Citrus Fruit

[minoanmiss]

Buddha's Hand Citrons.

Comments

[xenacryst]

I love Buddha's hands! They're not particularly good all by themselves - there's nothing but skin and pith. But they make fabulous candied citron and marmalade. Or, just hang them up in the kitchen for their glorious smell and wonderful looks.

[minoanmiss]

I cut these up into fingers and froze them, to grate over whatever I like all summer.

[ex_flameandsong751]

Wow, that is cool - I have NEVER seen those before today. Nature is fucking lit.

[bikergeek]

Whole Foods sometimes has them, depending on location and time of year.

[ex_flameandsong751]

I have no Whole Foods where I live 😂 the nearest one is a couple hours away. Good to know, though, in case that changes and one opens here.

[minoanmiss]

Various people on Etsy sell them -- you just have to be careful to get the fruit ($20-$50) not the seeds/a photo/a ceramic sculpture etc

[ex_flameandsong751]

Ah, thank you!

[batdina]

The first time I ever saw one of these awesome things was at a Sukkot service about 15 years ago. I had the boring old Israeli one, and my friend had this amazing looking thing to do ritual with. I've never looked back.

And these are great looking. I particularly love the one that looks like a hug.

[minoanmiss]

Tentacletrogs! \o/ I forget how I discovered them but I love them ever so.

[gingicat]

Oh, interesting that they used it for Sukkot, given that most people will hassle over the bit of halacha that says that an etrog has to be perfectly shaped and smooth with an intact stem (pitom). Tentacle etrogs certainly have more nicely-flavored pith, though!

[batdina]

Well, my compromise is that I use both. I always have a halachic one, but the Buddha hand makes me happy so it's there too. (The price difference is amazing though: just saying.)

No clue what my old rabbi thought about the person who I first saw using one; but since I'm my own rabbi now I figured I can manage both/and.

[minoanmiss]

Oh my goodness, Teacher! Is it okay that I will ask you weird questions henceforth?

[batdina]

Of course.

[gingicat]

My apologies, I totally forgot that you're a rabbi!

[batdina]

I don't need you to apologise! (Though thank you.) It's a legitimate question and I was happy to answer with my solution to it. No worries.

[minoanmiss]

WAITAMINNIT -- are you who I think you are? I need to make a chart of everyone's usernames!

[batdina]

well I don't know who you think I am ... but I'm not the Velveteen Rabbi. She and I have been friends for decades, and I wish I were as prolific and as published as she is.

I'm just a gender queer not quite Conservadox Rabbi. In Northern California.

[minoanmiss]

You're not the rabbi I was thinking of then (she lives in NYC) so I am now delighted to meet another rabbi! I love meeting professionally wise people!

[batdina]

Ah. I think I know who you're talking about. I went to rabbinical school with her.

[cappyhead]

So pretty. How will you be using them?

[minoanmiss]

I froze them in fingers to grate over summer produce all summer. I meant to candy the bases but unfortunately did not get around to it. :(

[cappyhead]

Sounds amazing!

[cmcmck]

They are amazing looking things!

[sabotabby]

I'm dying to try Cthulhu Lemons!

[lunabee34]

Oooh. What do those taste like?

[minoanmiss]

Very floral lemon zest, and their pith is't bitter (they're all pith and zest). They're great for scenting/flavoring just about anything lemony.

[bikergeek]

they're all pith and zest

So you like your citrus like you like your men, then.

[minoanmiss]

Like I like you, anyway. ;)

[lunabee34]

Sounds glorious!

[claudia603]

So cool!

[eller]

Nice! I've always wondered what these taste like. There's a lemon tree like that in the botanical garden's greenhouse, and I've seen the fruit, but, yeah, never got to try one.

[ororo]

I have shared the candied citron you sent me back when I had Covid. Universally loved with amazement.

If you ever do marmalade, please sign me up.

Also, thank you for the poetry!

[minoanmiss]

You are totally welcome and I will absolutely send you marmalade if I make some. :D

[acelightning73]

Where did the Buddha's-hand citron come from? I'd like to buy one to experiment with (And in the Star Trek cookbook it talks about how to present and decorate food to look alien - wrap a cucumber with tinted Saran Wrap and shine a different color light on it. Tuck in some Buddha's fingers among the fruit or veggie platter.

[minoanmiss]

I bought it off Etsy. let me find a couple of listings:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/119040162/citron-special-for-may?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=buddha%26%2339%3Bs+hand&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&cns=1&organic_search_click=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/877419250/hand-of-buddha?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=buddha%26%2339%3Bs+hand&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&organic_search_click=1

the thing about ahopping for them is avoiding the trees (half-dead saplings), the seeds, the marmalade, the carvings, the pictures, etc, and getting the actual fruit.