On my last trip to the orchard, I picked up a small jar of a jelly I had never heard of before, Wild Mayhaw.
It is a pretty red jelly.
After some research, I found Wild Mayhaw to be a deep southern item. It is related to or a type of Hawthorne (hence the name). It has a pink cranberry resemblance or something a kin to a crab apple appearance.
It requires tons of water and thus it grows in coastal Southern Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
It apparently has a short harvest season. Having many sharp thorns, they are generally harvested by shaking the plants and using nets to get the fruit from the water.
The trees have been cultivated and are being looked at for more commercial, sustainable harvest.
The most popular use of the fruit is to make jelly. I did find Mayhaw syrup being sold also.
The jelly has a slightly tart taste. It was very good on toast. I will buy more when we go back to the orchard…if they have any left.
