Episode 803: Pitajaya – The Dragon Fruit


Enormous white flowers that open in the dark of night, are visited by bats and moths, then close as the sun rises. Heavy fruits covered in scales and weighing in at a pound or more. Succulent green branches that crawl up a tree or a post or a building. These are the lanky cacti that produce exotic and delicious Pitajaya – dragon fruits. The Central and South American native tropical plants have long been popular among Southern California’s backyard fruit enthusiasts. In this episode, we learn all about these sweet treats, research the best growing methods and how the plants are grown for commercial production and in backyards. We visit a specialty produce market and see how an expert chef incorporates dragon fruits in creative combinations for adventurous diners.

Specialty Produce San Diego
UC South Coast Research and Extension Center
Wallace Ranch Dragon Fruit