Dragon Fruit
 'American Beauty' Dragon Fruit stretching out in the #floridasunshine #dragonfruit #americanbeauty # |  Dragon fruit bloom #dragonfruit #nightbloom #bloom #blossom #bigflower #fresh #flower #florida #gree |  Dragon fruit bud #dragonfruit #pitaya #cactus #nightblooming #nightbloomingcactus #foodproducer #the |  Red Dragon Fruit #fruit #cactus #tampa #tasty #tropical #tampagreen #thewildguava #grow #garden #gor |  Dragon Fruit Flower #dragonfruit #pitaya #flower #florida #grow #green #garden #growfood #homegrown |  New growth on a dragon fruit snuggling into it's burlap tower! #dragonfruit #pitaya #newgrowth #burl |
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Uses
Red fleshed dragon fruit are high in Lycopene, a natural antioxidant. It's also high in dietary fiber, which can help cleanse the digestive system and help regulate blood sugar. It is a great addition to juice, because it retains it's fiber after being juiced. It's eaten fresh, added to fruit salads, sweet sauces or ice cream/sorbet bases. The rinds can be used as serving dishes.
Care
Related to the ornamental night blooming cereus, this large, fleshy cactus blooms and sets fruit in the hottest part of the summer. The cactus needs something to climb on, trellis' will do, but it enjoys growing up palm trees or oak trees. It's huge white flower only blooms for one night, it's the size of a dinner plate, and smells of pineapple and the tropics, worth getting up in the middle of the night for! Fertilizing with an organic rock dust, like Azomite, will help increase blooming and set fruit. They prefer partial shade, and will skeletonize in full sun, which will not kill the cactus, but it does look odd. They like more water than the run of the mill cactus, but shouldn't be watered every day. The fruit has a juicy, finely textured flesh, sweet and tropical in flavor, speckled with tiny, crunchy, edible black seeds full of fiber. The red juice is so potent it will stain cutting boards, and your fingers! Similar to how beets dye things red while preparing and after consuming.