http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2010/01/behold_the_budd.php

Behold the buddha's hand

By Rachel Hutton in Recipes
Tue., Jan. 5 2010 @ 8:45AM




A religious figure's hand, lopped off at the wrist,
might be the last thing you'd expect to find stacked
up next to the pears and the grapefruit. But it's citrus
season, which marks the arrival of bright-yellow,
long-fingered, wrinkled claws showing up at
neighborhood grocery shelves.




Succumbing to sheer curiosity, I bought this guy
at the Wedge the other day (not cheap, I think it
cost about $4) and then wondered what the hell
I was going to do with it. David Karp, aka the
Fruit Detective, had a writeup about buddha's hand. http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fow-marketwatch23-2009oct28,0,204859.story
recently in the LA Times[/url] in which he explains
that this unusual fruit, "which looks like a cross
between a lemon and a squid" is related to the citron
and its tentacles were a genetic mutation.


I learned that the buddha's hand is native to
southwestern China and northeastern India but it's
also grown in California. The fruit smells a bit like
lemons or grapefruits, but its scent is more delicate
and floral--distinctly unlike any other familiar citrus.
When you cut it open, there's no juicy segments,
just solid albedo, which is the term for the white
portion beneath the rind (who knew?). Buddha's
hand can be used for cooking, but more often it's
used for marmalade or flavoring spirits. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/474826
I sliced off the bright yellow skin, macerated it, and
combined it with vodka: I'll let you know how it turns
out in a few weeks.

In the above article, is listed the name David Karp, aka "The Fruit Detective". If you want some really interested reading, look up David's life story. NOTHING like you would ever suspect ... strange, weird, challenging, and in the end over powering. - Millet (1,106-)

I couldn't get the LA Times article to come up earlier or I'd have posted it with the first one. It worked this time.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fow-marketwatch23-2009oct28,0,204859.story

Introducing . . . Buddha's Hand
The aromatic citron, whose fruit is segmented into what looks like human fingers, is available at some farmers markets. Use it in jam or as an ornamental

By David Karp
October 28, 2009


Buddha's Hand citron isn't only weird to look at: It's a powerfully aromatic fruit. (David Karp / For The Times)

Shoppers usually stop in their tracks, jaws hanging down, the first time they see a Buddha's Hand citron, which looks like a cross between a lemon and a squid. Its ancestor, the ordinary citron, is one of the three original species of citrus and looks like a large, lumpy lemon; in the Buddha's Hand, the fruit splits at the end opposite the stem into segments that look somewhat like human fingers - whence the fruit's other name, fingered citron. This prodigy is a genetic mutation that arose many centuries ago somewhere in the citron's homeland, southwestern China and northeastern India. (Occasionally similar-looking fruits will develop on a normal lemon tree, but these are caused by mite damage to the buds.)

The fruit is powerfully aromatic, with a characteristic aroma of violets or osmanthus. Its primary use here is ornamental, like a flower, and as a novelty, but the rind is also used to make jam and to flavor spirits. The variety of Buddha's Hand found here is solid albedo (the white part beneath the rind) with no juicy pulp or seeds.

In China, at least half a dozen distinct types of Buddha's Hand are grown, on several thousand acres. The trees are sold as ornamental bonsai pot plants, and the dried peel of immature fruits is prescribed as a tonic in traditional medicine.

Buddha's Hand was imported to California and raised here in gardens starting in the late 19th century, but it is only in the last two decades that small-scale commercial orchards have been planted, about 25 acres across the state. The main season is late fall and early winter, but in coastal districts the trees produce fruit continuously.

Both Friend's Ranch of Ojai and Bernard Ranches of Riverside bring Buddha's Hand to the Hollywood and Santa Monica Wednesday markets. Small, scraggly examples can fetch just a few dollars, but the magnificent specimen depicted in the accompanying photo cost $20.

***

Here in Southern California, we're lucky to be able to buy local avocados 12 months of the year, but finding high-quality fruit in autumn, during the transition between the old and new crops, is a bit of a challenge. The old crop of the dominant variety, Hass, is past its prime from all but the most coastal and northern growing areas; most of the avocados currently sold at supermarkets come from Chile, though their quality suffers from passing three weeks in cold storage during shipment.

For the new California crop, from flowers that bloomed in spring 2009, most commercial varieties are so low in oil content that the California Avocado Commission does not yet allow growers, including farmers market vendors, to sell them. Only the largest fruits of the Bacon variety are currently legal to sell, and even they are not yet at their finest.

One of the best options is to look for new-crop California-grown avocados of the Mexican type, which mature in fall and are distinctive in both appearance and flavor: They tend to be small with glossy, purple-black skin (so thin that it's edible) and spicy, anise-flavored pulp. Varieties such as Mexicola and Topa Topa have long been used for rootstock because their seedlings are vigorous, relatively uniform, and cold-hardy. Because of their thin skins, the fruits are too delicate to ship commercially, but they're well-suited to sale at farmers markets. It's worth looking for the fresh and dried leaves, also anise-scented, which are used to flavor barbecued meats in Mexican cooking.

