Home >> Science & Nature >> Nature

How to Pick Your Own Lychees in Florida

Native to China, lychees -- pronounced "lee-chees," -- are a tropical fruit from the Litchi chinensis tree. In the United States, lychees are served fresh, dried or preserved. They are also becoming a favorite fresh topping to put on frozen yogurt. This fruit -- with a tough, spiky exterior and a sweet, succulent pulp -- is not only grown in China, but also in warm places like California and Florida. To experience the vibrant taste of a fresh lychee, it is best to pick your own fruit in one of the many farms that grow lychees in Florida.

Things You'll Need

Garden pruning shears
Large canvas bags

Instructions

- 1
  Travel to a Florida farm that grows lychees. Lychees Online states that Florida is the "lychee capital of the U.S. and one of the only states where they can be successfully grown." One farm that allows you to pick your own lychees during the ripe season from May to July is the O'Berry Nursery in Jupiter, Florida. Call the nursery before you go to find out if the crops are ripe and ready to pick. If they are, make an appointment to go out into the groves for picking.
- 2
  Find a branch that has several lychee fruits hanging off of it. Look for fruits with hard, prickly skins that have turned red. Squeeze fruits with gentle pressure to see if they are moist and ripe.
- 3
  Cut the fruit from the tree. Using garden pruning shears, cut the branch about 7 or 8 inches back from where the fruits are hanging. This helps to prune the tree and prepare it for entering into the cool months of winter. Pruning also ensures that the tree will yield fruit again the following year.
- 4
  Collect and eat the fruit. Store cut branches in large canvas bags. You can take these branches home and pick off the fruits from them. Lychees can also be eaten directly in the nursery. Simply peel off the tough, red exterior with your fingernails, discard the skin and put the white, fleshy fruit in your mouth. Be careful of the large seed or "nut" in the middle, which should be spit out immediately.

Nature