to enjoy this delicious, golden fruit both now and well into the future.

Once picked, the fresh fruit should be prepared quickly before it spoils.

Preserved in syrup, however, they lose none of their delicate flavour. Cooked, they freeze well in small plastic containers, to be enjoyed well into the future.

Loquats are an excellent source of vitamin A and are low in calories.

LOQUAT FLAN 8 oz. sugar pastry (recipe follows) 1 pt. pastry cream 1 lb. fresh loquats Apricot jam to glaze Sugar Pastry 2 cups flour 8 tbsp. margarine 2 tbsp. sugar 1 whole egg To make pastry: Rub fat into flour until sandy textured. Combine egg and sugar, add to flour mixture. Mix in lightly until all of the flour is blended together. Let rest 15 minutes in a cool place. Grease a pie dish or flan ring.

Roll pastry out to 1/16'' thick and line dish or flan ring. Ensure pastry is evenly arranged, and cut away surplus. Prick pastry with a fork and bake blind for 10 minutes in a hot oven. When pastry is cooked, remove paper and beans.

Pastry Cream 10 oz. warm milk 2 egg yolks 2 tbsp. sugar 1 heaped tbsp. flour Few drops Bermuda Gold or vanilla To make cream: Cream egg yolks, sugar and flour together. Stir in warm milk.

Heat in pot over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Add flavouring, stir well. Pour hot mixture into empty pie shell. When cool, decorate with loquat halves and glaze with warmed apricot jam. (Mr. Fred Ming).

LOQUAT GRAPE SALAD 8 to 10 loquats 1 cup chopped pecans 1 lime 1 1 cups seedless grapes BLANCH and peel seedless grapes. Remove seeds and slice. Squeeze on lime juice to prevent discolouration. In centre of a lettuce leaf on each serving plate, pile some grapes and circle with loquat slices. Sprinkle with pecans and serve with mayonnaise.

LOQUAT JAM 1 qt. loquats 2 cups water 3 cups sugar 1 cup lemon juice PREPARE loquats by washing, removing blossom ends, stems and seeds. Peel if desired. Chop in blender. Add lemon juice. Combine 1 quart fruit with 2 cups of water and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar and lemon juice, boil rapidly until jellying point is reached on candy thermometer (223 0F). Pour into hot, clean 1 pint jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Wipe jar mouths and apply lids.

LOQUAT JAM CAKE 1 cup sugar 3 cup shortening 2 cups cake flour 3 eggs 1 cup loquat jam (see recipe above) 3 tbsp. buttermilk 1 tsp. soda 1 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup raisins, cut into pieces 1 cup chopped pecans CREAM shortening and sugar together. Add beaten eggs. Sift flour and spices together. Add soda to buttermilk. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Add raisins, jam and nuts. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 0F. approximately 30 minutes.

LOQUAT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE 3 cups sliced loquats 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup raisins 1 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. salt 1 pkge. yellow cake mix PEEL, seed and thinly slice loquats. Combine with brown sugar, raisins, allspice, and salt. Spread on well buttered 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Prepare yellow cake mix according to directions. Pour batter over fruit and bake in moderate oven (350 0F.) about 40 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan; invert on large plate and serve with or without whipped cream.

SWEET SPICED LOQUATS 2 qts. loquats 1 cup hot water 1 cup vinegar 4 cups sugar 1 tbsp. whole cloves 2 sticks cinnamon 1 lemon, sliced WASH loquats, remove stem and blossom ends and seeds. Steam fruit 2-3 minutes in water to soften and prevent shrivelling. Add other ingredients (tie spices in cheese cloth bag and pound lightly) and cook gently about 10 minutes. Let stand overnight. Re-heat to boiling and cook gently until syrup is somewhat thick. Pack into clean, hot pint jars; add lids. Process in boiling water bath canner for 5 minutes.

LOQUATS IN SYRUP Although beautiful alone, loquats look and taste especially delightful with lemon or gingered ice cream or ginger sherbet. Mix with strawberries or halved, fresh cherries for a compote, or serve with plain cake or meringue shells and cream.

1 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 long strip lemon peel 2 tbsp. lemon juice 1 lb. ripe loquats (weighed without stems) COMBINE water, sugar and lemon peel in saucepan. Simmer, covered, 3-4 minutes.

Turn off heat and let stand while you prepare loquats.

Rinse stemmed loquats, trim off blossom ends, then halve and pit them. Pull off skins (or do this first, as you prefer). If loquats are relatively large, cut into quarters. (Note: If you do not object to cooked fruit with pits, poach the fruits whole, minus blossom end, for more flavour).

