Dragon Fruit

This is for =orangefruits' Eat Your Fruit contest.

These are dragon fruit, also called pitayas.

I love them, however I never recommend them to people because they just complain when they try one. Unlike trendy indie sluts, each dragon fruit is unique. They don't always taste exactly the same. Sometimes they're sweet; sometimes they're sour; sometimes they're somewhere in between. If you eat one and don't like it, it doesn't mean you won't like the next one you try.

You have to be persistent if you want to really be able to appreciate them. The seeds are edible, but if you have a sensitive stomach you might want to be careful. My mom ate one and got really sick after. The first time I ate one I had a stomachache after, but they don't bother me anymore. Maybe I've become resistant to them. Also, the seeds are fun to chew. If you have bad teeth, they might hurt your teeth. People like to complain about that too.

They're not good in smoothies or fruit salad because the flavour is never strong enough. They need to be eaten on their own. If you do try one, cut it lengthwise and eat the flesh (I like that word, mwah) with a spoon. Just don't eat the skin.

Another downside is that sometimes they're ridiculously expensive. This little one cost me $4.99 CAD. But I still buy them anyway because I love them so much. I'd rather spend my money on one than on a Starbucks coffee. Sometimes they're cheaper at the Asian market. I just keep an eye out for sales. Now and then they come down to $2.00 CAD which is a good deal. When they're that cheap, I buy enough to make myself sick. :]

If you buy one, don't store it in the fridge. I learned that the hard way. Within a day they start to get moldy, but they last way longer at room temperature. If you want it chilled before you eat it, remove the skin, cut it up and place the pieces on a paper towel over ice. Give them time to get cold.

And if you don't want to eat one, just hold the entire thing in your hands and feel it. It's simply nice to hold.

This is a combination of two photos. I took them outside in my backyard. I placed the dragon fruit on a piece of white foam board and went from there.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D (EF-S 18-55)
Location: my backyard