Carambola (Star Fruit)

  The best way to eat carambolas (star fruit) is right off the tree, not from the super market. The super market offers carambolas that are at least a week or two old. Note that the ridges which should be green are dark brown. Most of the nutrition is lost within a few days.

Carambola (Star Fruit) ready to pick and eat.

Carambola almost ready to pick.

   First wash your super market carambola off so that there are no pesticides left on them, then cut the front tip and back end off. The next step is to shave the green (or brown) ridges off as the contain a chemical that prevents your body from retaining calcium. One of the many things super markets forget to tell you. Finally lay them on their side and slice them so that they look like tiny stars, hence their name.

White pulp dragon fruit

DRAGON FRUIT

DRAGON FRUIT

Vietnamese Jaina

Hylocereus undatus

   Last year we planted six varieties of dragon fruit, of those, four of them flowered. Most of the flowers fell off. I think it was because they weren't getting enough sun. This year one, the Vietnamese Jaina has produced four fruit and has started three more bud's. This practical variety has white pulp and black seeds, other's have either pink or deep red pulp and vary in taste.
   Dragon fruit which are called Pitaya and are the fruit of a type of cactus found originally from Mexico, but are commercially grown mostly in Vietnam now. There are over twenty different varieties of Pitaya's available.

Sq Ft Gardening

SQ FOOT GARDENING

A few months ago I read a book on Sq Foot Gardening. I decided to try it in my raised garden. I planted leek end cuts, Ky. wonder beans, squash, garlic, shallots, cucumbers and peppers. In my next posting I'll tell you more about planting end cuts.