Wax
Apples Come to Temple City, Pasadena Farmers Markets
By
FBWorld Team
Farmers
Markets: Wax apples, popular in Taiwan, are uncommon in
Southern California. But now Lung Ke Wu is growing and
selling them here.
In
a hardscrabble district of South El Monte, near a decommissioned
missile site, tucked away behind a warehouse filled with
Chinese sunglasses, lies a secret orchard bearing a rare
and mysterious Asian fruit. It's the work of a wealthy
Taiwanese man, Lung Ke Wu, who drilled holes in the asphalt
to plant his own paradise and who is now causing jaws
to drop when he sells the fruit, called wax apples, at
farmers markets.
"Wax
apples are common in Taiwan, but I'm very surprised to
see them sold here," said Sue Lee of San Marino,
a shopper at the Temple City farmers market.
"I've
been looking for this fruit for 30 years," gushed
Karla M. Alvarado on the Pasadena farmers market Facebook
page. "I last had it as a kid in Nicaragua!!"
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The fruit, which really looks like it is made of wax,
is glossy pink and pear-shaped, with fleshy lobes at the
bottom. Beneath its thin, delicate skin is crisp but oddly
spongy, juicy white flesh containing one or two small
seeds. The flavor, slightly sweet and tart, is very mild
- most Westerners would say insipid - but Asians prize
the fruit for its refreshing qualities.
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