Outdoor fun for the whole family
Forest Dragon Fruit Farm
Just a half-hour drive south of Brisbane city is a family-run Dragon Fruit farm. Bring your kids along for a fun, outdoor experience this Easter holidays. The farm is open 7 days a week from 9-5pm. The dragon fruits are in season and ripe for picking now!
About the Farm
The
Forest Dragon Fruit Farm in Forestdale has more than 15 varieties of dragon fruit growing. There are plenty of yellow, white and purple fruits are ready for picking. The kids will love the friendly animals on this farm who help out by mowing the grass and guarding the fruits. There are four alpacas and two calves who love people. You will be able to get up close for a pat, maybe they will even approach you first!
What is Dragon Fruit?
Dragon Fruits picked from the farm
Dragon fruit has been known to be a superfood. Why? Because it is packed with health benefits for your body. Dragon fruit contains lots of fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins C and B to improve the immune system and promote metabolism. It includes a good amount of carotene to strengthen your eyes. Iron and phosphorus help with healthy red blood cells and body tissue. Even the tiny seeds in the fruit are packed with omega 3 and 9 fatty acids which can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Read more nutrition facts about dragon fruit at
VeryWell Fit.
How to eat Dragon Fruit
Fresh Dragon Fruit cut in half
Many health bowls or smoothies include dragon fruit in their recipe. Dragon fruit blends in well with many other fruits like mango or berries to make a delicious smoothie. You could also simply eat it as it is. Enjoy the natural taste of dragon fruit by simply cutting off each end and stripping away the skin. Or follow this
guide on how to prepare a dragon fruit.
Dice up the fruit into cubes for an easy snack. Turn it into a fruit salad if you like by adding strawberries, kiwi fruit or blueberries. Whatever you prefer!
For dragon fruit recipes, you can check out these 20 simple ideas from
insanely good recipes.
How to pick Dragon Fruit
Washing the freshly picked Dragon fruit
When you get to the farm, you will be equipped with a bucket to collect the fruits and a pair of scissors to snip them off the plant. Be careful that the dragon fruit plant can be prickly. Watch out for the spikes, wear gloves if you need them, and make sure your children are also aware to try to avoid these. Kids can take on the all-important responsibility of supervising and choosing which fruits to cut off.
A ripe dragon fruit should look round and plump, usually more vibrant in colour. You should be able to press on the fruit gently but it would still be firm enough not to collapse. If it does, it's probably too ripe. You can still pick ones that are a bit firmer, just leave them out for a few days until it ripens. There should be a subtle deepening of colour as it becomes ready to eat. The owners of the farm are very friendly and should be able to guide you on what to do with the fruits that you have picked.
Keep the ripe dragon fruit in the fridge and they can be stored for up to 3 weeks. I would suggest giving them a good rinse before cutting them open to eat.
Happy picking!
