Watcha got there?
Dragonfruit!
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yup
I see! I thought I recognized it in the first picture, but the second one didn’t compute! The fruit grows on what looks like a strap of what looks succulent? I didn’t realize it was a succulent!
@ipsedixit , can you describe your growing conditions? Nor Cal or So Cal? In a pot or in the ground? Drought tolerant with irrigation?
socal, in the ground, irrigated
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Yeah, has an aloe vibe.
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Do they have more flavour when they’re home-grown?
now, that’s a great question.
honestly, dunno
i’ve never actually bought dragon fruit from a market here in the U.S.
most, if not all, at the markets look old and dry and like $10000000/pound (ok, exaggerating, but you get my point)
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I bought a really beautiful dragon fruit here in Canada and it was possibly the blandest fruit I’ve ever eaten. LOL. I don’t know where it was grown.
I’m hesitant to buy another one since they’re around $5 CAD each.
Mine are definitely not bland.
Sometimes almost too sweet, almost like an overripe pear.
I’ll save a few for you when you visit to wring out your sodium in our sauna …
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They are the black box of fruits. Sometimes you get a great one, sometimes you get one that tastes like a raw yellow squash.
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Ok, good to know. Thank you.
That has been my experience with dragon fruit. They look beautiful, but I have never had one that tasted good. Not that they were bad, but they’ve all been kinda…well, if beige could be a taste, they tasted beige.
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I’ve had some good ones, that were like an aromatic melon. But it’s risky!
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That’s sort of how I feel about plantains
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Interesting! How about compared to potatoes? To me they both taste like starch; a texture and vehicle for something else, but at least plantains in various stages of ripeness can have various amounts of sweet and tart or maybe acid.
Well, potatoes would be white for me.
Especially Russets. 
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Ah… that’s a matter of what’s available, considering there are over 3,000 varieties of potato in Peru alone. Yes, most market potatoes in the US are from a very limited selection, but the strength of the “potato” flavor can be quite pronounced. One of the best groups are the “creole” (papa criolla) group. These are members of the Phureja cultivars, mostly from Peru and Bolivia. Skagit Valley Gold is a USA-bred cultivar, selected to do well in the US. Because this group has tubers that do not go dormant, they aren’t generally sold in stores. they start sprouting and shriveling quickly at room temperature. They generally are smaller and aren’t as “pretty”.
These potatoes are closer to wild types, but have had the bitter toxins bred out of them. I can’t compare their flavors to anything else, but they are my favorite potatoes. THE Yellow Potato (Papa Amarilla) in Peru usually means a specific kind of smaller, bumpy yellow potatoes with rich flavor. They are widely considered the best. It’s the most famous of the group.
In the USA, some of the better tasting potatoes outside the Phureja group are: Rose Finn Apple-a.k.a. Ruby Crescent, German Butterball, Russian Banana, Purple Peruvian, Magic Molly and Huckleberry Gold. These have richer flavor than the usual market types, like Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac, Kennebec, etc.
Textures vary a lot, as well, which is largely a result of the type of starch grains. Speaking of starch grains: there’s recent research showing that chilling certain types of starch, after cooking, creates “resistant starches”. These remain resistant even after reheating. Resistant starches resist digestion and end up feeding the gut microbiome. They also significantly reduce the glycemic index in these foods. Potatoes, pasta and rice can have much of the fresh-cooked starch converted to resistant starches by chilling. So your leftover starchy food may be less caloric the second day (if refrigerated 24+ hours). Unless, of course, you add mayo, oil, etc.
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My favourite potatoes are the yellow fleshed types grown in Ireland, Greece and Germany.
The German butterballs here don’t seem to taste quite the same.
I suspect it’s terroir, different amount of heat units and maybe less rain in the case of Greek potatoes.
Jersey Royals in the UK in May are a treat, too.
I’ve been growing 4 varieties most years. One garden shop used to sell 2 dozen varieties but they’ve reduced the number available lately.
In Canada, I like growing Bintje for yellow fleshed potatoes.
Chieftains are also popular for growing, as well as Kennebec.
Most supermarket fingerlings, red potatoes and blue potatoes do not show their variety’s name.
Yukon Gold and Klondike Rose seem to be the main varieties that are specific in the regular grocery store.
There is a vendor at the NYC Union Square green market who used to see sell many varieties of delicious German and Dutch potatoes.
