livligkinkajou

It also seems really easy to make. I'll give it a try, thanks

Yup, you can definitely do it, and it is delicious, specially if you crush some ice cubes with it. You don't even need to worry about the pit, as you can just throw everything in the blender, and then sieve it out if you want. Tartness is high indeed, so sugar might be needed to balance it out if you have a sweet tooth

Now that you mention it, I do wonder if I could get a mead out of it too, but I have zero knowledge on meads. Compotes are doable and I liked them, but I actually prefer them in natura when in season

As another user mentioned, it is an Arbutus Unedo in this case. It isn't native to California, but some use them to attract pollinators as it flowers and fruits at the same time, specially at late season, as insects are preparing for winter

How big are the fruits?

They are probably not under ideal conditions, so the fruits around here are around 7-8 cm long and 3-4 cm wide.

The seeds appear to make up most of the volume – is that consistently the case?

Yup, it's almost all seed, the pulp is at most 0.5 cm layer around the seed. All fruits I've seen look like this

How would you describe the flavour of the fruit when the astringency is gone?

I'll replicate another comment I made: I honestly don’t know how to describe it, it seems to have quite a unique taste. It’s creamy, but drier and firmer than mango. I would also say it’s less sweet than most mangoes. It has a really soft flavor, that to me at least, is completely different from mango, more like a floral flavor to it

Are there any distinguishing features of the leaves or flowers (shape, fine hairs, etc)?

The underside of the leaves has a velvety layer that if you rub your fingers on it, it comes out quite easily. The upperside is smooth, glossy and dark green

I took another picture, but these leaves are younger, so they have a lighter green to them and they are smaller. The leaves usually have around 15 cm

The flowers are raceme, with white or cream colors, see:

They are mildly sweet, it doesn't feel oily at all, but it's still creamy. The seed is oily and I'm almost certain it was used to make soaps in the past

The trees around here are still small, maybe poor soil or stress from traffic? But they can get bigger and reach up to 20 m

The outer skin is quite astringent if you eat it right after picking them up. It's usually recommended to let them sit for a day or two so it gets rugged and the astringency disappears

I honestly don't know how to describe it, it seems to have quite a unique taste. It's creamy, but drier and firmer than mango. I would also say it's less sweet than most mangoes. It has a really soft flavor, that to me at least, is completely different from mango, more like a floral flavor to it

Those Ingas are huge, I've only ever seen the smaller ones.

For those unaware, they are also known as ice cream beans in English, so a while ago, I filled an ice cream tub with them and announced to the kids: "Who wants ice cream?" and gave it to them. Seeing their faces was priceless, going from pure joy to math lady meme in a split second as they lifted the lid, lol

Damn, that looks great. Did you have to take it apart to apply the dyes?

What did you get on your last haul?

You can't say that and not show us the result! What color did you use for your guitar?

Oof, how did I forget wood burning?! That's a great tip indeed.

I also never thought about using leather dye, I'll look for it next time

That's a good one, we'll give it a try next time. I think I'll try the other block rule as "the next person has to use their non dominant hand to pull their next piece" and see how it goes.

Still open to suggestions everyone, keep them coming