Mary and Cecilio Marquez of Rancho Santa Cecilia, from Carpinteria, sell Mexican-type avocados at the Burbank, Encino, Hollywood and Venice markets. Frank and Keiko Wells of Westfield Farms, from Camarillo, sell Walter Hole, similar to Mexicola, at the Beverly Hills, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo markets. Laura Ramirez of Loma Linda will sell Walter Hole starting Nov. 4 at the Hollywood, Santa Monica Wednesday and Saturday (Organic) markets.

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times


.

I had never seen one of these interesting Buddha's Hand in person until Saturday, when I discovered one had arrived in the mail from my (and many other's) friend Citrus Joe. It is gracing my kitchen table and providing an unforgettable fragrance to the room. I kept the box that it came in because it is still very fragrant from the trip. It is sitting right next to this computer. Ummmm.

Barbara

I used to have a Buddha's Hand tree, but I finally just tossed it out onto the compost pile, mainly because the fruit was not edible, and I just got tired of caring for it. I think I might have purchased it at Echter's greenhouse on a trip with Citrus Joe, but not sure. In fact I got rid of all the non-edible citrus, including the various Australian varieties I had collected, with the exception of one Finger Lime tree. Many of the Australian Microcitrus trees I also received from Citrus Joe. In the empty greenhouse space I planted a crop of pineapples. - Millet (1,106-)

I bought a Buddha Hand mostly as a curiosity. It put on several fruit this year and the entire plant does have a pronounced fragrance. It's a bit more persnickety to care for than other citrus, but it does get people to asking questions where more ordinary citrus does not.

.....Alan.

An illustration of what I was saying:

http://www.mercurynews.com/restaurants/ci_14120126

Produce Q&A: Buddha's Hand

By Jackie Burrell
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 01/06/2010 12:00:00 AM PST

Q: I saw a Buddha's hand citrus in Whole Foods and it looked so cool I bought it. I'd love some recipes that would use it! Two days ago I saw a dish online at Nopa which used it — I think it was a salad. Can you ask them for the recipe? Or the description of the item?

— Patti Hughes, Fremont

I found a couple trees at a local flea market and now have several Buddha's hands. Although they are cool to look at, what the heck am I supposed to do with it?

— Ben Richter, Santa Clara

A: These strange citrus fruits look as if a lemon and an octopus got a tad too cozy, perhaps while romancing near Chernobyl. But while their lemon-colored fingers reach for the heavens in the most mutant-like way, their aroma is simply divine. Nopa's Jeff Hanak says his restaurant never has used the fruit, but other chefs incorporate the Buddha's zest in a number of ways, and there's a discussion thread on Chowhound.com where home cooks swap ideas for their use, from a limoncello-inspired "Buddhacello" to infused vodka — a la Alameda's Hangar One and its Buddha's hand citron vodka — as well as flavored sugars and salad dressing. (Read more at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/474826.)

"Buddha's Hand is very old," says produce expert Michael Marks. "It has only been in the past few years that a few local growers here in California began growing it. Here, they have a fairly short season, from December through February — the peak is January. It most likely originated in the Yangtze River Valley, the same region in China where kiwifruit originated."

Bill Fujimoto, the produce guru at Lafayette's Diablo Foods, says Buddha is a citron — a member of the same citrus family that gave us the lemon, lime and bergamot, with one notable difference. All the appeal of this fruit is on the outside. In Northern Chinese households, you'll find Buddha's hands tucked into fruit displays, both for visual appeal and aroma.

"Those little fingers have a lot of surface area for the oils to give off fragrance," he says. "But after that, you're stuck with this thing. There's no inside. They're all skin and rind."

That's fine, says Fujimoto, because the rind yields a "very nice, citrus flavor that's very pure." Candy the peels and use the flavorful results in breads, cakes, marmalades and other sweets. Use the citron's zest in salads, sauces and even frozen confections. And the next time you visit a gelato stand, he says, look for the flavor labeled "citron." That's a Buddha's Hand.

Millet, Nothing that interesting can be found in my area, so a trip to a local nursery would never result in such a purchase. I would buy one for the fragrance only, so it is probably better that there are none sold locally to prompt an impulse buy. The experience of seeing and smelling the fruit is well appreciated though. If I had enough room for as many trees as you have, a Buddha's hand would be part of my collection. Someday...

My husband and I will hopefully go to Philadelphia for Chinese New Year, and maybe there will be some interesting citrus shipped in for the event. We planned on going last year, but the kids ended up getting sick and we had to stay home.

Barbara

Barbara, you might find some interesting Citrus varieties in Philly. For the last two years I flew into Philadelphia to attend the Philadelphia flower show. Each time I spent 3 full days at the show. The 2009 show had 3 or 4 large flower arrangements utilizing Citrus trees as one of the floral items in the arrangement. For people who have never been to the Philadelphia flower show, it is certainly one of the very best flowers shows in North America. - Millet (1,105-)

Millet, I agree it is a worthwhile event. I have not been there since 15BC (before children). It is one of the events I have on the agenda for when I can go mid week and my youngest is old enough to be left after school with her big brother and sister for a couple of hours. If memory serves, it is usually March-April and is a wonderful experience. One day is usually not enough, but I would likely be limited to that for the first couple of years.

