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Jujube Varieties in Australia

Chinese Jujube. Scientific name : Ziziphus jujuba P. Mill. Botanical Family : Rhamnaceae. Commonly called Jujube, Chinese Date or Red Date. This fruit originates from southern Asia.
  • Chico
  • Lang
  • Li
  • Redlands
  • Sherwood
  • Shanxi-Li
  • Si-Hong
  • Silverhill
  • Sui-Men/Shui-Men
  • Thornless
  • Ta-Jan
Chico:
(GI 7-62) Fruit is round but flattened on the bottom. Looks like small apples. Excellent either fresh or dried. Late season.
Lang:
Ripens mid-season. Large, pear-shaped fruit which must be fully colored to be best eating. This fruit is best to let dry on the tree. Tree is upright and virtually spineless.
Li:
Early-ripening. Large, round fruit up to 85 grams in February or March. May be picked at the yellow-green stage. Tree is many-branched, yet narrow and upright. Best eaten fresh. Best first tree to have.
Redlands:
Collected at an old homestead in Redlands, California. Very large, sweet, round fruit. Mid Season.
Sherwood:
Late ripening. A seedling plant from Louisiana. The fruit is very dense and sweet. Tree is very narrow and upright with leaves that are weeping in habit.
Shanxi-Li:
Unusually large fruit with excellent flavour.
Si-Hong:
Delicious, sweet, large, round fruit ripening mid-season.
Silverhill:
Ripens late in the season. An elongated fruit which has cropped well even in subtropical climates. Virtually spineless.
Sui-Men/Shui-Men:
Elongated fruit is elongated, delicious eaten either fresh or dried. Ripens in mid season.
Thornless:
Just as the name implies. Very few, if any spines occur. A fruit very similar to the Lang. Ripens mid-season.
Ta-Jan:
Syn. Ta-jan-czao, Ta-yan-tsao or Ta-yan-tszao

Description

From Wikipedia: The tree tolerates a wide range of temperatures and rainfall, though it requires hot summers and sufficient water for acceptable fruiting. Unlike most of the other species in the genus, it tolerates fairly cold winters, surviving temperatures down to about −15°C. This enables the jujube to grow in desert habitats, provided there is access to underground water through the summer. Virtually no temperature seems to be too high in summertime. Medicinal use: The fruits are used in Chinese and Korean traditional medicine, where they are believed to alleviate stress.

Ripening

As the fruits of the Li variety ripen, they will slowly turn a brown-red colour. You can pick them up at the yellow-green stage, but the best flavour is obtained when half side of the fruit has turned brownish red.
As for the later-ripening varieties like Chico and Sui-Men, the fruits should be picked when the whole fruit (or at least 80%) has just turned brownish red.

Jujube Recipes from California Rare Fruit Growers

Jujube Cake
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup butter
* 2 cups dried, minced jujube
* 1 cup water
Bring these to a boil then set aside to cool

* 2 cups wheat flour
* 1 teaspoonful soda
* 1/2 teaspoonful salt
Sift these together then add to the above mixture.

Bake at 325° F.

Candied Jujubes
Wash about 3 pounds dried jujubes; drain and prick each several times with a fork. In a kettle bring to a boil 5 cups water, 5-1/2 cups sugar, and 1 tablespoon corn starch. Add the jujubes and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Cool, cover, and chill overnight. The next day bring syrup and jujubes to a boil and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. With a slotted spoon lift jujubes from syrup and place slightly apart on rimmed pans. Dry in oven, or in sun for about 2 to 3 days. Check fruit frequently and turn fruit occasionally until the jujubes are like the dates ones sees in the market.

Jujube Syrup
Boil syrup remaining from the Candied Jujubes, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups. Use over pancakes and waffles. Store in the refrigerator. Other uses: Substitute the dried jujube wherever recipes call for raisins or dates. Dried jujubes are a wonderful snack that can be prepared without the use of any preservative as is so commonly needed for other dried fruits.

Some Jujube Cultivars (there are more than 400)
Source: 'Ber and other Jujubes' by S. Azam-Ali et al.

