I heard a recommendation of Puciu Big as the biggest and best. I don't think it is available from a nursery; Raintree is now selling Puciu Super Mole but that is a different variety. The ARS has some pictures online (see link below) and if you look at their pictures the Puciu Big and Puciulot seem to be the biggest. I have some Puciu Big grafted which should fruit this coming year.

Overall I have not had much luck with medlars. The moths go after them and the fireblight also finds them a favorite. They also can rot badly; all of mine rotted this year. My Breda Giant died from fireblight and all I have fruiting now is a Royal. The Royal is a good-tasting medlar.

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: Medlar varieties (click on the List button to get the list)

I realise it's not much help to you but I got my Large Russian from Reads of Norfolk. But they don't seem to list it anymore. In my garden it has been completely trouble free with no pests or diseases whatsoever. It is never sprayed. Large Russian fruit ....
{{gwi:58778}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Reads of Norfolk

Those certainly are large! They are quite a bit bigger than any pictured in the ARS collection. I think Hidden Springs Nursery used to sell that variety so maybe you could still get it from them.

Scott

Mostly lurking nowadays, but I did want to say that "Puciu Big" is not the largest-fruited cultivar in the Filoli collection -- there was at least one cultivar out of the six or seven Todd K. brought to an exchange (last year) that he said had a larger fruit. "Puciu Big" was the one Todd recommended when I asked him what I should grow if I grew only one. I suppose that probably means that it is his overall favorite, although he did not phrase it that way.

Flora- How are those fruits from 'Large Russian' in terms of flavor?

Thanks for the tips everyone, I am having a hard time deciding which cultivar to purchase. I may wait until this fall, as the number of plants in my new orders this spring is starting to balloon out of control..

Well..... they're fine if you like medlars. Personally I only eat a few as they are not very exciting and they are rather fiddly to eat. They need to be bletted, then peeled and the pips got rid of. Some years they are very gritty, others they are smooth and not too bad. Mainly they are a curiosity. I have a tiny garden and the tree is a more visually interesting feature than an apple.

I can't help you with medlar taste, but can I ask where you got a +Crataegomespilus dardarii at? How does that taste?

I have the Nottingham. Not large fruit but tasty enough and very productive. I'd like to get a few scions of another variety, and BTW how do you get a Medlar seed to germinate? I've never seen a seedling under my tree?
Do they need a pollenator to set viable seeds? I get plenty of fruit though. Use hawthorne seedlings as a rootstock and they graft very easily.

I got my Crataegomespilus dardarii from Forestfarm. It took some pretty nasty animal damage last year and I'm ordering a new one just in case the scion dies. The understock is some kind of Hawthorn and looks OK. Sorry I can't get give you a critique of the intergeneric fruit; I'll get back to you in a few years :) A seedling Medlar took similar damage but has been much more vigorous and is healing well.

I do have wood of Nottingham here and it is still dormant. Would like to try a couple of others to see if it would help creat 'viable' seedlings.

Thanks pteroceltis! The whole graft chimera thing is pretty cool I think.

boizeau, drop me a line if you want some Piciu Big. I just grafted it last year but some of it was growing the wrong way and I had to cut it back.

Scott

If anyone wants Nottingham Wood, I'd love to trade for another sort of Medlar. Might help get a few viable seedlings with a pollenator.

I'm coming to the party rather late but here's a place that has a few Medlar's for sale:
https://www.treepeony.com/search?q=medlar

I planted a medlar and am thinking about getting another, although I've not ever tasted the fruit. The tree looks like a good size and even if I don't like the fruit, I'm hoping that it will be an attractive addition to the garden. Is it fairly well shaped or does it need a lot of pruning to keep it tidy?

Also, has anyone tried using a Squeezo to separate the seeds and skin from the fruit; if so, is that successful?

I have worked with medlar to separate the pips (large seeds) from the pulp.

If using a Squeezo, the Pumpkin screen with its larger holes might work best, as medlar has very pasty, thick pulp, nearly the consistency of peanut butter..

https://www.squeezostrainer.com/Product/squeezo-strainer-parts/squeezo-strainer--alternate-screens/32128

Unfortunately, I only have the one screen; I have my mom's (still have the box it came in, too! I was thinking that, just like applesauce, I could cook them with a little bit of water to soften and liquify a bit more...The tree is only waste-high at this point, so I think I have a little time to figure this out, but I like to have a plan! I just saw the link that you included; thank you so much. I will get on that. I'm in the process of planting out a food forest with every fruit that will grow in Vermont...and there are quite a few. I'm thinking the larger screen might be good for the paw paws, persimmons, and (Cornelian) cherries, too.

With a little cooking and added water, you might get the medlar consistency to toothpaste. Adding water will reduce flavor. The larger fruits such as pawpaw and persimmon are easy to de-seed by hand. The medlars were messy, like handling clay.

HU-590355785, thanks for the recommendation of Hidden Springs Nursery; I just placed an order yesterday. I also just ordered your book; I've been looking for something like it for quite a while now.

The Logician LLC, your responses are much appreciated and are making me very curious about medlars! I tried to order the extra screen, but it wouldn't go through without charging a ridiculous amount for S&H and much more than what was stated in the cart--like $35! I'll call them this week.

I ended up using my paste-like medlar pulp as a sandwich spread.

After digging out the seeds by hand and cutting off the blossom end, you can just put the whole mess in a blender; the shredded skins will blend right in. I sampled some little cookies one time that had a little blob of medlar paste centered on top, just like you would use a dab of jam or dates.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you used it like jelly in a PB&J. Have you had it with peanut butter? I haven't ever tasted a medlar, but I bet it might be good in a ham or chicken sandwich, too...I love cranberry sauce in those sandwiches. Ooh, grow little tree, grow! Now that it's fall, I doubt that it will put on any more growth this season but we are finally getting some decent rain. How many years did you have to wait before getting some fruit to try? My little tree has been planted for two years now. Do you ever freeze the pulp?

The Squeezo strainers are backordered until January; they said that when they came in I'd have more options for shipping.

I used it with jam, making an M&J sandwich.

I have frozen the pulp.