KARISMA Dragon Fruit @ Pitaya @ Mata Naga

Dragon Fruit Sorbet Recipe

2007-12-07T20:22:00.000+08:00

I'll keep on updating the blog with anything interesting about the Dragon Fruit and at the same time keep a tab on the growth of the Dragons in my garden. I've found one interesting recipe and would like to share with you guys.

Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) Sorbet Recipe
Recipe by:Peter D'Aprix

Ingredients:
2 Dragon Fruits
1 cup pure watersugar or other sweetener to taste
lemon juice
Sorbet Maker (electric or manual are best) or your can just use the pot and a whisk and keep it in the freezer, whisking from time to time. This works but does not make as fine a grain sorbet as the machines.

Preparation:

1) In a pot, put the cup of water and the sweetener. Bring just short of a boil mixing constantly to dissolve the sweetener into the water. Set aside when the sugar is completely dissolved and allow to cool fully.

2) While the water syrup is cooling, cut the fruit into halves. (If you wish to serve the sorbet in using the outer layer as a container, rub the inner surface and the cut edge with lemon juice to preserve the color and keep cool in the fridge. If frozen, they will tend to loose their brilliant color.)

3) Scrape out the flesh with a spoon and purée the flesh in a blender, food processor or other type of machine to turn the flesh into a smooth purée. (This helps cut down on the tendency of the Dragon Fruit to become gelatinous like Okra.)

4) Add the juice of the lemon to the purée both to preserve the color and to balance the natural sweetness of the fruit and heighten the flavor.

5) Stir the "syrup" into the puréed fruit and put into the sorbet or ice cream maker.

Growth rate of the new stems - Part 2

2007-11-28T12:17:00.000+08:00

These are a few of the other cuttings that have new stem growth.

Nov 07 07'Nov 24 07'

Nov 11 07' Nov 24 07'

Growth rate of the new stems - Part 1

2007-11-24T17:12:00.001+08:00

The following photos are the cuttings that I planted in October 2007 and how much thay have grown over this one month.

Stem 1 - This is a sequence of photos taken from the stem growth from Oct 23 07 - Nov 24 07 . As you can see in less than 1 month it has shown considerable growth.
Oct 23 07'Nov 01 07'
Nov 11 07'Nov 24 07'

Stem 2 - Photos taken from Nov 1 - Nov 24 2007
Nov 01 07'Nov 11 07'Nov 24 07'

Overall a total of 9 new stems have sprouted from the cuttings that I've planted in Oct 2007. I'll post more photos as time goes by.

New stem on a cutting without roots

2007-11-20T21:14:00.000+08:00

All this while I've always assume that all plant needs to have roots before actual growth. I'm not sure if that is always the case, anyway a friend of mine showed me his Dragon fruit cutting that has sprouted new stems and mind you there are two of them growing healthily from the cutting. The cutting itself has no roots whatsoever.
Is this really common or what.

Common names of the Dragon Fruit

2007-11-18T20:52:00.000+08:00

Dragon fruit is known as Pitaya (also known as pitahaya) and Mata Naga. What are the other common names used to describe this mythical fruit.

The common names I found are:
1) Huǒ lóng guǒ (火龍果)
2) Lóng chu guǒ (龙珠果)
3) Strawberry pear
4) Nanettikafruit
5) Thanh long
6) Cierge-lézard
7) Poire de chardon
8) Distelbirn
9) Drachenfrucht

If anyone knows of other common names please do let me know.

Legend of the DRAGON Fruit

2007-11-18T19:54:00.000+08:00

All this while I've been sharing with you about where this special fruit came from, where it is planted and its value today. I've always wondered why the name Dragon Fruit. Well the skins do look like the scales of a dragon.....ya like I've seen an actual dragon myself. I did some searches on the net and found this interesting article. Would like to share it with all of you.

The LEGEND Of The DRAGON FRUIT...........................
(Extract from tropicalfruitnursery)
According to the legend the fruit was created thousands of years ago by fire breathing dragons. During a battle when the dragon would breathe fire and the last thing to come out would be the fruit. After the dragon is slain the fruit is collected and presented to the Emperor as a coveted treasure and indication of victory.