Add fruit to syrup and bring to simmer. Cover and poach gently, on lowest heat, until fruit is tender to taste -- about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool, uncovered, then chill thoroughly. Yield: 4 servings.

Note: After loquats have cooled in syrup, they can be packed into freezer containers and frozen for months.

LOQUAT CHEESE CAKE 1 tbsp. sugar 3 tbsp. water 2 tbsp. Bermuda Gold or Kirsch liqueur 1 sponge cake 6 gelatin leaves 6 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 2 cups milk 1 lb. cream cheese 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup ripe loquats (or other fruit) 2 tbsp. apricot jam COMBINE sugar and water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil. Allow to cool then add liqueur of your choice.

Place a 10-inch spring form pan on a baking sheet. Cut the sponge cake into a 1-inch thick circle and place it carefully in the bottom of the pan. Baste sponge cake with the cooled Bermuda Gold syrup. Soak gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water and set aside.

In a bowl beat egg yolks with remaining sugar for 5 minutes until thick. In a saucepan over low heat bring milk to a boil and slowly pour it into the beaten egg yolks. Return mixture to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon over low heat until it mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat, add drained and squeezed gelatin leaves.

With a whisk beat in cream cheese and strain through a fine sieve. Add vanilla extract. Whip heavy cream. When mixture is nearly cold, fold in whipped cream.

Pour into a mould and fold in 1 cup of peeled, seeded loquats (or other fruit) which have been halved lengthwise. Refrigerate for about 3 hours, then unmould. Decorate with remaining peeled and seeded loquats. Glaze with the melted apricot jam. (A Taste of Bermuda by Jean-Claude Garzia) LOQUAT AND APPLE CRISP STEW skinned loquats with plenty of sugar. Stew 2 peeled apples. Then take 2 1 cups stewed loquats and add stewed apples to them. Add 1 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tbsp.

cinnamon, 1 tsp. salt and sugar to taste (Preserved ginger can also be added).

Put in a 10-inch round flan pan. Cover with the following topping: Topping 3 cup flour 1 cup sugar 1 cup butter 1 tsp. salt RUB ingredients together and put over fruit. Bake at 350 0F. for about 40 minutes. Serve with lemon sauce or vanilla ice cream. (Bermudian Cookery) LOQUAT CHUTNEY 1 1 lbs. seeded loquats 1 lb. onions, chopped 1 lb. grated apple 1 lb. sugar 2 tsp. mustard 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. curry 1 tbsp. molasses 1 tsp. ginger 1 pt. vinegar 2 cups water 1 cup raisins WASH, stone and cup up loquats into small pieces. Prepare apples and onions.

Put all ingredients in pot and boil gently until soft. Pour into hot jars and seal. (Bermudian Cookery) LOQUAT LIQUEUR PRICK 2 qts. of loquats with a fork. Put in a jar with a tight top. Add 2 lbs.

rock candy and 1 1 bottles gin. Shake every day for a month, strain and bottle. (Bermudian Cookery) A variation on loquat liqueur is this late 19th century version furnished by Mrs. C. Vail Zuill in (Bermudian Cookery) MISS EDITH WILKINSON'S LOQUAT LIQUEUR 1 bottle brandy 1 1 lbs. loquats 3 lb. sugar 1 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. cloves 1 pt. milk MINCE loquats and put with some seeds in airtight bottle, mix sugar with them, and let stand for a day. (The sugar will draw juice out of fruit). Add brandy, let stand for five weeks. Put into double flannel bag, let drain out what will, then squeeze the bag to get out all the juice. Add spices and boiling milk to this liquor, and strain until clear through a double flannel bag. (The juice and rind of one lemon may be substituted for the spices. Steep the rind and add the juice when brandy is added to fruit).

LOQUAT PIE Pour this pie filling into sterilised jars and seal. Then you can make loquat pie all year round. Must be stored in cool, dark place.

4 cups loquats 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 2 tbsp. flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. ginger Pastry WASH and quarter loquats, removing seeds. Combine loquats and water, cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Sift dry ingredients together then stir into loquats. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool. Prepare pastry for 8- or 9-inch pie plate. When loquat filling is partially cooled, pour into pie dish containing bottom crust. Cover with top crust and bake at 450 0F. for 10 minutes, then at 350 0F. for 30 minutes. (Mrs Chet Williams in Bermudian Cookery) .