Our West Australian grown Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba) are grown on the bank of the Capel River, the trees are trellised and under full netting protecting them from nature’s elements. Our Fresh Jujubes are hand-picked, washed, graded and packed into boxes to ensure premium quality fruit is available from February to May. Capel River Dried Jujubes are oven dried and available throughout the year while stocks last.
What is a jujube? The Jujube fruit is an edible oval drupe, the taste is similar to an apple or pear but with its own unique Jujube flavour. It grows on a deciduous tree (Ziziphus jujuba) with shiny green leaves and yellowish-green flowers. The Jujube is green when unripe and the skin starts to turn red as it ripens. When the fruit is fully mature it turns a purple-brown colour and becomes wrinkled (like a date). The dried Jujube is slightly chewy, it has a delicate sweet flavour with notes of apple and custard.
The Jujube has its origins in China some 3000 years ago, and is also known as the Chinese apple, Chinese date, Red date, Indian or Korean date. The nutritious Jujube (ziziphus) flesh and seed is widely used in herbal medicine.
In 2015 Tony and Georgie Warren decided to move with their family of 3 young girls from Perth to a farm in Capel River. They wanted to provide their daughters with the country upbringing that they had both enjoyed. While running a small herd of beef cattle, they were looking into what they could grow and “picked” Jujubes.
While Jujubes are a cottage industry in Western Australia, Tony and Georgie saw potential in the fruit due to its nutritional value and health benefits. The adaptability of the tree to different soil types and climates and counter seasonality to the Asian and Mediterranean market, potentially opening up export markets, made it an excellent choice.
The family-run Jujube Orchard was established in 2016 and the first small commercial size harvest sold in 2019. In 2020, the harvest size steadily increased, and they have now expanded into other Jujube product lines. Capel River Dried Jujubes are now available online and at the Margaret River and Boyanup Farmers Markets. Capel River Fresh Jujubes are available from Feb – May at selected Fruits and Vegetable stores in Perth and the South West.