How do I store dragon fruits with ice?

Question

I want to buy some dragon fruit (pitaya fruit cactus) for my girlfriend's parents in California but I'm just wondering how I would transport them. I know you should refrigerate them but we're going by car so would putting them in a cooler with ice be enough to keep them fresh? The drive will be around 15 hours. Thanks

Answer 1

For your second question, you better ask your local postal service or professional courriers like FedEx; if they can transport it, you probably can too.

As for the dragon fruit, well, it's best to consider that cactii thrive in dry and humid, but never wet, conditions. Cool, but NOT cold, temperatures will keep them fresh; freezing will ruin the texture and the flavor of the fruit.

Here's what you can do: wrap the fruits in ziplocks or plastic bags, such that they can't get wet from the ice. Put them on top of the ice, but make sure they're not totally buried. Then they should last for one to three days in the fridge--after that, you better just slice them and freeze them, but the texture won't be as great, though you can make them into shakes or cocktails.

Enjoy!