The soldiers would then butcher the dragon and eat the flesh. It was believed that those who feasted on the flesh would be endowed with the strength and ferocity of the dragon and that they too would be coveted by the Emperor.

It is written that the dragon’s flame originates deep within its body near the base of its tail. The meat from this part of the dragon was the most desirable and most sought after portion. Only the officers of each division would be privy to this cut of meat. The ancient Chinese called this cut the “jaina,” which translates literally to “the sweetest and best tasting.”

The jaina was treasured by all who were privileged enough to taste it, and it is believed that man’s thirst for the jaina is what led to the destruction and eventual extinction of all of the dragons.

Wow...pretty cool right. See now we all know how the Dragon Fruit came about. So what are you waiting for, run to the nearest fruit stall and treat yourself the fruit of the Emperor.

KARISMA Dragon Fruit @ Pitaya @ Mata Naga

2007-10-14T19:50:00.001+08:00

Mata Naga in Bahasa Malaysia or better known as Dragon Fruit are also called by the name Pitaya or Pitahaya which is referring to the fruit which originated from Tropical America, Southern Mexico, Pacific side of Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Brazil and Uruguay. Today the main exporters are from Tropical and sub-tropical America, South Florida, Caribbean, Hawaii, Australia, Israel and Asia comprising of Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Usually, the branches have 3 angled ribs,(some are known to have 4 - 5 ribs) running vertical with the stem, and developing aerial roots. Dragon Fruit grow at their best in a warm, frost-free climate. If they are grown in a greenhouse, try to provide plenty of space. Always provide a host for them to climb up. Also, the soil mixture should be open, and well drained.

The Dragon Fruit are from the cacti family and so far the ones I know are the Hylocereus Undatus, Hylocereus Polyrhizus and Selenicereus Megalanthus.

Dragon Fruit Species - Color Skin - Pulp

Hylocereus Undatus - Red - White

Hylocereus Polyrhizus - Red - Red

Selenicereus Megalanthus - Yellow - White

Red Skin - White Pulp

Red Skin - Red Pulp

Yellow Skin - White Pulp

All information and photos are either sourced from the internet or from our own sources. A lot of information has been contributed from the Yahoo Group! Pitaya Fruit and through our own observation on the farms we have visited.

Fertilizers

2007-10-16T11:18:00.000+08:00

After the cutting has been planted, wait about a month before apply the fertilizers. The roots would have taken place by then and the stem would have started to grow.

Application of fertilizers varies from place to place. In Malaysia we apply about 100g - 400g of fertilizers in the initial stages when the plant is growing. Compost is made from waste such as vegetable cuttings, palm oil, wood, soy bean etc to cover the area about 2ft - 3ft in diameter.

Fertilizers should not be applied too close to the plants as the acidity of the fertilizers could have an impact on the growth of the cutting itself.

This has been recommended by some Malaysian growers:

For Flowering -

Increase "K" and "P" and lower the "N"

For Fruiting -

Increase "K" fertilizer + "other". Lower the "N"

It is vital that the Nitrogen level of the fertilizers are lowered as the plants starts to grow.

What is NPK (extract from bareroot)

Ok, so your confused. On some nutrients the NPK seems low, like 2-1-3. And on others it can be high, 14-24-16. Whats the deal here?

Nutrient values (N-P-K)are expressed as total percentage of weight as packaged. Organic nutrients typically tend to have lower npk values than chemical nutrients. Don't let this fool you, you can easily burn plants if you overfertilize!

Powder nutrients tend to have higher NPK values than liquid nutrients because they are not already partially diluted with water. Do not let low N-P-K values fool you, what really matters is how strong these nutrients are when diluted to recommended levels ie: thier tds/ppm/ms/eC/cf. For example SuperVeg will give you a tds of around 1000 ppm when used according to directions, while Aquafeed "V" Powder will have a tds of around 600 ppm if used as recommended.

What does N-P-K stand for?

N = Nitrogen 7-9-5
Nitrogen is the first major element responsible for the vegetative growth of plants above ground. With a good supply, plants grow sturdily and mature rapidly, with rich, dark green foliage.

