We have two lychee trees in our yard. They were here when we bought the house, so we certainly cannot take credit for them. They are pretty trees, tall and graceful, and when the red lychees are ready, they are really gorgeous. Right now is the time of year when the lychees are ready. The fruit is getting more and more red each day.
If you’ve never seen a lychee, they are very hard to describe. The fruit is about an inch long, and has a red, pebbly skin. You have to peel them to eat the inside which is white and surrounds a large brown seed. I think they taste horrible. Part of my problem with them is a texture thing – to me, they look like a big wad of snot. I know that’s gross, but I don’t know how else to describe it. Wikipedia says “The fresh fruit has a delicate, whitish pulp.” Ick.
I live upstairs, and the two treetops are easily seen out my windows upstairs. One is outside my kitchen window and one is outside my bedroom window.
Here is the problem with our lychee trees – people steal the fruit. Every year we fight this battle. One morning last summer, I’m in the kitchen in my pajamas, mind you and I hear people talking outside my window. I live upstairs – I’m not supposed to hear people right outside the window. I look out and there are two Asian men in my back yard, one up in the tree. They parked in our driveway, got out a ladder, walked into our backyard and were helping themselves to lychees from our tree. I yelled at them and guess what they told me -- “We gave you these trees!” Now, (again) Wikipedia does tell me that lychees trees are native to China. However, those men in MY tree did not give me that tree. I have this terrible fear that someone will fall out of the tree and it will of course be our fault! So, if any of you like lychees, feel free to come and pick some. I won’t yell at you. The thing is, if somebody were to knock on the door and ASK, hey can we pick some lychees off your tree, I wouldn’t care in the least. But to come in the yard, climb up the tree and just start picking, that’s just rude.