Dragonfruit expedition

[aquaeri]

There's this large cactus that grows up a gum tree at the end of Mt Ommaney Drive. I was thrilled enough when I discovered that in spring it had big yellow flowers.  But this year the flowers actually led to fruit.  And then I realised Saturday week ago that some of the fruit were not only turning pink, they suddenly looked an awful lot like

Comments

Strange and alien fruits from distant shores

[lakrids404]

They look like props from a science fiction movie.

Re: Strange and alien fruits from distant shores

[aquaeri]

I'm sure they have been used as props for a science fiction movie - I've noticed other fruits like that, for sure, on both Babylon 5 and Farscape (Farscape was filmed in Sydney, in fact they used part of the building I worked in for one set of episodes).

Re: Strange and alien fruits from distant shores

[lakrids404]

I really liked Farscape, so I knew that it was filmed in Sydney. And there were even some episodes who took place in Sydney. Farscape a show who was not afraid of bodyly fluids, good stuff :)

[ruth_lawrence]

Is Too Cold here, but I made sure to try them when I was in Bankok.

Sounds way fun for you!

[aquaeri]

We bought one when we were in Thailand, but perhaps it wasn't properly ripe. That was certainly part of why I didn't want to spend money in Australia. But they are very good when they're so ripe the skin breaks when you pick them.

[ruth_lawrence]

:-)

I have to admit I prefer pineapple and pawpaw of all the tropical fruits I've tried, though.

Since I don't think much of figs or grapes wither, I guess I like acid.

[poukledden]

Okay, the dragonfruit bit is interesting (this American boy ain't even heard of that stuff before!), but mostly I think I'm going to go through the rest of the day imagining caterpillars saying "get us! we're a snake! hisssssssssssss!"

[aquaeri]

Yes, the caterpillars were really cool and I'm sorry I didn't have a camera (I tend to sweat easily so I don't usually take it with me.)

It's just that when I first saw them, I thought "there's something wrong with that snake". And then I realised it was individual caterpillars. I'm guessing they taste good to birds who would think twice about attacking a snake so they have more chance of getting where they're going like this

[corivax]

During late spring and summer, you can probably find dragonfruit in a local asian market. It tastes like kiwifruit, except mellower. Tasty stuff. I don't know if you can find them in a Mexican market, but it ought to be possible - I first had them in Nicaragua - but the central American ones look a little different on the inside. Purplier.

[aquaeri]

These really ripe ones don't taste like kiwifruit to me - I'm having a lot of trouble describing the flavour other than very juicy and fruity.

As I understand it, the purple-on-the-inside are a different species. There's also supposed to be one that's yellow on the outside. I'm starting to wonder if you can just eat any cactus fruit you come across.

[corivax]

Awesome! I seem to encounter dragonfruit whenever I am out of the country: in Russia, in Nicaragua, in China - but the ones I see in stores here are always so sad and wilty looking. Maybe they spend much longer sitting on a shelf here because nobody buys them and takes them home, because nobody knows what to do with em? I dunno.

[okoshun]

That's so cool that it grows natively there. It's such a funky fruit. I keep meaning to buy one, but they're so darned expensive!

[aquaeri]

I doubt they'd be worth trying considering how early they'd have to harvest and then how far they have to travel. Sometimes you've just got to go with where you are - I've stopped buying blueberries and raspberries because they are so expensive and sad here. And my parents have a fig tree, which has completely spoilt me for shop figs - "You want me to pay how much for those sad things?"

[okoshun]

I had them when I was in Bogota, Colombia - they were mighty tasty. I figure that they might be a cool thing to get sometime if I'm looking to do a nifty fruit plate or something like that.

[aquaeri]

Yes, we first got them in the fruit salad at the hotel we stayed at in Thailand and had to ask what they were. The white flesh, black seeds, and lurid hot pink skin is sort of ...camp... somehow.