P = Phosphorus 7-9-5
The second major element in plant nutrition, phosphorus is essential for healthy growth, strong roots, fruit and flower development, and greater resistance to disease.

K = Potassium (Potash) 7-9-5
The third major plant nutrient, potassium oxide is essential for the development of strong plants. It helps plants to resist diseases, protects them from the cold and protects

Making Compost in 3 weeks

Propagation - Seeds or Cuttings

2007-10-14T22:23:00.000+08:00

There are 2 methods to plant this fast growing cacti which is an epiphytes and has climbing vines. One is by seed and another by the cuttings of the branched stems. Planting by seed is not really recommended as it will take a longer time to grow whereas planting from the stem cutting is highly recommended.

The cuttings used are preferably from a mature plant that has bear fruit which would be approximately from 10 months - 15 months.

Cuttings waiting to be planted

The cuttings should be around the length of 12in - 18in and about 2 in in diameter. Of course any other size can be used, the mentioned size has been proven successful.

There are 2 ways to plant the cuttings. The first is to put the cutting on a shady area for a bout 7 days for it to dry before planting directly to the field or pots. The second method is to plant the cutting in the nursery bag and let the roots take place before transplanting to the field. Although it is not necessary, by dipping the ends in a suitable rooting hormone will accelerate rooting. Both methods can be used.

1st photo - Roots appearing only after about 5 days
2nd photo - Roots after 10 days

Once the roots take place the cuttings will start to grow and the rate is very fast +- 3cm per day, and many can produce fruit within 6 to 9 months. There is no difference between short or long cutting. However, since some cutting are longer than other, it can reached the top of the pole (5.5 feets) faster than the short one. A good cutting can bear fruit within 6 months. While most of them can bear fruit within 9 months - 12 months.

Soil, Moisture and Humidity

2007-10-14T22:58:00.000+08:00

Dragon Fruit grows best in dry, tropical or subtropical climates where annual rainfall ranges from 60-100" per year. In wet, tropical zones, plants may grow well but sometimes have problems setting fruit reliably. The plant can tolerate temperatures to 104F, and short periods of frost, but prolonged cold will have severe consequences as it will damage and kill the plant.

The plant flourish in tropical climate.

Dragon Fruit can grow on any soil type, but because of their epiphytic nature, it is recommended to grow them in soil that is supplemented with high amounts of organic material. The plant has been grown successfully in sandy and black soils. The most important thing is that the soil be loose. The flowers are big and beautiful. They bloom only at night, and usually last just one night where pollination is necessary to set fruit. In a tropical climate, the Dragon Fruit plants can fruit all year round.

Beautiful blooming flowers.

Trellises

2007-10-14T23:44:00.000+08:00

As the Dragon Fruit has strong branching stems and their aerial roots, they will cling on to any support available as the start to grow. That is why the trellises used has to be strong to support the plants. Wood and concretes poles are the more popular ones. The normal practice is to use a 4in x 4in x 5ft 6in concrete pole with a top cover of either concrete, wood, steel bars or rubber tyres to support the plants. Anyway it is up to the individual to use the types of trellises that suits him that is the most cost effective.

Types of trellises used:-

Training and Pruning

2007-10-15T12:23:00.000+08:00

As the Dragon fruit cutting starts to grow it will be very fast and a good cuting can reach the top of the trellis in a very short period of time. It is therefore important the the growing stem are tied to the pole as to allow the roots to take a grip on the pole, If no tying is done the stem may topple down and cause injuries to the plant. Tying should preferably be done with a bio-degradable string or even strips of cloth. This is to prevent injuries to the stem branch. All lateral branches are removed as the stem continue to grow up towards the trellis.

Once the top of trellis is reached, it is recommended that the stems do not have too many free branching. 2 branch per stem is preferred and tying is needed to keep the stems within the allotted space. Cutting the tip of the main stem above the trellis induces lateral branching. It is preferably if the number of stems from the top is between 8 -12 per plant which will comes about 32 - 48 branches per pole. It is recommended to use a fungicide where the cuts are made.

The stem branch from a plant that is being pruned.

