In the Kitchen

One thing about living on a farm, is that you become quite grounded to the land. The need to do something with it, plant a garden, raise some farm animals, plant a Dragon Fruit Plantation is very strong. My happy place is In the Kitchen experimenting with Dragon Fruit Recipes. Ok that last one might be just our thing, but as an avid cook and lover of food, this part of farm life truly sits well with me.

Hi, I am Darlene, and I am the other half of this “tree” change venture, Dragon Fruit Plantation, and chief cook.

Now let me say right from the get-go, I am no Master Chef, becuase everything I know I’ve learnt along the way. Call it life experience in the kitchen, with my first cooking experience at the age of 10, I have never looked back. I have learnt from the best, my Mum, my Step-Mum, my Nanna, my Sister’s, family, and friends and of course, Google!

I love to cook and bake, to try new things, especially veggies in cakes, slices, and desserts. With an 80sqm veggie garden, various citrus trees, guavas, paw paws, bananas, and fresh chook eggs, it is fun and rewarding to get in the kitchen to experiment. Creating something that comes out of your own backyard/paddock is very satisfying. We often play a game; “how many things on this plate did we grow?”

Dragon Fruit is extremely appealing to me, becuase it has unique flavours, texture, and colours, which give plenty of opportunities to try something new with it. Such as smoothies, cakes, salads, ice creams, and various desserts, your imagination is the only limit.

Whilst we love to eat Dragon Fruit, cold & fresh, it’s also nice to make something out of them. Especially when the season kicks into overdrive and you have far too many. I must note that one of the great things about this fruit, is that it freezes well. I like to cut excess fruit into manageable sizes and line a baking tray with baking paper. Then I arrange the cut pieces with a little space around them, pop into the freezer overnight, before placing them into your container of choice. This helps avoid just one big clump of frozen fruit, when really you may only need ½ cup.

As I work through writing up my Dragon Fruit recipes, I will add them to our site, for you to try. I would love to hear from you if you have a Dragon Fruit recipe to share, because isn’t that what food is about – sharing it with others. Note – All recipes will be credited or linked to the corresponding website.