How Do You Know When a Dragon Fruit is Ripe for the Picking?

The fruiting season 

Do you know that dragon fruit has 5 cycles of fruiting season in a year? One of the reasons why I have chosen to grow this crop. I am lucky, I know! I live in the tropics. I love fruits for breakfast, lunch, dinner and any time of the day. I'll be more than happy receiving a basket of fruits on my birthday than boxes of chocolates.

The harvest, how long would it take? 

From the time you see the green flower bud, to the time you see the pink ripe dragon fruit it would take around 50 days. As growers, we start counting days from the time the flower blooms to the time the fruit ripens. That's approximately 25 to thirty days of waiting. That's when the grower mastered the art of waiting.

Some buds and flowers may fell when they turn yellow and wither. We never stop doing what we know. Wait, and wait a little more up until next green bud. As farmers we learn to be a little tough and even smile because we know it's part of growing dragon fruits. It takes a lot of pruning and Tender Loving Care (TLC). 

 When  buds turn yellow and red at the time.

This is green. 

Green bud growing. Be hopeful.

 The night before blooming.

Rejoice and enjoy the beautiful bloom. Have a selfie.

The next day after it blooms.

2-3 days after it blooms.

Three weeks after blooming, you got a fruit.

It's ready for the picking. Harvest time.

How much patience?

Just enough of waiting. We waited for more than a year before our first fruits. A few heartbreaks and then finally, we made it. We tasted sweet success when we enjoyed one harvest after the other. Imagine waiting for more than a year for 5 cycle of harvest and counting for more harvest for the next season. After the fruit harvests this year, we will  harvest the cuttings too. And that's another dragon fruit story.

Nothing compares with the red flesh variety. 

Who says vitamins and antioxidants looks boring? They are lying.

Some stories ends in my blender. That's a yummy story.