The Diversity of Receiving Bountiful Baskets (bountifulbsket.org)

At last I remembered to order our Bountiful Basket on Monday. It’s been quite some time since we’ve had the joy of getting up early on Saturday morning and picking up our “surprise package” of fruits and vegetables from Sally and Tanya, but finally today it has been received.

And what a package!  Beautiful curly leaf lettuce, celery (whoo hoo as I’d just used the last of ours last night), potatoes, gorgeous crisp red bell peppers, Roma tomatoes (to go with the curly leaf lettuce and some basil  and sorrel from the Farmer's Market), bananas, kiwi, pears, pineapple, mushrooms, oranges, and last but absolutely not least Dragon Fruit!

Neither Roy nor I have tasted Dragon Fruit prior to today. I knew what it was, but Roy was so excited about this “weird” looking fruit, so he got on the computer and looked it up. It is low in sugars and filled with

Vitamin C, phosphorus, fiber, and antioxidants, a powerhouse of goodness for  you. Ours was perfectly ripe per the description on the web site, so we were ready and raring to cut it open and try it.  A cactus fruit, it MAY grow in our zone with some extra care and protection, so he wants to order one. I’m game!  It is so beautiful and exotic looking when whole…a beautiful dark pink/red color with soft light green spikes coming out from the skin in various places. And then you cut it open and WOW.  The outside skin of magenta surrounds a creamy white center exploding with tiny black seeds.  The taste is mild—a bit like a kiwi but not so sweet as a ripe one nor as tart as a not-quite ripe one. Nice consistency…not mushy but not crisp or crunchy either.   Good for you, nutritious, delicious, a treat for the eyes and palette…sounds perfect to me. 

So I got right to work making breakfast, after Roy came to me rubbing his stomach and in Japanese telling me “my stomach is empty”.  First, the potatoes--sauteed lightly in olive oil with a touch of butter, I seasoned them with a pinch of 

 Panch Phoran (aka Bengali 5 Spice if you're looking to purchase, but the recipe is easy and here on the blog), salt, pepper, and turmeric--then cooked them until golden brown. Also added some mushrooms.  Served with two over easy eggs (with a puddle of Chalula hot sauce on them—Roy can’t eat eggs and most other foods without it), along with banana and kiwi slices, a wedge of Dragon Fruit, and a toasted biscuit from dinner last night, it put a big smile on Roy's face when he sat down to eat. It didn't go away after tasting everything either!

    This was a new adventure for us in food, with a fabulous ending (they don’t all come out as good).  I think it's important that everyone at least try all fruits and vegetables at least once.  They're good for you, help control weight, supply not only vitamins and minerals but anti-oxidants and enzymes that you can't get by taking a vitamin pill, and they expand your palette--especially good for children.  I’ll let you know if/when we get ours and keep you informed of how it grows here. Winter will be the test, so you’ll hear more about our Dragon Fruit experiment in the future.