Dragon fruit love it or leave it?

Figgerlickinggood

Figgerlickinggood

Well-known member
Today I bought my very first ever dragon fruit. It was nice and soft to the fig squeeze test. Well I thought “this is ready”. I cut it open as you see in the picture. I take my first bite and BLAHHH! It was as bland as unflavored oatmeal. All that beautiful color you’d think it would be sweet. Looks are deceiving.

IMG_2451.jpeg
 
That is deceiving. Yes I'd think it would be very sweet too. I've never tried it but my family has. (without telling me ☹️)
 
I would never buy a dragon fruit from the store. They are awful and expensive.

Home grown whites flesh can be sweet but not much complexity.

Home grown reds are delicious. Tart, sweet, berry. Can't get enough. A lot of the fancier varieties require cross and hand pollination.

They are easy to propagate like figs but they usually require trellising. I have 10-15 varieties that desperately need to be up potted.
Edit: added laverne red pictures.
 

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Beabchasingizz said:
I would never buy a dragon fruit from the store. They are awful and expensive.

Home grown whites flesh can be sweet but not much complexity.

Home grown reds are delicious. Tart, sweet, berry. Can't get enough. A lot of the fancier varieties require cross and hand pollination.

They are easy to propagate like figs but they usually require trellising. I have 10-15 varieties that desperately need to be up potted.
Edit: added laverne red pictures.
Click to expand...
So then it like figs, store bought fresh are under ripe, best to get right off the tree/vine. Got it
 
I really like DF, however, the ones they send here from Cali I believe lack a lot of flavor.
I would love to try one freshly picked home grown...I can only imagine how good it would be. :)
 
It is hard to find a good one at the store.
Seems the yellow ones from the store are the best.
Atleast that is what I find here.
But have had some really good red ones as well.
Kinda like most other fruits at the store.
1 out of ten is really good.
 
Figgerlickinggood said:
So then it like figs, store bought fresh are under ripe, best to get right off the tree/vine. Got it
Click to expand...
I think they are picked green in Vietnam and turn red as they travel to the US. Although they don't really get sweeter.

There are dragon fruit farms in Southern California but it works probably be really expensive to ship them. It might be worth a visit if you are in the area.
 
I live about 45 minutes away from from two fairly large dragon fruit farms, there about 5 Acres each. I think they're both members of Sepulveda Garden Center CRFG super nice people.
 
I think if I could I'd grow a couple just for their beauty. The store bought ones I tried were bland to. Texture reminded me of watermelon
 
I've tried some red on the outside and white on the inside ones in San Francisco that tasted like slightly less flavorful watermelon. Also tried some red on the outside but purple on the inside ones shipped to Oregon that were not that impressive at all but I've heard the colorful flesh ones are really high in antioxidants. Everywhere I've read says the yellow ones are the best.
 
Y'all need to eat fresh dragon fruit. Even the red fleshed dragon fruit sold in fancy produce markets is somewhat lacking in flavor. If you get a fresh dragon fruit you will be converted. They're very good. I just gave 10 rooted cuttings of tasty dragon fruit varieties to @SecretFigGarden last night, since I have no place to keep them while I'm moving out of my place in Los Angeles. BTW I have seen the video posted above, it's a very good one about tasting fresh dragon fruit varieties.
 
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