The dragon fruit is among one the most beautiful and tasty fruits available. It is one of the best plants for home fruit. This pink-coloured fruit with yellow and green spines is a type of cactus. A native species of Mexico, South America, and the Central American region, the fruit is quite popular in Asian countries like Malaysia, Cambodia, and India. This fruit is also known as pitahaya, strawberry pear, or pitaya.
So, if you are looking to read about dragon fruit, here it is.
How to pick a good dragon fruit?
While the plant is a native of Mexico and other surrounding areas, it can now be found worldwide. People also plant dragon trees indoors. So, to pick a good fruit, look for shiny but bright pink fruit with green spines. On the other hand, don't pick fruits with wrinkles or fruits which are brown.
Follow these steps to pick the best dragon or pitaya fruit:
1.Check the fruit:
It takes around 1 month from flowering to ripening. So, if you have the pitaya fruit plant indoors, check daily for flowering and use it to measure the ripening time.
2.Check for color:
Ripe pitaya fruit is fuchsia or yellow, while the raw fruit is green. So, look for the color change and pick fruit with Fuschia or yellow, depending upon the variety. However, the leaves on the tip or wings, as they are popularly known, remain green even after fruit ripening.
3.Let the wings wither:
You may also wait until the wings wither and drop before picking the fruit. You should start checking the wings for possible color changes. The wings start drying or become brown as the fruit ripens.
4.Press the fruit gently:
The ripe fruit is a little soft and fleshy, and if the fruit isn't ready to give something on light pressure, the fruit isn't ready to eat.
If you want to know if the dragon fruit is ripe, look for these features while picking these fruits.
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Ripe fruit looks smooth and has a bright pink color.
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Choose fruit with soft skin compared to hard one. Hard skin fruits take some time to become ripe.
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If a fruit feels mushy, it has become overripe.
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Don't overwait:
The fruits of waiting aren't always sweet. So, don't wait to fall off the fruit from the tree. If the fruit falls off automatically, it has become overripe.
6.Picking the fruit:
Once you have zeroed the fruit, you must brush the thrones from the surface. These thrones grow in clusters; however, thrones are more common in the yellow dragon fruit. If you are going for popular variants such as red or purple, you may encounter fewer thrones.
7.Pluck the fruit:
Now, grab the fruit and twist it with your hand. If the fruit comes off easily from the stalk, it has been ripening. Otherwise, it hasn't matured yet. If the fruit hasn't been ripened, leave it attached to the tree for a few more days.
You can speed up the picking process using a knife or scissors to cut through the stalk.
Try using a knife to cut the fruit from as close as the fruit, and don't leave any loose stalks attached.
8.Break off the flower from ripened fruit:
After plucking the dragon fruit from the tree, you must tear off the dried flower from the base of the fruit. You may cut the flower using a knife or directly tear it using your hand.
9.Rinse the fruit in water and cut it into pieces per your choice.
How to cut a ripe dragon fruit
If you are wondering how to cut a pitaya fruit, it's pretty easy. You need to follow these simple steps.
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Cut the fruit in half from length.
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Now, get a spoon and use it to scoop out the flesh of the fruit from two halves.
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Now cut the flesh as you like and serve.
The taste of the dragon fruit
The taste of this fruit is somewhat neutral. For most people, this fruit tastes like a cross between kiwi and pear. However, the fruit contains little amount of many nutrients, including iron, magnesium, and fiber.
The fruit also has various kinds of antioxidants, which protects the body from the ill effects of free radicals. Some of the main antioxidants of this fruit are found in its pulp. So, if you want to protect yourself from the adverse effects of free radicals, try eating the fruit intact.
Buy Fruit Seeds Online
Picking a strawberry pear is more like a skill and comes after a learning curve. However, this guide will help you a lot in picking the best pitaya fruit. So, if you want to learn this skill, read this guide carefully.
For more guides and gardening tips, visit ugaoo.com. You may also visit the website to explore the best plants for home gardens. If you are an aspiring gardener, visit the website to explore plant care and explore planters.
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