The plant without any pruning done

Pollination

2007-10-15T13:38:00.000+08:00

The flowers of the Dragon Fruit are big about 30cm across and beautiful. They also only bloom at night which is a main problem as the general pollinators like the bees and birds are missing. The flowers do sometimes open till around 8am in the morning but it will depend on the weather. Many of the varieties are not self-compatible; therefore, the flowers need to be cross pollinated with pollen from a different clone or species in order to set fruit.

On the safe side new plantings should use 2 or 3 different genetic types (not from the same clone). Cross pollination between the different genetic types in the plant will assure better fruit set and size. Moths and bats are good pollinators since flowers open at night when there is no bee activity.

Flower about to close with bees as pollinators

Hand pollination is one method to ensure that the flowers set fruit but this adds a considerable amount to the labor cost of growing these fruit. Hand pollination is carried out easily by physically removing anthers from one flower and touching them to the stigma of another or collecting the pollen and using a brush to pollinate multiple flowers. Pollen is most viable at the time of flower opening, but hand pollination was found to be successful well into the evening of the following day (Weiss et al., 1994).

Many of the varieties from Asia (predominantly H. undatus) are self-compatible, and some of these are autogamous and will set fruit without the involvement of a pollen vector. It has been previously reported (Weiss et al., 1994) that Selenicereus megalanthus, the yellow pitaya, is autogamous. The anthers and stigma are at the same height in these flowers and touch as the flower closes.

Anthers and Stigma are of same height

They also found that in their clones of Hylocereus species the anthers and stigma were separated by at least 2 cm. This may be the reason why their self-compatible Hylocereus undatus clone was not autogamous.

Anthers and Stigma of different height

Hand pollinating using a brush

Nutritional Value

2007-10-16T12:25:00.000+08:00

Dragon Fruit can be grown organically, without any pesticide & chemical fertilizer. It is rich in vitamins and helpful to our body especially in digestion, preventing colon cancer and diabetes. The fruits also help to neutralize heavy metal toxic and reduce cholesterol level and high blood pressure. Consume regularly, it can fight against asthma and cough.

(extract wikipedia)Dragonfruit is also rich in phytoalbumins which are highly valued for their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants prevent the formation of cancer-causing free radicals. In Taiwan, diabetics use the fruit as a food substitute for rice and as a source of dietary fiber.

This is a general table of the nutritional values in Dragon Fruit. Each species of either the Hylocereus or S. Megalanthus have slightly different values.

Water (Moisture) - 83g
Protein - 0.229g
Fat - 0.61g
Fiber - 0.9g
Carotene - 0.012mg
Calcium - 8.8mg
Phosphorus - 36.1mg
Iron - 0.65mg
Vitamin A (Retinol) - 25mg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) - 0.043mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) - 0.045mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) - 0.43mg
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) - 25mg

Dragon Fruit Recipes

2007-11-06T13:41:00.000+08:00

Recipe from mwaf

Jams:
Drain peaches and reserve juice. In a saucepan, bring peach juice and cinnamon to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Pour liquid over peach halves and cool. In a blender puree Tropical Dragon fruit, raspberries & liqueur (if desired). Refrigerate. Place peach halves in dessert cups, garnish with scoop of ice cream and top tropical dragon fruit sauce.

Recipes from Pitaberry

BBQ Quail on Red Dragon Fruit with Balsamic Onions
You need :
4 De-boned Quail
1 Dragon Fruit - peeled & diced
16 Cocktail Onions
100ml Balsamic Vinegar
40 ml Olive Oil

Method:
Season quail generously with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Place quail, skin side down on a preheated char grill, turning over after about 2 minutes.
In a hot frying pan sauté the cocktail onions until tender, deglaze with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and set aside.
When both the quails and onions are ready place precut dragon fruit on a serving plate.
Cut quail in ½ and position on the fruit.
Spoon onions over and drizzle the dish with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Dragon Fruit Boat
You need :
200gms Chicken Meat - cut into pieces
200gms Prawn Meat - cut into pieces
2 Dragon Fruits
1 Kiwi Fruit - skinned and cut into pieces
2 Strawberries - cut into pieces

Sauce Mix:
1 1/2 tbsp Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Chopped Mint [optional]
75 ml Water
2 tsp Lime Juice
2 tsp Corn Starch

Method:
Cut dragon fruits into halves lengthwise.
Scoop the flesh out to make balls of about 200 g [7 oz].
Remove any remaining flesh and keep the skin of dragon fruits.
Stir-fry chicken and prawn meat in 2 tbsp oil until done.
Add sauce mix and cook until sauce thickens.
Stir in all fruits. Serve hot on skin of dragon fruits.

