The Fruit that Grew Up

Finally off the little tree and into my kitchen, our long-awaited Citron Hand (sometimes known as a Buddha's Hand) was ready to use.  I have to say it was a bit disappointing though.  Perhaps, being the first fruit of the tree, and slightly stunted, was not very aromatic, just sitting on the counter.  The information I had dug up suggested that it would perfume an entire room.  Not this baby.  Oh well, the rind was good, and I used it in a few dishes, culminating in jars of Pineapple Marmalade.

I put the jar on the left more in the light, so you get a better idea of the color.  Basically, the recipe is just pineapples, chopped fine, the citron, minced - about 1/4 cupful, lemon juice and sugar.  Boiled it up til thick enough.  The citron hand is delicious in there.  Tangy and flavorful.  And the nice thing is, you can use all the rind, as the white pith is not bitter.

You may, or may not remember when I raved on and on about my new tree, with its one little baby fruit.  There were other starts, but they fell off rather quickly.  This one grew up to be a big (well a little size challenged) boy.  Just like a good mother, I took pictures along the way.  The tree (still a sapling) has been plagued by mites or aphids all year, but a treatment of neem oil seems to have taken care of it.

Strange Fruits

 

My latest citrus acquisition.  New member of the family.  These beguiling little fruits are in their infancy, some just barely in toddler stage.  Citron Hands, also known as Buddha's Hand (possibly because of its Asian origin?), came from North East India and migrated to China in the 4th century.  They seem to be in a praying position. Might be saying, yes, you too can pray.  Just try.

 

It's pointing at me.

The mature fruits are supposed to be beautifully fragrant and are used to perfume a room in China and Japan.  What a thought.  No more room aerosols.  Just put one of these babies in every bathroom.  Although there is no juice, the white pith is not bitter, so the whole fruit can be used in cooking. I have been inspired by Linda, a very innovative,  professional chef, doing some incredible things with citrus at her site.

I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for these guys to grow up already.  I want to know what it smells like, how is the taste different from other types of citrus, how can they be used to best advantage??  It's telling me, just wait.  Hey, no rush.  Maybe we'll learn patience here.