Dragon Fruit from Flower to Spoon

[Elaine de Saxe]

Update to Dragon Fruit blog ...

A couple of days ago, the up-to-then green developing fruit suddenly started to colour. I missed taking a pic.

Today I picked the fruit - and it should have been cut rather than twisted off the stem because I damaged the stem end in the process. PS: 4 March 2014 - since found that checking the softness of the stem indicates ripeness. When fully ripe, the fruit should be able to be hand-twisted off the stem without damaging the stem. Thank you to Susan Hayward for this information!

So here is that one red Dragon Fruit from flower:

Hand-pollinated at 1am ;-)

To developing fruit:

Now picked, one side is a little more coloured than the other:

And here it is in all its glory:

Delicious flavour just the tiniest bit tart on the skin side.

It needed a couple more days to sweeten fully … once it started to colour, the fruit was rubbery to the touch. I have already wasted most of one fruit because I left it too long and the fruit split and the local ants had a field day. So this time I picked it too soon ... next time!

[Ania]

Awesome outcome!! Look a delicious!! I saw a few suspicious looking mini buds on another "flat end" today.. Hope this time they pollinate!! What an exciting plant.

[Lissa]

Aren't they just gorgeous from wo to go.