Also known as Chinese dates, jujubes have been grown in Asia for thousands of years.<\/p>\n
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Jujube fruits can be eaten fresh or dried. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n
They are a common part of diets and traditional medicine in Asian cultures partly due to their health benefits.<\/p>\n
A study<\/a> investigating jujubes found the fruit was a functional food, boasting nutritional values of antioxidants, fibre, and minerals like magnesium and calcium.<\/p>\n “The fresh fruit has 20 times more vitamin C than any other citrus fruit,” study author and food scientist Ahmed K. Rashwan said.<\/p>\n “This fruit has been used for centuries, especially in tea in China and Egypt.”<\/p>\n Jujubes can be used in various forms of tea and have been used in China and Egypt for thousands of years. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n Jujubes are often compared to a small apple, crisp with a sweet, distinct flavour.<\/p>\n So, why would farmers take the gamble to grow a fruit that’s still a mystery to many?<\/p>\n Growing an undiscovered fruit<\/p>\n Phuong Cao and her mother Thi Tran have been growing thousands of jujube trees over the past decade on their family farm in South Australia’s Renmark.<\/p>\n Thi Tran and her daughter Phuong Cao are growing jujubes for fresh fruit markets. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n “We planted wine grapes and then the wine grape market went down, so we had to diversify and found jujubes,” Ms Cao said.<\/p>\n While growing jujubes in a niche market came with its challenges, Ms Cao appreciated the unique flavours and versatile use of the fruit.<\/p>\n “It’s juicy, sweet and crunchy and has got its distinct taste,” she said.<\/p>\n “We normally eat it freshly dried or you can steep it into a tea, and apparently it’s really good for sleep, if you have insomnia it helps.” Phuong Cao and her mother Thi Tran are growing thousands of jujube trees on their farm in Renmark. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n For one of the industry’s pioneering growers Ben Waddelow<\/a>, it was the horticultural challenge that attracted him to growing jujubes.<\/p>\n “It was something new and different. It was hard to grow, and I needed to reinvent the grafting and propagation techniques,” Mr Waddelow said.<\/p>\n His passion for the fruit, however, first started with a school project in year 12, when he was late to class and had been given the letter Z to research a plant species.<\/p>\n Ben Waddelow likes the horticultural challenges of growing jujubes. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n “Ziziphus jujuba is the scientific name for jujubes and, literally, I just had to go off and research it and believe it or not, I fell in love with the plant species,” he said.<\/p>\n Since then, he has been part of an innovative group of growers who brought more than 40 different varieties to Australia about two decades ago.<\/p>\n Besides being enjoyed as a fresh fruit, Mr Waddelow said there was also potential for value-added products such as jujube vinegar and the various foods it was used in across Asia.<\/p>\n Dried jujubes are used in various forms and products such as cakes, teas, and soups. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n Industry potential and challenges<\/p>\n It’s estimated there are about 60 jujube growers cultivating 50,000 trees in Australia, according to AgriFutures Australia data.<\/p>\n Large expansions have been taking place, with horticulture companies like Seeka planning to plant tens of thousands of trees.<\/p>\n Across Australia large plantings of new jujube trees are taking place. (ABC Landline: Kerry Staight)<\/p>\n Author of the Australia Jujube 2030 Strategic Blueprint<\/a> Trevor Ranford saw opportunities in the fruit’s export possibilities and the varied climatic areas jujubes could be grown in.<\/p>\n “Jujubes’ potential is very strong and it’s a plant that can grow in often harsher conditions than some of our normal fruit trees,” Mr Ranford said.<\/p>\n Some of the major challenges he identified though were the industry “fragmentation” and lack of consumer knowledge about the fruit.<\/p>\n “It’s a matter of building volume of people and produce but also getting the industry to work together,” he said.<\/p>\n Jody Miltenoff wants the jujube industry to work together to establish export markets. (ABC Landline: Kerry Staight)<\/p>\n South Australian Jujube Growers’ Association deputy chair Jody Miltenoff said a national body was needed to establish export markets and build effective communication programs.<\/p>\n “For the industry to move forward, it needs to be a united front because the beauty of our jujubes going into the Asian market is we are counter-seasonal,” Mr Miltenoff said.<\/p>\n He explained that while some growers were already exporting to Hong Kong and Singapore, a concerted effort could lead to opening exports to Vietnam and South Korea.<\/p>\n From niche to ‘cult following’<\/p>\n One industry that’s grown from the “backyard” to large-scale commercial production<\/a> is Australia’s avocados.<\/p>\n Once a fruit consumers didn’t pay much attention to, it smashed its way into people’s hearts across the globe. Four decades on, it’s valued at $589 million.<\/p>\n In Australia alone, production tripled in the past decade, from 48,715 tonnes in 2013\/2014 to 150,913 tonnes in 2023\/2024, according to Avocados Australia data.<\/p>\n Sarah Tucker-Boehm believes avocado’s popularity is due to the fruit’s health benefits. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n Riverland avocado grower Sarah Tucker-Boehm and her husband Aaron Boehm are reaping the benefits of her in-laws’ foresight to plant the emerging crop in the 1980s.<\/p>\n While they started with one 10-acre (4-hectare) parcel, Mark and Dawn Boehm’s business has grown to eight parcels with more than 5,200 avocado trees.<\/p>\n “Mark decided to rip out all of the fruit trees that were on his block and took a gamble and planted avocados, and it’s paid off,” Ms Tucker-Boehm said. Australia’s avocado production tripled in the past decade. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n She described it as an “educated gamble” as people’s interest in health and fitness grew, and avocados were seen as a healthy fruit.<\/p>\n “Avocados are full of good fats and nutrients. It’s got more potassium than bananas,” Ms Tucker-Boehm said.<\/p>\n “Today, it almost has a cult following. People will wear avocado clothing, it’s become this phenomenon, and I think one of the driving factors is its health benefits.”<\/p>\n While the industry was battling a glut<\/a> in recent years, which led to lower prices,<\/a> she said working with the national body Avocados Australia was essential.<\/p>\n “They are working on increasing avocado consumption and expanding export markets.”<\/p>\n Sarah-Tucker Boehm and her husband, Aaron, farm with her in-laws in the Riverland. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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