Dragon Fruit

The dragon fruits, also called pitaya, are a group of closely related cactus plants that are grown in tropical lowlands. There are now dozens of commercial varieties of dragon fruit in production. In the right climate, the plants will produce fruit year round, though yields may be reduced (and prices higher) during the rainy season. Two to five days after the fruit's skin begins to turn from green to red, it is ready to pick.

The fruit is round with prominent scales. Dragon fruit skin can be yellow to pink or red. The thin rind encloses a large mass of sweetly flavored pulp and small black seeds. The flesh can be white, red, or magenta in varying degrees depending on the variety. The fruit is juicy, with subtle fruity flavors.

Dragon fruit is usually eaten chilled. The fruit is sliced open, served open-faced, and the pulp is scooped out with a spoon. It is also used to flavor drinks and pastries, and can be made into wine.

The flowers are ornate and beautiful, and many related species are propagated as ornamentals. They bloom only at night, and usually bloom for just one night. Unopened flowerbuds are cooked and eaten as vegetables, or added to salads.

Storage tips:

Dragon fruit should be refrigerated with high humidity, and can be stored for up to 40 days. However, the stored fruit-skins will become thinner, due to water moving from the skin into the flesh. This water dilutes the sugar in the fruit. For this reason, stored fruit has less flavor than freshly harvested fruit and may develop a watery rot.

At room temperature, the fruit has a very short life. It becomes worse if the dragon fruit is alternately refrigerated and warmed.