannaodman2847]

have this plant growing in zone 8b , and it has produced fruit i just have never got to eat any as the peacocks have eaten them before me

[@WeirdExplorer]

they have good taste 🦚

[@luke144]

This one is new to me! Hopefully it tastes better than an Osage orange!!

[@Melissa0774]

Can you grow che fruit in New Jersey? I have a large back yard with lots of space and I'd love to get a tree if possible. Can you buy them online, anywhere?

[@amessnger]

Just Fruits and Exotics carries two varieties if you can catch them in stock. Seems to stay sold out

[@Melissa0774]

@@amessnger seeds or trees?

[@amessnger]

@@Melissa0774 trees. You want a grafted variety so that you know it will be a delicious seedless female. Grown from seed it will be a bush form, instead of a tree and could be a male, or could be a female that won't set fruit, or a seedless female but doesn't taste good. Seeds a a big gamble and take a lot longer the get fruit. Trust me here.... You definitely want a graphed tree.

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

It sounds delicious.

[@alexanderugalde2624]

Wow really lite how it looks

[@d01c0xc]

“if it looks familiar to you..” yeah it looks like a raspberry “it’s because this is in the same genus as Osage Orange!” ah yes of course

[@sproutingresilience4787]

I have some seeds from this in my fridge waiting to be planted!

[@amessnger]

Keep in mind that many will be males and only a very few of the females will be capable of setting fruit without pollination. Plus it takes a lot longer to start getting fruit. I would recommend buying a seedless female instead

[@lolcatz88]

I watch a couple of girls that do Chinese vlogs of everyday rural life in China and they make wine out of everything!

[@Glaudge]

not to mention che fruit grown in the US are all grafted on osage orange roots

[@brianmccarrier1605]

Interestingly a hybrid between Osage Orange and Che fruit tree has been produced. Unfortunately the resultant hybrid tree is thorny and has never produced fruit.

[@WeirdExplorer]

cool! maybe one day?

[@whatno5090]

In the same *genus* as osage orange! Now that's crazy

[@jamieism]

Hi! I was looking at your tours and they seem amazing! I can’t go traveling like that until covid is over, but for the future I was wondering whether vegan diets can be accommodated, as I saw that meals were included and also a lunch with a local family. That is definitely something I would need! Thanks!

[@WeirdExplorer]

yes! we had several vegan guests in the past. there will be more tours in the future for sure 👍

[@WelcomeToDERPLAND]

I tried growing this fruit in southern cali but out of the 100~ seeds I tried growing, none of them made it past the sproutling/seed stage :c

[@dirtyfiendswithneedles3111]

You fd up

[@feralkevin]

Do you know where that one was grown? The ones I grew in California had very little sweetness, tasted like a non sweet but very very watermelon flavor, with a slight hint of fig

[@mikethefenceguy]

I can't believe this guy doesn't have 1mil subs yets

[@rifaizamzam9268]

Is jackfruit a berry???

[@paulwright8378]

It's a bloody big one if it is

[@markus_selloi]

It is an aggregate fruit, like annonas. There is a difference. Lots of seeds inside. The relation in the moraceae family is for example the milky latex in the plants and fruits

[@shwabb1]

Botanically, I think it's a multiple drupe

[@markus_selloi]

@@shwabb1 i can't even find multiple drupe on google. It is an aggregate fruit which is an compound fruit (sorosis). The flower is an inflorescence, meaning there are several small ovaries bound into one big flower, just like sunflowers. The fruit has small drupes which I think are called drupelets. Berries derive from one flower with one ovarie.

[@shwabb1]

@@markus_selloi yeah, I confused the aggregate fruit with the multiple fruit (both being varieties of the compound fruit)

[@dillangeiser4820]

I bet a pie would taste great , mulberry pie is delicious.

[@BingBingTheClown]

Would cross breeding these two fruits be possible? I don’t really know much about botany or plant hybrids but if Osage Oranges and Che fruit are really that close couldn’t you mix the two to make a less gross Osage Orange?

[@WeirdExplorer]

that would be cool! I know they use Osage orange as rootstock... not sure if they can be hybridized though

[@esquizofreniasobrenatural]

Weird explorer time to time near to discover an akuma no mi and obtain powers

[@emilyninety-nine8954]

The Osage orange clickbait ad had me cracking up 😭 I like to imagine that somewhere there’s a little office full of people who get paid to find photos of weird looking fruits and vegetables and write captions making outrageous “medical” claims. This channel would be a total treasure trove for them

[@dXXPacmanXXb]

Try juneberry please

[@WeirdExplorer]

search the channel for serviceberry

[@shelleyhodgkinson1341]

Love this channel! I would love to know what zone the fruits grow in🍉🍑🍊

[@cerverg]

7-10+ (probably you can make it grow in a mild 6B). I've seen it growing in tropical areas but might be have been the australian version

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@mistersmith8962]

total dirtball really hit me in the feels

[@Youdontknowmeson1324]

You should try Pakistan mulberries and other types of mulberries there very cool fruits.

[@brandisteinshouer2494]

Freezer jam!

[@lucasbarahona9384]

Taste like che right?

[@dk7863]

neat fruit.

[@foreverzombie3054]

Such a fascinating fruit, to me it reminds the human brain 😯

[@marianlincoln9008]

Telling us about its FLAVOR was an interesting segment until you described it having a slight taste of persimmon... Personally I can't stand them... Where my husband enjoys them very much... You described the preserving them as best suited as wine in China. So I'm assuming they grow there, I would be interested In trying to grow a tree... Where could I find a resource for them? Thank you for any further info you could supply.

[@glueisjustbonelesstape106]

bro has a mini devil fruit

[@anne-droid7739]

Looked a lot like Che Guevara. Drove a diesel van.... "Let me collect dust." I wish someone would phone.

[@Emmiejean7]

I was going to say it kind of looked like a raspberry

[@jodysams7915]

O-sA-gee orange

[@angelwhispers2060]

Pineapples are also an aggregate fruit but I don't think they are related

[@cccc285]

I had to watch this as i am legally named ché😅

[@jeffthechef69]

Also you've been doing this for almost ten years now do you think you'll ever run out of fruit

[@isaiahwall3689]

Damn you! Make if me do my own research to find out where they grow. Unless you said it and my ADHD took over. if the later, my bad and not damnyp

[@Kristenhas3cats]

Yet another fruit to be sad about since I can't try it!

[@Catlily5]

Careful with this show if seeing fruit you can't try makes you sad.

[@KGJ-user]

Korean name: 꾸지뽕나무

[@pierre-alexandreclement7831]

❤❤

[@atomic-9605]

Looks like the op op fruit

[@waderutherford9083]

They remind me of a raw fig

[@pingnick]

🫶😋

[@denis20alexandru]

It looks like truffles

[@chefjenks2358]

That looks like a devil fruit from one piece