Folkways
by Maya Brown Zniewski
Pitaya or dragon fruit: botanical
name Hylocereus Undatus. What a
wonderful, imaginative name. I just
love the look and feel of dragon fruit.
Tasting like kiwi and melon, grow-
ing from cacti, dragon fruit is native
to Central America as well as the
Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. It
grows in zones 10 and 11 but needs
protection from the cold in zone 9
and protection from the sun in zones
10 and 11. It grows well in a green
house or with other protection.
Looking at the USDA zone map for
El Paso (zone 8a) for reference,
Dragon Fruit should grow well in the
Trans-Pecos, outside, in a green-
house or in a sunny window in your
home. They may not bloom in cold-
er areas but are still a beautiful plant.
They are night lovers. Pollinated by
moths and bats, they have aerial
roots, are night blooming and have a
wonderful scent.
Check with your health care prac-
titioner, but dragon fruit seems to
have a positive effect on those with
blood sugar issues. They contain vita-
mins B1 and B2, niacin, calcium,
carotene, phosphorus, iron, protein
and carbohydrates.
They have antioxidants that bind
free radicals. Free radicals have a
great name but are terrible for us.
Free radicals cause cancer. Binding
them seems to prevent them from
forming cancerous cells. High in
fiber, dragon fruit is good for bowel
regularity. It is also thought that
because of the high vitamin C content
dragon fruit can help build your
immune system and act as a detoxify-
ing agent.
You can prepare the dragon fruit
by slicing lengthwise and scooping
out the flesh or by quartering them
and peeling back the rather leathery
pink, white or yellow peel. Two
ounces of the flesh of dragon fruit
contains 60 calories, 9g sugar, 1.5g
fat, 2g protein, 1g fiber, 8g carbohy-
drates and 8g calcium. The seeds
are completely edible, though the
skin is not. Remove the skin before
consuming.
20
Cenizo
Store dragon fruit as you would a
banana, just on the counter top.
winter Fruit salad
A yummy fruit salad that reminds
me that summer will be here some-
day.
Salad
1 cup canned pineapple, drained
1 banana, sliced
1 small can of mandarin oranges,
drained
1 cup dragon fruit, sliced
1 cup any other kind of fruit
you like
Toss in salad bowl.
Dressing
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons honey, agave
nectar or brown sugar
Pour dressing over fruit and toss
lightly.
While out and about you might
want a super fruit snack. Try dehy-
drating thinly sliced dragon fruit. Use
your $10 yard sale dehydrator or
spread thin slices out in the sun.
These don’t last very long at my
house so I can’t tell you how to store
them.
Dragon Fruit Margarita:
2 ounces Tequila
¼ Dragon Fruit, skin removed
and cubed
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1-2 Tablespoons agave nectar,
to taste
Blend. Pour over ice and enjoy.
I like fresh fruit unadulterated, so
a dragon fruit, pineapple, strawberry,
kiwi, banana kebob is the perfect
thing to bring to a potluck. Just peel
the fruits, cut into bite sized chunks
and push onto a skewer. You’ll bring
a tropical wave of sunshine to the
next party you attend. Caution, you
will be asked over and over again to
First Quarter 2015
Photo by Carolyn Brown Zniewski
bring this dish. If you don’t like par-
ties, don’t bring dragon fruit kebobs
to the first one.
Dragon Fruit Pie
1 package pre-made sugar cookie
dough
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 dragon fruit, peeled and sliced
3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 cup strawberries, hulled and
cut in half
Roll out cookie dough into a 12 inch
round. Bake 10-12 minutes
or until lightly browned. Allow to
cool completely. Note to self—keep
kids away from cookie dough crust
while cooling. Prepare fruit. Blend
cream cheese, powdered sugar,
orange juice and lemon juice. When
the crust is cool, spread cream cheese
on top of crust. Lay fruit in a circle on
top of the cream cheese or spread it
evenly about. Brush lightly with
agave nectar thinned with a little
orange juice. Refrigerate until ready
to serve. Should be served the day it
is made.
Pitaya or dragon fruit is grown exten-
sively in Asia and can often be found
in Asian markets. Very little is grown
in the USA. Here in Big Bend you
can buy it online at these two web-
sites: www.marxfoods.com,
buyexoticfruits.com. You can buy
the plants online as well. What a
great addition to your garden. It
should be the next fave of the foodies.