LILLY PILLY - Trying a Deliciously Crispy Fruit from Australia (lilli pilli) -Weird Fruit Explorer 

Sign up for CuriosityStream today by going to: curiositystream.com/WeirdExplorer Use code WeirdExplorer to sign up, just $14.99 for the whole YEAR.

I love the look of slight concern constantly displayed on his face

I have lilli pillies in my front yard as a hedge row. I had no idea the fruit was edible and I noticed a small bunch of fruit just yesterday while watering the garden. I’m looking forward to growing lots of fruit to try the jams etc! Thanks for sharing! (From Melbourne, 🇦🇺)

Honestly that was one of the only sponsor segments that I actually didn’t skip in my life. Well done.

Not everyday that a fruit reviewer is in a straight jacket for the ad read. This is why youre the best :)

The trees in Australia produce massive amounts of fruit for months at a time, so there is only so much you could eat fresh that's why there is so many recipes for using it other ways.

Fun fact, chickens absolutely love the fruit. We have 6 trees growing in a chicken run, all the fruit up to chicken jumping height is no longer there, and they swam like piranhas as soon as you drop any.

They grow abundantly in California. They look like cranberries and they have a snap to them, kind of like an apple. They grow on bushes as ornamentals.

That sponsor segment was brilliant

Man, I always like your creative sponsorship plugs! I remember wanting to learn how to do a straight jacket escape as a kid, but my mother wouldn't let me. But I was determined, and after hardwork and a lot of effort, I eventually got a state sponsorship where they provided me with my very own straight jacket!

I reckon it's the species called S. paniculatum, which form as a 'panicle' which is a branched flower spike, which becomes a branched bunch of fruit. Think of a bunch of grapes, that's a panicle, which looks just like the bunch you have here. Plus the colour is right, but I'd prolly know as our street is planted with this species. Yeah they taste nice enough, but the jam is awesome. My favorite native ever is the small leafed tamarind. The jam is incredible :)

I live in California. These grow all over here as a hedge. I grew up eating these. They are addictively crunchy.

I'm always hunting for new fruit to try and usually my favorites are really sweet. Things like mamey and jackfruit with a lot of sweetness and intense, unique flavors. I recently had a chance to try some wax apples though, and I agree with you about Syzigium, at least from that one experience. They aren't very sweet but I really like the textures and the refreshing feel of eating them. That seems to be a common experience in the ones you have tried.

They use this as a mostly decorative tree here in Bogotá, so I avoid trying to et them because hell knows how many things they've been exposed to. Also, happy belated birthday, Jared!

Thanks for featuring these! I'm in South Africa and we have loads of them where I live too - super popular garden plant. We've always called them Australian Bush Cherries and we have a few trees in our garden of different varieties - they all taste pretty similar with some variations and they're always a little bit astringent, even when very ripe. The bigger ones tend to be more watery and the smaller ones are often more flavourful but tend to be tarter. My mum makes jelly/jam out of the berries (when we can get at them before the birds do!) and it's so good. She adds minimal sugar, and a little apple for pectin and cooks it with the seeds and strains them out afterwards. Like you said, if you add too much sugar, you don't really taste the fruit. Never thought of making alcohol, though...

My grandsons and myself have been long time fans and you never cease to amaze us. It’d be great to see your live show that you and your troupe put on... although i would never expect you to advertise those and I respect your privacy. I wish you all the best of health and happiness to you and your family and friends. Thank You!

Australian and try these from road-side trees every now-and-then and while they have a gorgeous texture and nice foretaste, I find they have a disagreeable bitter aftertaste.

I'm grooving out to that hammond organ-heavy jazz version of "Midnight Special" in the background--nice choice!

"Pure sugar" , seeing the amount of sugar vs fruit, it instantly looked like way too much. I generally find adding

Looks like a giant wintergreen berry

I never knew what these were called, but I’ve always loved snacking on these growing up (and even now). Pro tip: for the variety common in San Diego, the leaves taste like the berries.

We have tons of these trees in the Bay Area! I have some in my yard.

I have a very large lilly pilly tree just outside my door. They are best when fully ripe, and until then most people find them too astringent and not sweet enough. I use them in a similar way to tomatoes -- in sandwiches with hummus. I also sometimes put them in apple pies. My son, for example, can't stand them, but his son (my grandson, almost 3 yo) devours them (haha!).

been eating these in the usa all my life, never knew what they where called. i do now. thank you. (very pithy, very green tasting, and a hint of something else i cannot put my finger on.)

