Breda Giant

Medlar

Size

Large for the species (1-1.75 in.; some sources up to 2-2.4 in.)

Shape

Round, flattened pome with a wide-open "eye" ringed by persistent sepals

Flavor

Rich apple-cinnamon flavor once bletted - often compared to cinnamon-spiced apple butter

Texture

Hard, white, and acidic when unripe; soft, brown, fine-textured pulp once bletted

Ripening window

Picked mid-late October through November after first frosts, while still firm; then bletted for several weeks before eating

Best uses

Fresh eating (spooned out) once bletted; jelly, preserves, medlar butter

Pollination

Self-fertile - no pollinator needed

Tree size

8-12 ft at maturity for a home orchard planting (can reach ~20 ft unpruned)

Notes

Dutch heirloom (Mespilus germanica), originally "Bredase Reus" ("Giant of Breda"); documented from a 1934 Breda, Netherlands specimen, propagated from ~1950. Chill requirement ~400 hours - a good fit for zone 8a. Like all medlars, fruit is inedible fresh - it must "blet" (soften and partially break down after frost) before eating; picked firm in fall and left in a cool, lit (not sealed/dark) spot for several weeks until soft and dark brown. Begins bearing in 2-3 years, 20+ lb/year at maturity. Nursery sources describe it as generally untroubled by pests/disease, though that claim comes from nursery marketing copy rather than independent extension data. Sometimes grouped loosely under the "Dutch Medlar" umbrella name along with related but distinct clones (Large Dutch, Macrocarpa) - Breda Giant is a specific, documented cultivar rather than that generic label.