My Own Dragon

The first time I laid eyes on a dragon fruit in Vietnam, I fell for it hard, head over heels. Cynically, I thought such an exotic thing couldn't possibly taste good. I was wrong. The fruit is delicious with a mild, fresh flavor like pear or lychee. Not that it tastes like pears or lychees, but it has the level of impact that pear does. The sweetness of the pulp is balanced with a little acidity and the creamy white inside is dotted with small black seeds. The inside is almost as photogenic as the outside.

Some apparently find the dragon appearance less appealing than I do. I read a description of it as growing off the arm of a cactus "looking like some kind of alien hood ornament". On the "tree" I agree it's considerably less attractive than when artfully arranged in a bowl or basket.

I was at Hall's nursery this morning in De Luz and she had a few Dragons on display. She tells me they are easy to grow (sun or part shade, a good stake, flood water once a week) and they have hundreds thriving up on their hill. I took the plunge and purchased one for $30.00 as an experiment

One of the hosts at Hall's

Hall's is a wholesale nursery - no pretty displays. Lots of mud and

Dragon fruit

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