My great grandmother was an avid gardener, she had these and made jam .mixed with apple or pear. Was one of my favourite. Western Victoria ( near Otway forest)

I grew up with the ones you demonstrated in Southern California; used as an ornamental shrub. As kids, we sparingly used them in wars because they cause stains. I was rebellious enough to try them. Just like you say, like an apple or asian pear with a medium tart, not sweet. A beautiful shrub.

We had these growing in our side yard growing up in Los Angeles. Happy to finally have a name for them. Your flavor description is exactly how I remember down to the astringency.

That bunch you're holding in your hand look like high end art! Gorgeous fruit.

I have 3 trees of BLUE lilly pilly growing for almost three years, cant wait to try the fruit!

These grew in the neighborhood in Long Beach California and I used to eat tons of them as a kid.

These are grown as hedges all over my neighbourhood, and same for my parent's. As a kid we'd pick and eat them randomly while playing in the street. Every now and then i still nab a couple while walking my dog. They're great in summer when it's really hot and you don't have water immediately at hand.

Megabattie’s fruit bats love the flowers! Maybe they like the fruits too!

Finally!! Been waiting for you to try these.

These are commonly used in landscaping in Southern California. When I was young, my friends and I would eat these as a snack when we were away from home during the day. Very tasty, but if they aren't ripe, they can be quite sour.I always loved their vibrant magenta color.

Sounds like the perfect thing to make rose jam with since it has very little flavor yet will add structure to the jam.

Lily pillies are the best, always remember going on bike rides and trying to find the biggest bush.

We used to call these "Chinese Apples" and eat them in copious amounts, there was a hedge of them near the shed. They are very crisp and juicy, with a fragrant/floral taste rather than sweetness, that left a woody/peppery aftertaste is how I remember them..... Haven't eaten them for decades now. God, I'd almost forgotten them actually. Thanks for reminding me of my childhood West Australian summer times again. Gilgies and marron and Chinese apples.

when our family lived in sydney these would grow along the hedges of multiple houses along the sidewalk, so us kids would sneak a few while we were walking to school in the morning 😆

You unlocked an old random memory of me eating these as a kid from a neighbors yard omg

very cool that you show us not only the look, taste, but also sound. Really cool! I can't really watch people eat, so I covered, but I listened :)

I have picked them and stewed them (after deseeding them) trying maintain the shape, now the low stewing with a bit of sugar ( acording to how sweet you like it) and a touch of vaniller,makes the water turn pink and the fruit looses it colour ,but the taste is reminissent of cherries. Really yummy especially with vaniller ice cream.

I love your descriptive accuracy.

I'm from Australia, used to live in Sydney now in Brisbane. I eat these when in season wherever I am because they are really common in landscaping. When I make a jam I go by weight of raw fruit and for half to 3/4 that in sugar, not volume because these are mostly air. You get a much better flavour in the jam. They also go well for fermenting but you definitely need to add sugar. Mostly I eat them fresh, sometimes I dry them to put on granola. They are good for relieving dry mouth when you're on a walk and don't have water.

Definitely different than the Lilly pilly I’ve had here in Queensland here. They are smaller and have a very dry aftertaste

Magenta colored fruit is always a win in my book! P.S. I was really rooting for you to escape that straight-jacket! No doubt experience as a contortionist can only help your odds.

I been eating these every summer of my life in australia it brings back good memories ✌

Very good episode. I even watched the ad, which was brilliant!

:D that crispy crunch is so satisfying!

Growing up in Australia, we used to eat these all the time - and we used to call them chinese apple. I had no idea they were native until now!

I tasted these in San Jose, CA when I was a kid (early 80's). They were ornamental plants growing in the apt complex I was living in.

I have had these growing in my yard (in California) since I was a kid. In my experience, they can be quite tart like a cranberry. Unfortunately by the time they're ripe and sweeter, critters have gotten to them.

I live in Australia. Had these growing at my high school as a kid. Never knew they were edible lol

We had one growing at the back gate of my childhood home and I always grabbed some on the way to my friend's house after school. Yum!

