Pummelo Stars In Poipu At Ultra-Exotic Fruit Event

Pomelo are pear shaped, and twice the size of a grapefruit. Daniel Lane photo

Taking the stage 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28 at Living Foods Market and the Kauai Culinary Market at The Shops at Kukuiula is the pummelo—grapefruit’s larger, sweeter cousin. The succulent and fragrant, orb-shaped fruit is sharing star power with Living Foods chef Michael Simpson to present Thai Pummelo Salad. Admission is free and samples are on the house!

The fun, fruity show is produced by the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG) in an effort to share info about pummelo and other not-so-well-known edibles that are available in Hawaii. HTFG members are growing a wide variety of ultra-exotic tropical fruits statewide and they say the fruits are under-utilized by the mainstream market. Ultra-exotics under cultivation here include Surinam cherry, calamonsie, jackfruit, ulu, tamarillos, chico, lychee, white sapote, bilimbi and others.

HTFG is working to build markets for these juicy rarities through a series of free public taste tests and culinary demonstrations at stores on four Hawaiian Islands throughout 2012.

Pomelo range in flavor from sweet to tart. Daniel Lane photo

“This a very exciting program for us and exactly why the Kauai Culinary Market was created— to promote and sell local foods grown by the farmers, and connect consumers to chefs and farmers,” shares Melissa McFerrin of the Kauai Culinary Market and executive administrator of the Kauai County Farm Bureau.

Titled “New Markets for Ultra-Exotic Fruits,” the event series is funded by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture through a USDA competitive grant program to foster small farm sustainability. During events, attendees are invited to taste the chef’s recipes. Participating stores stock the fruit in their produce sections, accompanied by recipes and additional fruit information to take home.

It takes eight to 12 months from flower to fruit. Daniel Lane photo

Enjoy free sampling of pummelo and other exotic fruits 4-6 p.m. at Living Foods. Members of the Kauai Chapter of the HTFG will be on hand to answer questions about growing exotic fruits and talk about its membership of commercial growers and back yard hobbyists.

Chef Simpson’s pummelo culinary presentation is at 5 p.m. at the demonstration area of the Kauai Culinary Market at The Shops at Kukuiula. The market is a collaboration between The Shops and the Kauai County Farm Bureau.

“The pummelo we are featuring in the Thai Salad is everything and more what a good grapefruit should be: firm, juicy, sweet and with great useable fruit yield verses rind. It has long shelf life too,” details Chef Simpson. “Yes, we have conventional pink and yellow grapefruit growing here, but for an exciting and locally sourced variation that holds up very well in a salad, pummelo is the one to use.”

Select heavy, fragrant fruit with a smooth and shiny skin. Daniel Lane photo

Chef Simpson suggests substituting pummelo for grapefruit at breakfast—sectioned or juiced—and using it for cocktails in a Salty Dog or Greyhound.

Commenting on the importance of buying locally raised food, chef adds, “The idea is decades old and has matured enough here to make it viable and convenient. You’re doing the planet and the farmer a great and needed service—apart from eating healthy and encountering new and unusual varieties, like the pummelo.”

For more information on New Markets for Ultra-Exotic Fruits, contact Ken Love, HTFG president, at ken@mycoffee.net or 808 (969-7926).

I wrote about pumello (pomelo) in the Feb. 23, 2012 issue of MidWeek Kauai and included the following recipe. The large, pear-shaped fruit has lemon-yellow skin and pale white or red flesh, and much of its bulk is the thick, loose skin. Approximately 15 varieties are cultivated, and flavors range from dry and tart to sweet and juicy. Pomelo have 16 to 18 segments, range in size from softball to basketball, and can weigh more than 20 pounds. Superior pomelos grow in warm tropical regions, particularly in sheltered areas near the sea. Pomelo is also spelled pommelo, or pummelo. The Chinese name is youzi, and the Japanese call it buntan or zabon.