Barbara

They are really talking these things up in California.

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100113/LIFESTYLE/1130313

Buddha's Hand citron looks odd but smells, tastes great

BY HILLARY S. MEEKS • hmeeks@visalia.gannett.com • January 13, 2010

Buddha's Hand citron cannot be mistaken for any other fruit, its gnarled fingers resembling a squid frozen in time, suspended amongst dark leaves.

But it's the sweet aroma from its thick skin that makes it a commodity in the kitchen. The zest can be used in place of either lemon, orange or lime zest, and is sure to add a unique flavor.

"It's a much more complete essence and oil that you'll get from this zest," said Greg Kirkpatrick, who grows the fruit at Lindcove Ranch.

And unlike lemons, limes or oranges, the white rind of the citron isn't bitter. In fact, the fibrous tissue tastes as sweet as it smells. Instead of pulp, what's inside the citron is basically a spongy extension of this white rind.

Between its bizarre appearance and the succulent scent it emanates, a Buddha's Hand citron can sit in a kitchen for weeks, acting as a room freshener, Kirkpatrick said.

"They're just so pretty, most people start with them as a table piece," he said.

The fruit stays fresh for up to three weeks before the tips of the fingers start to mold. Kirkpatrick said he washes the fruit with chlorine to get any mold spores off the citron, but its unwieldy shape makes it impossible to get rid of all the spores.

He usually cuts off the moldy bits, chops up the citron and puts it into the freezer for later use.

Cutting the fingers into thinner slices can create pretty round pieces that are perfect to be candied. Other uses include replacing the orange peel in marmalade with citron, or using the fruit to infuse alcohol. Any limoncello recipe can also be made using citron instead of lemons.

In fact Kirkpatrick first started growing the citron to flavor vodka. Now, his 60 prolific trees produce citron that is used to infuse Hanger One brand vodka, which is his personal favorite way to enjoy the special fruit's flavor.

Buddha's Hand citron is likely one of the oldest cultivated citrus fruits, with writings that indicate they were grown off the hills of Tibet up to 3,000 years ago, Kirkpatrick said.

The majority of blossoms begin showing up around March and April, and those mature into fruit by November and December. The citron's most abundant season ends in February, but it produces some fruit year-round.

For those who really want to try it, Kirkpatrick suggests they buy it at the Visalia Farmer's Market soon. The market is 8-11:30 a.m. Saturday at the northwest corner of Mooney Boulevard and Caldwell Avenue in the Sequoia Mall parking lot.

== == ==


Buddha's Hand Citron, a very odd-looking and aromatic citrus fruit that rancher
Greg Kirkpatrick, pictured, grows in Lindcove. (Steve R. Fujimoto)




Buddha's Hand Citron, a very odd-looking and aromatic citrus fruit that rancher
Greg Kirkpatrick grows in Lindcove. Greg cuts one in half showing the inside, the
middle or white area is sweet to the taste and can be eaten or used in a variety of
ways. (Steve R. Fujimoto)


Cranberry-citron marmalade

Halve the citron and shred the rind in a food processor. Measure out 1 cup, packed, and freeze leftovers for later.

Microwave directions: Set an open 8-ounce canning jar upside down in the center of a 2-quart microwavable flame-proof lidded casserole dish. Distribute the shredded citron around it, add water, cover with vented lid and microwave on high for 10 minutes. Sort, rinse, drain and add the cranberries; cover and microwave five minutes longer, or until berries have burst and mixture is juicy. Measure and add water if necessary to reach the two-cup level.

While the rind and the cranberries cook, stir the ginger root and the other spices into the sugar and set aside. Return cooked fruit to the microwave vessel, stir in sugar/spice mixture, and microwave uncovered on high for five minutes.

Stir and microwave for about seven minutes longer, stirring every couple of minutes from the outside toward the center, until mixture thickens. It will continue to cook for 2 or 3 minutes after you remove it from the microwave, and overcooking makes a very stiff spread. If that should happen, return the marmalade to the casserole dish, add one or two tablespoons of water and melt, stirring on a range-top burner. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Seal, cool, label and refrigerate. Store it at least a week for flavors to meld.

Variation: To make the marmalade with candied citron, substitute the same amount of candied citron and soak it, unchopped, for at least 12 hours in 1 1/2 cups of water so that it can be chopped or shredded in a food processor without making a sticky mess. Drain, reserving soaking water while you chop the diced citron medium-fine in a food processor. Place the citron, the reserved soaking water and the cranberries in a four-quart saucepan, quickly bring to a boil and boil about 10 minutes, until berries have popped and are pulpy. Add only 1 cup of sugar, ginger and other spices, then boil about three minutes or until gel tests done. Ladle marmalade into hot, sterilized jars.

Seal, cool, label and store as previously described.