MILLIE: I have heard of Dragon Ladies and it is said that they are powerful and wise, making men green with envy. I finally came face to face with one but she possesses a different kind of power, that of propagating the mystical dragon fruit. It is said that the fruit is an antioxidant, a natural laxative, can help cure cancer and diabetes and is rich in vitamin C and lycopene.
Edith Aguinaldo Dacuycuy, the dragon fruit queen of Ilocos, owns a 10-hectare plantation in Barangay Paayas, Burgos, Ilocos Norte. Her obsession with the plant came by accident as she researched on a cure for her youngest daughter, who was stricken with cerebral palsy.
KARLA: Nana Edita, with four children, says that she used to work for a private firm, a pre-need company offering educational and pension plans. Her eldest daughter is now a physical therapist in California, the second daughter had just arrived from London and graduated from Mass Communications, the only son is a pediatrician and works in a clinic in Pasuqin, Ilocos Norte, and her youngest daughter was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This was the beginning of their family’s magical journey. It was then that they learned the youngest daughter would be needing a steady and regular supply of laxatives. Nana Edita started to spend her time researching other alternatives instead of turning to medicine and this is when she came across the dragon fruit. At that time, she had sent her second daughter to Thailand to study more about the culture and technology of the dragon fruit.
Dragon fruits actually come from the cactus family, which also means that they are very low-maintenance plants. All you really need is water and sun. There are also other varieties available. The most common is the fruit with white flesh, but there are also others with yellow, violet, pink, and vanishing pink and white. This fruit has so many health benefits such as preventing the formation of cancer using free radicals (Phythoalbumins as an antioxidant), it is rich in protein and fiber, which improves digestion and reduces fat. It also contains carotene, which helps improve memory, and calcium to strengthen bones and aid in teeth development. It aids in tissue development, metabolizing carbohydrates and producing energy. It even improves appetite and decreases a bad cholesterol level with vitamins B2 and B3, respectively. It improves the immune system and promotes the healing of cuts and bruises, plus reduces hypertension. Those with liver, digestive and endocrine problems are also encouraged to eat dragon fruit, and it also helps in reducing the blood glucose level of people with non-insulin dependent hyperglycemia. It prevents constipation, is good for UTI, improves eyesight and prevents rheumatism and diabetes.
What’s remarkable is how Nana Edita manages to use every bit and part of the plant, practicing zero waste by developing various products. Already, Nana Edita has quite an impressive product line. She explains that the shelf life of the fruit is only about two weeks and that she had to develop ways to preserve and make use of it so it wouldn’t go to waste if she couldn’t sell it. Aside from making the flesh into juice or slushes, she also uses it to make jams, syrups, ice cream and, to my delight, dragon fruit wine. She has secret recipes of cookies and hopias also using dragon fruit. The skin of the fruit is used to make chips, while the roots and dried flowers are boiled with water and used as a cleansing tea. The bark of the plant is made into soap, which is a natural moisturizer, skin whitener, and anti-aging agent. She uses the new stems and shoots as vegetables for salads and open flower buds in fresh lumpia or cold salads. The dried-up flower is also used to make vegetarian dishes like lumpia shanghai, longganisa and burger patties.
Due to the diversity of this plant and fruit, it caught the attention of Governor Imee Marcos and the local government of Ilocos Norte, who actually sponsored the first ever Dragon Fruit Festival in the Philippines last July 5 to 8. Hotel and restaurant management students were encouraged to enter their culinary creations for a contest in which all made use of the dragon fruit.
MILLIE: I felt good energy as we walked through the dragon fruit plantation with Edith and our guide, Lily Palafox. Karla even tried to harvest some fruits to take home so we could try to experiment on new dishes with the fruit, our own way of propagating it. Edith showed us simple cabanas she built to house tourists who come to visit as we sat in a picnic hut alongside the farm eating dragon fruit ice cream. We were awed as she told us that the flower of the dragon fruit is luminous and for one night, when it blooms, it glows in the dark from 8 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., a sight I’d love to see! I can imagine the whole plantation glowing in the dark!
Edith gives thanks for the government’s support in encouraging her to propagate the plant; through her own efforts, she has reached out to 67 other adaptors in Ilocos Norte, and six other adaptors expanding to Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan and La union by giving cuttings of the cactus plant for free.
For her inspiring efforts, P-Noy honored Edith in 2010 as a national awardee for a high-value commercial crop, an honor she truly deserves. When praised and congratulated about her contribution and achievements, all she said was, “I believe that a special child is a gift from God. It’s a matter of discovering kung ano ang gusto iparating ni God.” Edith is happy to realize God’s purpose for gifting her with a special child, which challenged her to help and bring joy to others, a wonderful blessing indeed!
* * *
Send e-mail to milliereyes.foodforthought@gmail.com and karla@swizzemobilebar.com. Find us on Facebook and read articles you might have missed: Food for Thought by Millie & Karla Reyes.