Produce Briefs...
Orange Honeydew Melon
Oval-to-round and a delicious cross between a cantaloupe and a honeydew, the very fleshy juicy orangish-yellow pulp of the orange honeydew melon is encased in a hard very yellow matching rind.
Italian Black Summer Truffles
Black summer truffles are more subtle than the winter variety. Shave truffle over cooked potatoes, toss with herbs and a shallot vinaigrette. Thinly shave truffle over scrambled eggs.
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.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Pamplemousse Grill | Solana Beach CA | 858-792-9090 |
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pitajaya. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Mike's Table |
|
Dragon Fruit and Coconut Sherbet |
| I Love Food So Much |
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Red Dragon Fruit Jellies |
| Kitchen Konfidence |
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Pink Dragon Fruit Soda |
Recently Spotted
Someone spotted Pitajaya using the Specialty Produce app for iPhone and Android.
Produce Spotting allows you to share your produce discoveries with your neighbors and the world! Is your market carrying green dragon apples? Is a chef doing things with shaved fennel that are out of this world? Pinpoint your location annonymously through the Specialty Produce App and let others know about unique flavors that are around them.
|
Toucan Fruit Near London, United Kingdom About 114 days ago |
