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.
