Thursday, August 11, 2011

My First Dragonfruit

IMG_3953I bought a dragonfruit plant from Buchanan’s last summer (or maybe it was the summer of 2009). It was on sale (I’m always a sucker for a sale) and looked like it would be fun to try. However, it is still in the same pot I brought it home in and it is rather neglected.

When I returned from Oman in mid-June, I noticed that it had bloomed while I was gone. The bloom looks very similar to what I have referred to as a night-blooming cereus in a previous Macro Monday post. It would seem that the two are related. I’ve been keeping an eye on the fruit as it has been forming. Over the last few weeks I’ve been wondering how I would know when to pick it.

Yesterday I came home and squeezed it. It was a little soft, so I picked it immediately. I was afraid that I had waited too long to pick it, but based on a little internet research, it seems that I picked it at about the right time.

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IMG_3939The tag on the pot said red dragonfruit, but did that mean red on the outside or the inside? There are two red-skinned types, one that is white on the inside and the other that is red. There is also a yellow-skinned variety.

It turns out that mine is a red-skinned and red-fleshed variety. The flavor was very mild, almost non-existent. But, it was fun to eat. Quite an experience.

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Now, I think I need to find a white-fleshed one to keep the red-fleshed one company. Smile

1 comment:

  1. Sounds a lot like my experiences with prickly pear cactus fruit. Lots of color, not much flavor.

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