Lychee

The floral taste of the tropics

The “King of Fruits”

Lychees are a delicious tropical fruit renowned for their sweet, floral flavour and rich history of cultivation, particularly in China where they have been enjoyed for centuries. In addition to their distinctive taste, lychees offer a range of health benefits. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidants, making them a nutritious addition to any diet.

Here’s some recipe inspiration for lychee lovers:

  • Makes 8 Popsicles

    Ingredients

    - 300ml coconut milk
    - 1 tbsp maple syrup or sweetener of choice
    - 2 cups (approx 45) fresh lychees, peeled & seeded
    - ½ cup fresh or defrosted frozen raspberries

    Method

    1. Roughly chop 16 fresh lychees into small 1 cm pieces. Set aside.

    2. Add raspberries to a blender and puree. Divide evenly between 8 x 80ml popsicle moulds together with the chopped fresh lychees.

    3. Add coconut milk, maple syrup and remaining lychees to the blender and process until smooth. Pour into popsicle moulds all the way to the top.

    4. Take a butter knife or popsicle stick and swirl the raspberry puree and fresh lychees together with the coconut mixture.

    5. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze for 4–5 hours or until frozen. Remove from the moulds and serve

    Notes:
    1. You may need to run moulds under warm water for a few seconds to loosen the frozen popsicles.

    2. Raspberries may be blended together with the coconut mixture, however, I recommend leaving the pieces of chopped lychees.

    • 2 tbsp olive oil

    • 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander 

    • 1tsp salt 1tsp ground pepper

    • 1tsp chopped small red chilli, finely chopped with seeds removed

    • Juice of 1 lime

    • 8 lychees, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped 

    • Half of a Spanish onion, chopped 

    • 4 snapper fillets or other white fish  

    Serves 4  

    Place lychees, olive oil, coriander, salt, ground pepper, onion chilli and lime juice in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.  

    Spray hot pan with canola spray or olive oil. Cook fish for 3-4 minutes, turning once or until cooked. 

    Place cooked fish onto plates and spoon over with the lychee mixture. Serve. 

  • Preparation time: 15 minutes + 2 hours freezing
    Cooking : 10 minutes
    Serves 6-8

    • 250g packet gingernut cookies, broken roughly

    • 60g unsalted butter, melted

    • 250g pack reduced fat cream cheese

    • 250g low fat ricotta

    • 2/3 cup caster sugar

    • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

    • 250mls light thickened cream

    • 15 fresh Australian lychees, peeled, seeded and chopped
      extra lychees to serve

    • lemon zest, to serve if desired

    Method

    To make the base, place the cookies in a food processor or blender and process to a coarse crumb. Add the melted butter and continue to process until fully combined. Remove the crumb mixture and press into the base of a greased and lined 20cm springform cake tin, pressing with your hand until the surface of the base is smooth. Cover and chill.

    Place the low fat cream cheese, low fat ricotta, sugar and lemon rind in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for a couple of minutes until well combined then add the light cream and continue beating for 5 minutes until mixture is smooth and thick. Stir through lychees.

    Spoon the mixture into the tin over the biscuit base and smooth the surface. Cover and freeze for 2 hours or until filling is solid.

    Take cake tin out of the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Carefully remove from tin and transfer to a serving plate.

    Top with extra lychees and lemon zest if desired. Serve immediately.

  • Use this delicious recipe for a basic lychee fruit punch, that can be served virgin, adult or as a frappe. 

    • 1tbsp caster sugar 

    • 20 fresh lychees, peeled and deseeded 

    • 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves

    • 1 cup of ice

    • 750ml bottle of lemonade or bottle of sparking wine 

    Blend sugar, 10 lychees with mint leaves and ice. Place into a large jug and top with lemonade. Halve remaining lychees and add to the mixture. Serve in chilled glasses.  

    To make an adult version of this muddle; simply replace lemonade with sparkling wine.

    To make a frappe; blend sugar, 15 lychees, mint and 2 cups of ice. Place into a large jug and top with lemonade or sparkling wine.

Lychee Region and Seasons

In Australia, North Queensland is a key lychee producing region. The harvest typically begins in late October and progresses down the eastern coastline, concluding around late March. The peak season falls in December and January, when lychees are most abundant and widely available.

Lychee cultivation is highly dependent on climate. Flowering and fruit set are particularly sensitive to temperature fluctuations, which can significantly impact yield and timing. The pollination process is complex, involving several types of flowers and a precise sequence of male and female flower openings, requiring optimal environmental conditions for successful fruit development.

Lychee farming is labour-intensive and demands meticulous management throughout the growing and harvesting phases. While the most commonly recognised variety features red skin, several subspecies exist, each with unique characteristics in terms of appearance, taste, and growing season.

 

Lychee Varieties

We proudly supply a range of lychee varieties, with the following being our primary offerings:

Erdon Lee: A mid to late-season variety producing large, dark red fruit on medium to large trees with sprawling branches. The skin is notably wrinkled and textured.

Fay Zee Siu: A large, sweet-tasting fruit with green mottling on the skin, typically available from November to December. This variety is challenging to grow commercially on a consistent basis.

Baitaying: An early-season variety yielding medium-sized red to orange fruit on upright trees. Known for its excellent shelf life and good storage qualities.

Chompogo: A late-season variety producing medium to large red fruit on dome-shaped trees. This variety is notable for its ability to remain on the tree longer before harvest, allowing for a more flexible picking window.

Our Lychee Partner

Our lychees are grown in the Mareeba area by second-generation, family-owned, Howe Farming Group, with numerous farms and orchids strategically located across the Atherton Tablelands in North Queensland. The group employs over 450 staff including seasonal workers, and has grown to become the largest private employer on the Tablelands. Howe Farming also produces bananas, avocados, coffee beans, cotton, sugar cane, citrus and more.