Akhedi (Tagiev, 1976)
Akhmedi (Tagiev, 1992)
Arzu (Tagiev, 1976)
Arzu (Tagiev, 1992)
Bokjo (Park and Yu, 1989)
Buluosa (Yu et al., 1991)
Da-bai-tsao or Da-baj-czao (Sin’ko, 1977; Sivakov et al., 1988)
Da-bal-tszao (Kucherova and Sin’ko, 1984a)
Dongzao (Zeng, 1997)
Druzhba (Sin’ko and Livinova, 1996)
Gansu (Lu et al., 1993)
Geumsung or Jh-12 (Yong et al., 1981)
Hamazhao (Bi et al., 1990)
Honey Jujube (Ming and Sun, 1986)
Irada (Tagiev, 1976)
Ja-2 (Kim and Kim, 1984 b)
Ja-czao or Ya-tsao (Sivakov et al., 1988; Sin’ko, 1977)
Jb- 21 (Kim and Kim, 1984 b)
Jc-31 (Kim and Kim, 1984 b)
266
Je-8 (Yong et al., 1981)
Je-10 (Yong et al., 1981)
Jg-10 (Kim and Kim, 1984 b)
Ji-3 (Yong et al., 1981)
Jianzhao (Bi et al., 1990)
Jin Jujube (Ming and Sun, 1986)
Jishen Hama Zao (Yu et al., 1991)
Jixin Mi Jao (Yu et al., 1991)
Jj-3 (Kim and Kim, 1984 b)
Jk-4 (Kim and Kim, 1984 b)
Khazari (Tagiev, 1976)
Khurman (Akhundova and Agaev, 1989)
Kitaiskii 60 (Sin’ko and Litvinova, 1996)
Kitalskil 50 (Kucherova and Sin’ko, 1984 a)
Kitalskil 52 (Romanova et al., 1985)
Kitalskil 58 (Kucherova and Sin’ko, 1984 a)
Kitalskil 86 (Romanova et al., 1985)
Laohuyan (Liu and Wang, 1991)
Lang (Lanham, 1926)
Li (Lanham, 1926)
Li Zao (Yu et al., 1991)
Lingding Zao (Yu et al., 1991)
Linze Small Jujube (Ming and Sun, 1986)
Mardakyan (Tagiev, 1976)
Mardakyanskil 6 (Kucherova and Sin’ko, 1984 a)
Ming Shan Large Jujube (Ming and Sun, 1986)
Moodeung or Ja-5 (Yong et al., 1981)
Mu Shing Hong (Lanham, 1926)
Nasimi (Tagiev, 1976)
No. 1, 2, and 16/5 (Baratov et al., 1975)
Ordubadi (Tagiev, 1992)
Sanjo
Sihong Dazao (Wan, 1994)
Sovetskij (Sin’ko and Litvinova, 1996)
Suantszao (Sin’ko and Litvinova, 1996)
Sui-Men (Lanham, 1926)
Taiso (Nikaido et al., 1990)
Ta-jan-czao or Ta-yan-tsao or Ta-yan-tszao (Sivakov et al., 1988)
Tan-yan-tszao (Rathore, 1986; Goncharova et al., 1990)
Tavrika (Sin’ko and Litvinova, 1996)
Tyantszao (Sin’ko and Litvinova, 1996)
Ulduz (Tagiev, 1992)
Vakhsh (Sin’ko et al., 1987)
Vakhshskil 30/16 (Kucherova and Sin’ko, 1984 a)
Vakhshskil 40/5 (Kucherova and Sin’ko, 1984 a)
Vakhshskil 41-19 (Romanova et al., 1985)
Vakhshskil 46/17 (Kucherova and Sin’ko, 1984 a)
Wolchul Daechu (Kim et al., 1988)
Ya-tszav (Romanova et al., 1985)
Yan-jhao (Rathore, 1986)
Yan-yan-tsao (Sin’ko, 1977)
Yougji Hama Zao (Yu et al., 1991)
Yubilenyl (Romanova et al., 1985)
Ziangfen Hulu Zao (Yu et al., 1991)

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