Jujube History and Cultivation in California

Where to begin, as jujubes were not even on my radar in 2022. A current client and I were talking about my Green Farm 4 All projects, and he told me about his friend farming jujubes. I had no knowledge of this fruit, like so many others I am discovering since moving to California. It took several months of asking if I could fly my drones over their farm, and I finally got an invite for a special occasion, their harvest. Little did I know I was about to meet one of the oldest fruit cultivated by mankind.

The drive brought me to the middle of nowhere in Southern California. As a matter of fact, jujubes grow well in arid and dry climates, they only need a low chilling temperature, are drought resistant, meaning they are a great fruit tree to cultivate in southern California. As a bonus, they easily grow pest free.

Once in the sandy driveway, I was ushered to park in an area away from the trees as they have thorns. As I was starting to walk with my host, I got a fast-track lesson about his work on the farm and the fruit itself. Learning included the taste of 2 different cultivars, and yes, I could notice a subtle difference. Also, it didn’t take long before someone from the family offered me a jujube smoothie, delicious!!!!

Jujube also known as Chinese date or red date, is a small stone fruit from the size of a cherry to a plum. The size depends on the cultivars. The light green skin color turns red when aging, then the fruit shrivels, ought the name red date. Botanically identified as Ziziphus Jujuba, from the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, it has been cultivated for over 4000 years, and domesticated about 7000 years ago. As such, it is one of the oldest fruit tree cultivated known to us. Jujube originates from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, also known as the ‘mother river’ of the Chinese population. To this day, China is responsible for over 98% of the total Jujube global production. They can also be found in Southern United States, South Korea, Iran, North Africa, Israel and the Middle East.

Inferior seedlings from Europe were Introduced in the US in 1837, with no success. Later, over 30 Chinese cultivars were brought in the USA between 1908 and 1918 by Frank Meyer through 4 China trips in that period. To this day, the “Li” cultivar is the most prevalent. Over 800 of cultivars exist in China; 60 to 70 cultivars exists in the US, which still need testing to determine which ones will be the most adaptable to our local conditions. Jujube was actually named fruit of the year by the California Rare Fruit Growers in 1994. However many hurdles restricted its propagation.

I haven’t been able to find the exact numbers of Jujube farms in California, however there are several in southern California: Brentwood, San Diego county, with a cluster in the Lucerne Valley owned by Korean families. One large jujube farm is in Santa Barbara county, other farms are in the Central California Valley and I even noticed some farms in Northern California.

They grow best in ½ day to full sun, with well-drained soil. Depending of the cultivar, they can reach an height of 15 to 30’, and will need regular pruning to effectively reach fruits. It is known that having different types of cultivars on a field will promote a larger fruit yield. The harvest can be done by hand, with sticks, or mechanically around the month of October. Different cultivars can have different harvesting periods.

The fruit can be eaten raw, has a chewy texture with a taste between a pear and an apple. It can be prepared as a flavorful smoothie. The fruit is often dried, which will concentrate its sugar content. For this process, jujubes can be grouped by size and spread over large screens for several weeks. They are then bagged, kept cool and rehydrated for later use.

Jujubes have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. They are a rich source of antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber. Many bioactive components are being investigated for their potential beneficial role such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, lipid lowering, anti-hyperglycemic, immunoregulatory, neuroprotective, sedative, and antiviral functions.

Jujube has a rich history and meaningful place in many Asian cultures. As an important historical and nutritional fruit, jujube cultivation will hopefully continue its expansion in California as it checks all the boxes for our climate. You can order them online from specialty farms, or find them in season at local farmers market. I hope you will give them a try!

References available on demand