Essie from Auckland writes,
Loquats. An easy care, pretty fruit tree which doesn’t need pruning. I steam (or boil) the big seeds until edible. They could be ground up and used to make almond biscuits with a little almond essence. (Use some flour & butter, too.)
A Taiwanese lady told me loquat leaves are a tonic. They pick a couple, leave to dry in the house, then crunch them into a fine powder and steep in hot, freshly-boiled water before drinking as a tea tonic. Since loquats grow readily from seed, one can start a few new trees in pots. Some folk with a new section welcome a beautiful tree that grows well and usually produces edible fruit with no fuss. Loquats don’t like heavy frosts though. I mulch mine to keep the soil moist. Enjoy!
Oily Rag Ed’ – Just a word of caution. There are some who say the seeds are poisonous (and other seeds as well) so just check before using. We have some Loquat trees that are doing quite well and will be fruiting soon so am very interested to learn more about this.