Skip to main content

Introduction to Dragonfruit


When it comes to fruits and vegetables, we embrace the sentiment 'the funkier, the better.' Case in point: the dragonfruit. When I saw them being shipped from Goodland Organics just south of us, I ordered several...along with some caviar limes

Dragon fruit, also known as 'pitaya', is native to tropical parts of Southeast Asia, Mexico, South and Central America. On the plant, its dramatic and aromatic flower opens after dark and is known as the 'Queen of the Night'. The flesh is comparable to a kiwi or a pear, though I don't think it shares the sweetness, just the texture. 

Now, about the post title, they aren't a new-to-me fruit, but I figured they might be new to some of my readers. This is what they looked like in the box...


This is what they look like when you slice them open. The seeds are haphazardly distributed throughout the milky flesh. We talked about how they look like kiwis, but even kiwi seeds have a pattern.


This is how I prepped them. Slice them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the white flesh. Compost the pink. I wonder if there's a way to use the pink part...it's so vibrant and pretty!


You'll see these in a recipe later today. Maybe two.

Have you ever tried dragonfruit? How did you eat it?

Comments

  1. Some are also hot pink inside, but they don't taste any different (that is, they also don't have much taste...).

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream

As we headed inland from the coast, I cringed as the temperature gauge in the car for outside temp climbed into the triple digits. Ugh. I'm a rather wimpy central coastal Californian who begins to wilt when it's 70 degrees outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a planned ice cream stop. When I parked the car outside Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream in Santa Rosa, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. We knew that we still had to get to the campsite...and set up our tents in the heat. But we were going to enjoy the cool, sweet treats from Frozen Art first! Michoacana ice creameries are the equivalent of Starbucks in Mexico; they're ubiquitous. Purists, however, claim that operating a true Michoacana ice cream shop require ties to Tocumbo. It's estimated that almost ninety percent of the Tocumban population is currently employed in the ice cream business from making ice cream itself to making equipment. But the real art of Tocumban ice creams: imaginat...

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.