Produce Briefs...
Maui Onions
Two characteristics set the Maui onion apart from other yellow onions: the high sugar and high moisture content of its flesh.
Cantaloupe Melon
The cantaloupe is defined by two elements: its roughly netted stone and green colored skin and its aromatic orange-coral colored flesh. When perfectly ripe, the flesh is juicy, unctuous and sweet.
Seasons/Availability
Yellow pitaya are grown commercially in Columbia and shipped to Asian markets, with a peak season in spring.
Description/Taste
Oval to oblong and up to four inches long, dragon fruit may be red, peach-colored or yellow. This grapefruit-sized fruit actually grows on a climbing cactus. Its spongy pulp is white or sometimes pinkish red, sweet and juicy with numerous tiny edible black seeds suspended in it this flesh.
Applications
Dragon fruit flesh is mild-flavored, soft and juicy, but will hold it's shape when cut. Dice and add to fruit salads or desserts with other tropical fruits. Juice and combine with fresh fruit cocktails, leaving the seeds intact for a unique appearance. Puree dragon fruit flesh, combine with sugar and freeze into sorbets and sherbets.
Geography/History
Thought to be native to Central America and Mexico, "pitaya" is the Spanish name for this fruit. Unopened flower buds are sometimes cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The plant is a vining, terrestrial or epiphytic cactus that produces fleshy stems that can measure merely a few inches up to a twenty feet long on mature plants. Preferring dry, tropical or subtropical climates where annual rainfall ranges from twenty to fifty inches per year, they will grow in tropical wet areas but may not be as reliable for fruit production.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pitajaya. One
is easiest, three is harder.
Yellow pitaya are grown commercially in Columbia and shipped to Asian markets, with a peak season in spring.
Description/Taste
Oval to oblong and up to four inches long, dragon fruit may be red, peach-colored or yellow. This grapefruit-sized fruit actually grows on a climbing cactus. Its spongy pulp is white or sometimes pinkish red, sweet and juicy with numerous tiny edible black seeds suspended in it this flesh.
Applications
Dragon fruit flesh is mild-flavored, soft and juicy, but will hold it's shape when cut. Dice and add to fruit salads or desserts with other tropical fruits. Juice and combine with fresh fruit cocktails, leaving the seeds intact for a unique appearance. Puree dragon fruit flesh, combine with sugar and freeze into sorbets and sherbets.
Geography/History
Thought to be native to Central America and Mexico, "pitaya" is the Spanish name for this fruit. Unopened flower buds are sometimes cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The plant is a vining, terrestrial or epiphytic cactus that produces fleshy stems that can measure merely a few inches up to a twenty feet long on mature plants. Preferring dry, tropical or subtropical climates where annual rainfall ranges from twenty to fifty inches per year, they will grow in tropical wet areas but may not be as reliable for fruit production.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pitajaya. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Almost Bourdain |
|
Mini Pavlovas with Exotic Fruit |
| White on Rice Couple |
|
Dragon Fruit Salad Recipe |
| Tokyo Terrace |
|
Cocktail Friday: Dragon Fruit Mojito |
| Mike's Table |
|
Dragon Fruit and Coconut Sherbet |
