Winter 2020

Partner Content |
The Beautiful
Dragon Fruit
BY NAN STERMAN
These are the most amazing-looking fruits. Large, deep pink
orbs covered in green scales—no wonder their nickname is
“dragon fruit,” a term that comes from Vietnam, where the
fruits were introduced in the late 1800s. In their native tropical
Central and South America, however, these fruits are called
pitaya, which is the term for all cactus fruits, or pitajaya, the
name for this particular cactus fruit.
The fruits of this climbing, epiphytic cactus start out as
gigantic, fragrant white flowers that open for just one night, and
close as the sun climbs in the sky. In their native habitats, moths
and bats pollinate the flowers. Here in San Diego, bees can do
that job, but many growers prefer to do it themselves. They use a
makeup brush to move the white powdery pollen from the male
parts of the flowers to the female parts.
Pitajaya is very easy to grow. The bright green succulent
stems do best in full sun and well-draining soil, with minimal
irrigation, something sturdy for support—a post, a wall, even a
tree—and the long vines pruned short so fruits develop within
easy reach. Plants flower in cycles from May to November,
depending on the variety. Six weeks after pollination, the fruits
are ready for harvest.
Ripe dragon fruits weigh
between half a pound to more
than three pounds. Their skin
gives slightly to the touch, and
the fruits feel very heavy in your hand. Slice a pitajaya open
to reveal the color of its flesh, from white to hot magenta and
studded with tiny black seeds.
The tastiest varieties are the brightest pink to deepest magenta
colored. They are sweet, juicy, fragrant, crunchy (from the seeds),
and absolutely delicious. They also pack a nutritional punch as a
high-fiber and antioxidant-rich food.
Most often, we eat the fruits fresh, sliced in fruit salad, as
a garnish, in smoothies, and even combined with lime juice
and ice for aguas frescas. Dragon fruit makes surprisingly good
sorbets and ice creams. In Florida, daring chefs chop dragon fruit
into ceviche. One of my favorite breakfasts is sliced dragon fruit
with cottage cheese—yum!
Increasingly, San Diego home gardeners grow pitajaya in
frost-free backyards. Today, just three or four farms in north San
Diego County grow commercial crops. Expect that number to
increase as farmers look to move from thirsty crops like avocados
and citrus to crops that need less water.
While the high-touch nature of growing dragon fruit makes
the fruits expensive at local farmers’ markets and specialty
retailers, just one taste tells you they are worth every penny.
Get started growing your own pitajaya by selecting a named
variety so you don’t end up with a bland-flavored white fruit.
(White-flesh fruits are still beautiful, but they aren’t very tasty.) My
favorite varieties are Delight, which has a pale pink flesh, and the
deep magenta-fleshed Physical Graffiti and American Beauty.
Follow A Growing Passion on Facebook and
Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at
our Season 8 episode featuring this delicious
and surprisingly sustainable fruit, and watch
older episodes of A Growing Passion at
agrowingpassion.com.
20 ediblesandiego.com