Breathing fire
MURALI MENON
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Check out the dragon fruit.
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DRAMATIC DISH: The Dragon Fruit
There is nothing like a long trip, some mystery and good fun to liven up a learning experience. Some time back the students of Colonel Satsangi's Kiran Memorial Public School, New Delhi, had all of these in good measure when they visited Phayao province of Northern Thailand.
One morning they discovered the wonders of the dragon plant, along with students of Princess Mother School, Phayao.
Anjali and Shambavi, Std. IX students, wondered if the dragon plant would be like a dragon snake. "No," replied June, a student of Princess Mother School. "It is a cactus. I have seen it."
The curiosity of 50 students and seven teachers from the two schools was soon stopped as they reached a dragon farm, Baan Huay Lan in Phayao.
Moonlight magic
Mr. Bird, a visiting teacher from the U.S. gave the presentation. The dragon plant grows about 10 to 12 metres. At night, in the moonlight it looks like a dragon.
Miss Naamwan, a Thai teacher, explained, "Some people say that the person who eats this fruit becomes strong like a dragon, and others say its appearance has given it its name."
The round yellow, pink or red cactus fruit that goes by the name of dragon fruit or "pitahaya" is a striking sight. It is among the expensive fruits and is tasty and sweet. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and water-soluble fibre. It is not to be confused with the prickly pear.
Easy to grow
The dragon plant is easy to grow. The seeds grow like mustard and cress. The inedible rind contains a whitish translucent flesh full of small black seeds. Some fruits may contain red flesh.
The seeds should be sown in a potting mix. After watering, the container should be covered or wrapped in a polythene bag. The seedlings start appearing after a couple of weeks.
Mayi, the owner of the farm, explained that the process is similar to germinating beans with two seed leaves. "Don't panic if you don't see the signs of cactus," Mayi warned.
Mayi's mother added the seedling could be planted in individual pots or grown on larger plants.
Mr. Beam, an English teacher and resident of Phayao, told the group, "The famous dragon fruit jam of Malaysia called `beauners' is claimed to have many benefits, like cleansing body toxins, reducing high blood pressure and lowering cholesterol, regulating blood circulation, stabilising blood glucose among others. India can definitely go for it."
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