Harvesting lychees

Friends came to visit on Saturday and helped us harvest some lychees.  He was up on the roof and she and I were scurrying around picking the lychees as they fell.  We got knocked on the head a few times, but all in all it was great fun.  After trimming the branches and separating out those that need to ripen a bit more we ended up with six buckets!  Wow, and the tree is still loaded!  I have since read that they will not ripen any more after being picked, so reckon we should just go ahead and peel them all.  There are not a lot of green ones, just some that got knocked off in the process, and those are just a little sour.

We have been busy peeling, and hubby worked out a good way to peel and de-seed at the same time. I blended up the de-seeded ones and packed them into small containers to freeze. These I will use for lassi.  a marvelous drink- equal parts lychee puree with yoghurt and a touch of cardamom.  Other peeled lychees were just refrigerated for snacking. Neighbours and friends were happy recipients of the rest.   I am not sure what to do with the rest - If I had a dehydrator I would dry some - might try some in a  slow oven.
I am diabetic so don't want to make things like jam or bottled in sugar syrup, but if anyone has any other ideas of how to use up tons of lychees please let me know.

Comments

  1. AliMon Nov 14, 02:44:00 PM

    Yep. Send them to me :D Lychees are by far my favourite fruit and I am pretty confident that I could down one of those buckets in an afternoon... and even then it's my poor sore fingers that would stop me from reaching for the second one!

    They look incredibly good and I can see that they most certainly will do well in a hot climate!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rina ... also Chester or Daisysmum.Mon Nov 14, 02:55:00 PM

    Ali bet me to it lol
    maybe send Ali a bucket full and I have the next one love them!. Was going to suggest maybe bottling them. Why don't you sell some at your front gate, honesty box system I'd buy them off you for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DesireeMon Nov 14, 03:58:00 PM

    I'll gladly accept a bucket, too! Your tree certainly has been prolific. Now, if you could just talk to it sweetly and request that next year you'd really find it so much easier if it would stagger the ripening of the fruit a bit more. Then give it an extra bucket load of your special compost mix.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Malay-Kadazan girlMon Nov 14, 11:00:00 PM

    Lychee lover here too...hehehe...oh it will be so nice to have lychee juice since it gets so warm during the day here now.

    ReplyDelete
  5. LauraTue Nov 15, 03:36:00 AM

    I'm really happy your tree produces enough for you and the bats with buckets left over.

    Do you cook with them? I'm thinking Lychee Chicken would be similar to Mango Chicken. Though I doubt it requires a bucketful.

    Surely drying them won't work - they have way too much moisture for that trick to work. But how about Lychee leather? Blend them and dry that? (Though I'm doubtful the oven will do the trick - drying takes about a day in a dehydrator).

    ReplyDelete
  6. KateTue Nov 15, 06:26:00 AM

    Lychees, wow.... if only I could swap you some for a bucket of red currants or raspberries!

    ReplyDelete
  7. africanaussieTue Nov 15, 11:53:00 AM

    Ali,
    yes we have been going through them at a rapid rate....
    Rina,
    I have just been giving them away, I think the only people driving down our street have already received some!.
    Desiree,
    The ripening has been quite staggered. They started from the very top where only the bats could reach. The we cut most of the middle section you could only reach from the roof. Now the ones we can reach with the long pole are starting to ripen.
    Malay Kadazan,
    I brought some of my lychee lassi with me to work today and put it into the freezer for awhile - it is very refreshing.
    Laura,
    online there is lots of talk about dried lychees, but I really think you need a dehydrator for that, especially with our humidity. funny my hubby has a thing about meat and fruit together...
    Oh yes! Kate a bucket of red currants or raspberries would go down very well.
    OK I just sent you each a virtual bucket - hope you enjoyed them!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Diana StuderWed Nov 16, 06:55:00 PM

    I love lychees, but I look at that amount in horror. Wouldn't have thought of whizzing and freezing. Juicing them seems a wonderful solution!

    ReplyDelete

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