Kousa dogwood fruit

What it is

This is the fruit of Cornus kousa, an Asian relative of America’s flowering dogwood. It is cherry-sized, with a rough skin and fairly large seeds for such a small fruit. An opening torn in the skin lets you squeeze out the pulp and spit out the seeds.

Flavour differs between trees. Around Greenville, South Carolina, some fruit tastes like pawpaw, some like American persimmon, and some is unpleasantly sweet.

Where it comes from

Kousa dogwood is native to Japan, Korea and China, where it grows in mountain forests, mixed woods, valleys and beside streams. It also has a long life as a garden tree abroad. In 1875, Parsons Nurseries in Flushing, New York, imported two forms sent from Japan by Thomas Hogg.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Japan, yamaboshi fruit becomes jam with sugar and lemon juice, or a fruit liqueur made by steeping it with rock sugar and clear spirits.

In Greenville, South Carolina, the Tyrant Farms kitchen turns the strained pulp into pudding cake with honey and whole wheat pastry flour. It has a texture between cake and crustless pumpkin pie. Removing the gritty skins and straining out the seeds leaves smooth pulp for baking.

How it's grown

The tree grows about 6–9 m (20–30 ft) tall, spreading into a rounded canopy as it matures. It grows in sun or light shade and likes acidic soil that drains well. Its leaves turn reddish-purple to scarlet in autumn before they drop, and older trunks have mottled, peeling bark.

When and where you'll find it

In Greenville, South Carolina, the fruit usually ripens from late August through mid-September. The harvest there comes from planted landscape trees. Ripe fruit feels slightly soft and comes away with a gentle pull. For cooking later, the pulp can be frozen after the skins and seeds are removed.