Thank you for this video ! 😊💐

Thank you from Southern California!! We have these in our yard, but I had no idea they were edible! Did a follow-along tasting. Very nice 🙂

When you described the seed as tasting like taking a bite out of a Christmas tree branch, you didn't turn me away. That sounds delicious to me. Lmfao

If you’re going to make jam then taste as you go with the sugar, you’ll have a much better taste for it. Recipes are only just a guide based on someone else’s taste preference when it comes to stuff like that👍🏼

I used to have a lot growing in my school gardens, at lunch we would sneak into the bush and harvest them. I remember them as always being (a nice) sour above anything else, so I was surprised that yours were sweet!

Cool video thanks. We get these all over SA as well. Always used to pick loads when we were children and eat them till we feel sick 😂. Be blessed 🙏

That's a crazy coincidence, my name and I live in California to. I grew up in South LA and we had a lilly pilly tree in the front yard. I always wanted to try the fruit and eventually I did, and liked it. I remember the tast exactly as you described the first one. I have to visit that house and see if I can get some from the new owners

Can confirm, living in Melbourne, I actively forage lilly pully as I walk down the streets in my suburbs

have you tried the fruit of cloves? it's a syzygium too.

I've been looking for what these are for forever! Lili pili. Always ate 'em as a kid..

I have eaten them before but I always thought that it was 1 of those things if you eat enough you'll get sick or die because everything wants to kill you here haha but yeah pretty tasty and yes very crispy indeed

Love this plant. Very cool fruit

I had a lovely park near me (Perth, Western Australia) when I was young with a large Lilli Pilli tree that was so beautiful and I loved to snack on them when I was out wandering. For some reason I knew them amongst my friends as "Chinese apples" - no clue why. Also my cousin's name is Lilly and my father always called her Lilly Pilly.

Cool, I had a house on my block that had these growing as a hedge, and we used to taste the fruit but never eaten. Good to know it's edible. Southern California area.

They look like bubblegum. Cant wait to have a try of these next time I see a tree!

i have these all the time, because I live in Australia and there are bushes EVERYWHERE!!!

I grew up with wax apple. We had a tree in the sideyard. It’s always a nice fresh snack, specially on a hot summer day 🙂

I found some this summer while travelling in California and immediately checked your channel to see if you had a review - that was just two months ago, so good timing! I had a different variety, slightly smaller fruits with a lighter color and no seeds, but the flavor was pretty much identical to what you described here.

Grew up in California with a bush of these in my neighborhood that grew into a hollow shape and 2-3 of us could hang out inside. Fruits were tiny in comparison (small grapes essentially) and the seed took up most of the fruit, but that's probably cause it was planted next to a concrete wall of a substation. Tasty but always a tiny bit astringent, maybe I was eating them before they were fully ripened. *edit* Seems like the astringency is just part of the profile after finishing the video.

I'll have to try davidson plum's next. Usually used in a jam. The fruit also grows on the tree bark.

I recommended these on video a while back and got so excited when he gave a shout out to David, then he added "from california" haha, i'm from Australia. I would say these are very different to the lilly pilly's i grew up eating, they were much more potent in tartness (almost equal to a lemon) and the flavour is a real punch. Most variants i've eaten are about the size of the seed on this variety or very slightly larger. That's why it makes such excellent jam, tart, full flavor and the seeds are miniscule unlike this one, thus someone might leave them in for texture (comparable to fig seeds).

I have a tree that I planted from seed, it brings me great pride to see how large it has grown. I am excited to see your take on it

I eat them all the time. As a child we had a massive tree growing that made our front lawn white when flowering. I use to climb the tree and eat more than my fill before the birds and bats took them all. Now im older i have a hedge propagated from seeds from that tree from my childhood.

So cute. I was talking about you and your channel to my friends 🤣. You make me happy when I see a video I haven't watched before .

You made me laugh out loud. Now I think straight jacket Wednesday should be more of a thing.

Fellow Australian here. I was introduced to the lilli pilli as a kid, foraging in my neighbour's garden for "honeysuckles" (little red ones you suck the nectar out of). He came out and suggested we eat some of the purple berries on his tree. Delicious! I agree with your assessment - very much a dry, appley flavour/texture. Haven't done the jams thing yet!

