Pitahaya (also Pitaya) but more commonly known as Dragonfruit. They are still a rare and exotic fruit to many Americans. But the Dragonfruit farmers in Southern California are trying to find more ways to promote this fruit. So in August they will have a festival and field day held in U.C. Irvine.
Public domain photo of the dragonfruits (and some pineapples hanging around) from Wiki.
I’ve only seen fresh Dragonfruit sold at Asian grocery stores. And the fruit sticker said it was Vietnam. Before fruits can get into the U.S. they need to be irradiated to prevent the spread of pest.
Irradiation became an approved phytosanitary treatment for fruits and vegetables entering the United States in 2002. Vietnam is the third Southeast Asian country to have fruit irradiated at an overseas site and approved for importation into the United States. The use of irradiation provides an alternative to other pest control methods, such as fumigation and cold and heat treatments. -US Dept of Agriculture.
It would be nice if California and Florida can get into this Dragonfruit market. No irradiation and the prices would be near decent for me. As the Dragonfruit sold at the Asian market was around $5 per pound. I just skipped those guys and went with dried (red flesh) Dragonfruit (sold at Trader Joe’s). But nothing is better then the fresh version, maybe at $3 a piece I could deal.
If anyone is in the Irvine area and am curious about the Dragonfruit, this festival would be very educational. If you register here before August 21st, the ticket price is $30. Otherwise it’s $40 at the door. The ticket price includes:
- Tour of pitaya research field plots
- Several presentations
- Lunch
- Pitaya fruit tasting, brix measurements and cutting distribution
If I lived closer to L.A., I would definitely attend this event. I would love to have my own cutting! But of course, those are also available on Ebay.
I think this festival would be very educational and fun as well. A weekend trip down to L.A. would be possible, just don’t like how hot it is there. But I guess the warm weather is what makes it so good for growing exotic fruits.
If I do go, I would also love to visit the Huntington Library and Botanical garden in San Marino. Haven’t been back there in almost a decade!
| Title: | Pitahaya or Dragon Fruit Festival and Field Day | |||
| Date: | 29-Aug-09 | |||
| Contact: | Barbara Henderson 760-752-4724 | |||
| Time: | 7:30 am - 4:00 pm | |||
| Location: | UC South Coast Research and Extension Center | |||
| Address: | 7601 Irvine Boulevard Irvine, CA 92618 | |||
11:36 pm on August 2nd, 2009
That’s not a bad prize at all,too bad I don’t live close by. The last time I saw the Dragon fruit farm was in Vang Vieng Laos and we were just passing by. I did ask my cousin to stop the car so that I could look at it closeup, they look beautiful with the mountain view in the background, here is the picture.
http://nyenoona.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/img_7893.jpg?w=480&h=320
12:23 am on August 4th, 2009
That’s a nice photo of the farm. I didn’t realize Laos had those kind of mountains in the background. It looks much cooler there too. But hot enough to grow Dragonfruit. Was it in season when you were there?
Thanks for the pic too.
5:06 pm on August 31st, 2009
I went to this event at UC Irvine. Well worth the $$, I learned a ton. According to a UC Davis researcher, fresh picked fruit is better than shipped fruit as there is degregation of the fruit quality over time. So if you can get it from a local farmer’s market, buy it there before you get imported Dragon Fruit. There are a number of farms in the Southern California area, and a number in the Florida area.
12:48 am on September 2nd, 2009
Hi Escondido,
I agree, the ones brought fresh would taste so much better than ones that travel thousands of miles and then have to be irradiated too.
Thanks for sharing your experience of the event.
I wish there were more local U.S. farmers selling and growing Dragon fruit. At the market in Northern California, I haven’t seen any from the states. Just those from Asia. It would be best to support the local economy and local farmers.
1:43 pm on July 9th, 2010
[...] hands on a dragonfruit plant. The best part is I didn’t have to travel to any dragonfruit convention to find [...]