It was interesting to see dragonfruit being grown at the Ruth Bancroft’s Garden.

If Ruth can grow it successfully in Walnut Creek, then maybe my little plant will turn out just as nice. Of course I’ll have to remember to protect it from the winter freeze.  

Here is a close up of one of the two fruit still on the plant.  I was hoping they would grow as successfully as the cactus pear.

Dragonfruit is also known as pitaya, a plant native to the tropics. It’s a succulent with three sided stems and sharp tiny spines.

Dragonfruit has become more popular lately because of it’s health benefits. It’s full of antioxidant, fiber and high in vitamin C. It’s can be eaten fresh or as dried fruit (preserved). It’s also made into wine. I’ve even seen it being mixed into energy drink and included in skincare products too.

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I finally got to taste my first fresh dragonfruit, also known as Pitaya. I found them for sale at the local Asian market priced at $5 per pound. I asked if these fruits were shipped from Asia, such as Thailand or Vietnam. But the cashier said these were from the wholesale fruit market in San Francisco. I wonder if it’s from American farmers out in southern California.

The fruit of this size was priced at $2.  It had such a nice pinkish red skin with white flesh inside. I was hoping it would be sweet, but it was very bland! Kind of like a water fruit, possibly great if you were thirsty. But the seeds were nutty and gave it some texture. The flesh near the skin was a bit tart too.

Dragonfruit flesh also reminded me of eating prickly pear and kiwi fruit.  Especially with the melon like flesh and the tiny black seeds. They are great summertime fruits, when chilled.

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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.

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