Used to eat these walking home from school as a kid, they grow everywhere in the part of Australia I live in, I've heard if you eat too many you will get the runs pretty bad so be careful lol. great video!

I was eating rose apples (chompoo) pretty much every single day as a new, refreshing and delicious favorite fruit. Almost all such fresh fruit is perfect slightly cooled, and as you say, _so satisfying._ You know what it is, almost? It's a similar quenching experience to what watermelon produces. Notice how there are rarely watermelon baked goods.

The varieties found are enormous, they grow as very small bushes to tall robust trees. The fruit varies enormously. In Australia, they make what they call a “jam” but are really a preserve.

I live in Sardinia and there are lots of lilli pilli plants used as hedges

I am going to try this jam on weekend 🤠

Last new thing I tried was Chokecherry. There is one more native which will presumably come into season next month called Sheepberry, or Nannyberry that I want to try also, but the only thing in September are nuts and crabapples. The Chokecherries kind of surprised me. I was told to wait until they were black to try them, which happened in early August. They were horribly inedible raw, at the time. There was a little sweetness right when you bit into them that turned so completely bitter almost instantly. It didn't hurt me to ingest it, but it wasn't good. Then, I tried to look up & see why that was & found someone saying that the fruit taste is variable- some trees taste good raw & others don't. As I went through August, though, I got curious because not all the fruit came into season at once, so I kept trying it once a week to see if they eventually got better. And, it turns out they did. They actually became edible raw by the last weekend of August/ first week of September. The bitterness never actually goes away, but it blends with the sweetness & diminishes to the point where you just get a kind of savory, mildly tart fruit. It's not a favorite, but it's something I wouldn't mind living off of, if I had to.

Yes people like to make citris and lily pilly jam. Kumquat and lily pilly jam is the best.

Beautiful Hoosier cabinet!

Last year I dehydrated quite a bit and enjoyed them all year round in morning cereals with milk. I really like them that way. With the new season coming up soon, I look forward to dehydrating a lot of fruit again this year.

Most likely "Syzygium luehmannii", also known as Riberry. Jams are best made with "Syzygium oleosum", also known as blue lilly pilly. Much stronger, robust flavour. Lemon or lemon Aspen "Acronychia acidula" is added to increase acidity & bring out the flavour of the fruit (also taming the sweetness). Also try making the sugar syrup, before adding the fruit. Too much cooking will remove flavour. Cook JUST enough to process the fruit.

My grandparents had a version of these in their backyard when I was a kid, I ate them all the time.

Good to see a review of another Aussie native fruit. Don't think I've ever tasted one but certainly have heard the name here in Australia. Would be great if you could review a Midyim/Midgen berry which I'm currently growing in my garden ( no fruit yet )

Holy shit, I live in California and you just made me realize I have these in my backyard. I had no idea they were edible!

I love eating water apples fresh, but my husband (a chef) used a different variety in Hawaii years back in cooking and it was amazing. He baked them with bacon wrapped chicken. It was one of the best meals I've had in my life.

Those are delicious and we had them growing everywhere in Santa Cruz

lilly pilly jelly is really fun to say

I love lilli pilli berries! I walk dogs for a living, and I find them on walks regularly (during Fall and Winter) and have a little snack while I'm out and about. The texture (to me) resembles jicama. Not the taste, though. I think you described it pretty well - slightly tart, slightly sweet, with a floral undertone that is not at all unpleasant.

"similar climate to australia" Ah, so it grows in places that are literally on fire.

These grow everywhere in California. They are used as inexpensive landscaping trees and bushes. Most common feature, they drop the fruit all over cars parked under them and the street making a big mess. The ones you tasted are much prettier than the street variety that are not watered enough to look that pretty and juicy.

as an australian who ate bush tucker lilly pillies on the walk to the schoolbus for years, these are nothing like what we had. pea sized pastel pink fruit for the most part, couple of deeper red ones at the height of summer. Although your description of the taste is spot on and I finally understand fully what you mean by astringent, half the time you'd treat it like chewing tobacco and spit it back into the undergwrowth. No seeds usually. I will say there was ornamental ones I saw that are more similar to this specimen, but I kind of preferred the little ones, they were usually seedless too

I’ve been waiting so long for you to try these! I wish I could send you some Aussie bush food but Australian laws say no lol