Recipe from tropicalfruitnursery

Red Dragon Martini aka Dragontini
Ingredients:
• Four cups of top shelf Vodka
• Two tablespoons of sugar
• One half Red Dragon fruit
• Garnish with Red Dragon fruit for contrast.

Dragon Fruit Personal Care Products?

2007-11-06T13:55:00.000+08:00

For the ladies....use the fruit skin for a facial. Leave it on for 10 minutes...and wash it away. Tightens up your skin ever so nicely. No need to buy any expensive masks….It works great.

As a matter of fact the Dragon Fruit has been made to personal care products due to it's richness of anti-oxidants essential that is needed to preserve the beauty of the skin.

Dragon Fruit Wine

2007-11-06T14:05:00.000+08:00

Recipe from winemaking jackkeller

Red Dragon Fruit Wine
6 lbs ripe red pitaya fruit
2 lb sugar
6 pts water
1 crushed Campden tablet
1 1/2 tsp acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 pkt wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, carefully trim the greenery from the fruit, wash the fruit well, and chop it coarsely. Put chopped fruit, sugar and yeast nutrient into primary.

When water boils, pour into primary and stir until sugar dissolves. Cover with a sanitized cloth and set aside to cool. When at room temperature, add crushed Campden tablet and stir.

Recover primary and set aside for 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, stir, recover primary, and set aside another 12 hours. Add activated yeast. Stir daily for 7 days.

Strain through nylon straining bag and squeeze juice out of red pitaya pulp. Transfer liquid to secondary, top up if required and fit airlock. Rack, top up and refit airlock every 30 days until wine clears and no new sediments form during a 30-day period.

Stabilize, sweeten to taste, wait 10 days, and rack into bottles. Like most wines, it should improve with age.

Downstream Products of the Dragon Fruit @ Pitaya @ Mata Naga

2007-11-06T14:36:00.000+08:00

The Dragon Fruit are not only good to be eaten fresh, it has been made into other downstream products as mentioned in my earlier post.

What type of downstream products has this wonderful fruit been made into. These are just some of the downstream products :-

The Dragon Fruit are not only good to be eaten fresh, it has been made intoother

1) Cordial juice drinks

2) Mooncakes ( The Chinese cake made during the Lantern(Mid-Autumn) Festival

3) Cosmetics and personal care products

4) Refreshing Tea - Dragon Fruit flowers can be dried and made to tea

5) Energy Boosting Enzymes

6) Jams

7) Puree

As you can see the Dragon Fruit aka Pitaya aka Mata Naga is a fruit that has a lot of potential. Anthocynine a powerful antioxidant found in Dragon Fruit is proven to be anti-aging, anti-cancer and anti-free radical. This is one of the reason why it is now one of the most sought after fruits in the market today.

Taste of the Dragon Fruit

2007-11-01T19:16:00.000+08:00

What does the Dragon Fruit taste like? There seems to be a lot of differing
opinions pertaining to what the fruit actually taste like. Some has said that
it has a melon like flavour and some has even associate it to kiwi or even pears.

As for me it looks quite similar to kiwifruit with the seeds and all,
but that is as far as the similarities go. A good grade dragon fruit @ pitaya @ matanaga will taste much better and sweeter. I find the taste of the dragon fruit to be crunchy with its seed and
the sweetness is just right with plenty of juice. The red and yellow varieties
are better in taste as compared to the white variety.

It is a must try for everyone. The Dragon Fruit is best eaten chilled. It is a great fruit to grow, eat or even made to drinks.

In conclusion A simply delicious fruit! Give it a try and You'll love it.