by Marty McCarthy
The dragonfruit crop in south east Queensland is starting to flower, and when the fruit emerges it’s sure to catch your eye.
The fruit’s bright pink and green exterior looks like the scales you’d expect to see on a dragon.
The flesh inside is juicy white or red, dotted with black seeds.
But despite the cactus-grown fruit’s striking appearance, it’s still yet to gain traction with Australian shoppers.
That’s why Tamborine growers John and June Barker are breeding new flavours into the fruit, to make it more appealing.
“Vietnam grows millions of them, but the Vietnamese like it a bit bland, they’re not a lover of sweet things,” Mr Barker said.
“By the time they get them over here and they’re in the shops they’re two or three weeks old and, by then, they’ve lost any flavour.
“But ours seem to hold their flavour.”
That’s because the Barkers cross-pollinate different types of cactus to produce unique-tasting fruit, including one that tastes like rosewater.
“There’s no system and there’s no book on it, you just experiment, and most Australians will,” Mr Barker said.
“My favourite variety is the pink diamond and it grows so prolific, and its smaller size makes it beautiful for the kids for school.
“The taste is just a wonderful flavour and we were over the moon when this one came out.
“It’s like tasting different wines, they’re all similar, but eventually you’ll prefer one.”
John and June have even named some of their varieties after their children.
“We have Scott’s Purple, after our son, because he used to be here, there and everywhere like this particular plant, which grows like a mad dog,” Mr Barker said.
The couple are currently trying to breed a dragonfruit that has orange flesh.
Source: ABC.net.au