Can you guess what this thing is?

[Rawkinlocs]

Honeybee Joy had a picture of one on her Myspace and I HAD to ask her what is was!
http://eatlivingfood.com/BuddhasHand.JPG

UPDATE: Here's the answer!

==========
It's called a "Buddha's Hand" and it's in the citrus family. Here is what Wikipedia said:

Buddha's Hand

Buddha's Hand citron, or Fingered citron (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus) is a fragrant citrus fruit. It grows on a shrub or small tree with long, irregular branches covered in thorns. Its large, oblong leaves are pale green and grow about four to six inches. Its flowers are white or purplish and grow in fragrant clusters.


The fruit itself is a type of citron and is often described as lemon-like. The fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. It has a thick peel and a small amount of acidic flesh and is seedless and juiceless. It is very fragrant and is used predominantly by the Chinese and Japanese for perfuming rooms and personal items, such as clothing.

The peel of the fruit can be candied. In Western cooking, it is often used for its zest. The inner white pith is not bitter as is usually the case with citrus, so the fingers may be cut off and then longitudinally sliced, peel pith and all, and used in salads or scattered over cooked foods such as fish.

The fruit may be given as a religious offering in Buddhist temples. It is thought that Buddha prefers the "fingers" of the fruit to be in a position where they resemble a closed rather than open hand, as closed hands symbolize to Buddha the act of prayer.

The origin of Buddha's Hand is traced back to Northeastern India and is believed to be the first citrus fruit known in Europe. It is speculated that the Greeks and Romans brought them back from Asia.

The tree itself is sensitive to frost, as well as intense heat and drought. It grows best in temperate conditions. Areas such as the coast of Southern California as well as inland valleys are considered ideal for its planting. Trees can be grown from cuttings taken from branches two to four years old. One must bury the cuttings (replete with foliage) deep in the soil.

It is thought that in some areas it is given the name Goblin Fingers due to the frightening (and less preferable to Buddha) aspect of the "open" position.

[Mary]

Hi Rawkinlocks,

This is a type of citrus called "Buddah's Hand." I believe it's a type of citron and is not really an edible variety... more grown as an oddity for the unusual fruit! It may be that some grow it to candy the peel, like citron, or for essential oils, but it's a fruit that's basically all peel.

Hope this helps!

Mary

[Rawkinlocs]

Marrryyyy...didn't you see the last clause in my post? :)

But you're correct! :D I'm gonna go and "soft-delete" your post so others can take a stab at it for a while!

[Mary]

Rawkinlocks! I'm so sorry... I was so excited that I knew the answer that I didn't read all the way down... my bad!

Sorry for the goof... my apologies once again for being too much of a "Hermione Granger..." (Harry Potter)!

:o Mary

[Rawkinlocs]

Oh that's okay Mary - I just temporarily removed it...I'll restore it in a bit but I want folks to be like, "WHAT is THAT?!" for a little while like I was! ;)

[VitalHarvest]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Carrot?

[Rawkinlocs]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Carrot?

LMBO! That's cute! LOL! See, these are the kinds of responses I wanna see for a minute before the answer comes along! :D

[RawChicky]

my hair when I don't brush it...?

[RawBecky]

Haha, reminds me of a squid! This is a vegan site, come on now! ;)

[juliebove]

Hmmm... The bottom looks like a bunch of carrots but not quite and the top looks like a lemon. But I'm going to guess that it is a squash.

[Rawzula]

Looks like something you'd find in the ocean.

[Revvell]

You REALLY don't want me to answer that, do you? :p

[Rawkinlocs]

You REALLY don't want me to answer that, do you? :p

Ummm...I'm almost afraid to ask Revvell! I can only WONDER what you are over there thinking!

I'm gonna post the answer in a bit, though...just a little longer...

[magglepie]

It looks like a cross between squash, bananas and some crazy attack carrots!

[VitalHarvest]

You REALLY don't want me to answer that, do you? :p



Wow, you're quite a creative thinker there, Revvell. ;)

[Linda1970]

Is this called Buddha's hand?

[eatyourbroccoli]

cephalopoda plaintain...a...

[lafsalot]

I saw this in the market the other day - I think it is called budah's hand or fingered citron????????? ~ Cathy

[Rawkinlocs]

Alright, alright...since now LINDA's given the answer away despite my clause ;) - might as well spill the beans.

Now, to acknowledge her, Mary got it right immediately after I posted it! So, if you scroll up a bit you'll see her reply.

But yes, it's called a Buddha's Hand and it is a citrus fruit. Here is what Wikipedia said:

Buddha's Hand

Buddha's Hand citron, or Fingered citron (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus) is a fragrant citrus fruit. It grows on a shrub or small tree with long, irregular branches covered in thorns. Its large, oblong leaves are pale green and grow about four to six inches. Its flowers are white or purplish and grow in fragrant clusters.


The fruit itself is a type of citron and is often described as lemon-like. The fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. It has a thick peel and a small amount of acidic flesh and is seedless and juiceless. It is very fragrant and is used predominantly by the Chinese and Japanese for perfuming rooms and personal items, such as clothing.

The peel of the fruit can be candied. In Western cooking, it is often used for its zest. The inner white pith is not bitter as is usually the case with citrus, so the fingers may be cut off and then longitudinally sliced, peel pith and all, and used in salads or scattered over cooked foods such as fish.

The fruit may be given as a religious offering in Buddhist temples. It is thought that Buddha prefers the "fingers" of the fruit to be in a position where they resemble a closed rather than open hand, as closed hands symbolize to Buddha the act of prayer.

The origin of Buddha's Hand is traced back to Northeastern India and is believed to be the first citrus fruit known in Europe. It is speculated that the Greeks and Romans brought them back from Asia.

The tree itself is sensitive to frost, as well as intense heat and drought. It grows best in temperate conditions. Areas such as the coast of Southern California as well as inland valleys are considered ideal for its planting. Trees can be grown from cuttings taken from branches two to four years old. One must bury the cuttings (replete with foliage) deep in the soil.

It is thought that in some areas it is given the name Goblin Fingers due to the frightening (and less preferable to Buddha) aspect of the "open" position.

[SmilingRawDancer]

We should have obscure foods trivia every week!
I love learning about news foods, regardless of if I can ever get my hands on them :)

[Linda1970]

Alright, alright...since now LINDA's given the answer away despite my clause ;) - might as well spill the beans.



I'm so sorry, Cherie. I didn't see your clause. :o I should have read more thoroughly. :p

[trinity082482]

That is the most funky thing if I ever did see funky! :D

[Veganforlife]

Flipped out - totally flipped out.

Wow man I think I saw a banana back in the '70s that looked just like that and it was singing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds to me! Far out!!!

;)

Seriously - that is very cool! I love nature and all her WOW's!!! Mama Earth you are a funny lady!

[RawBecky]

Woah! :eek:

[Naiad]

I see those at Whole Foods from time to time. I love the name and usually grab one and wave it at my mom and spout "Confucious says" type sayings as we shop the produce section :p

Yes... I'm weird :o

[Veganforlife]

That's not weird - that's fun. I'd love to find one and put it in my fruit basket at work. What a hoot that would be!!! Then I could pretend I didn't know how it got there. THAT would be weird. They KNOW I'm weird at work. I practice hard to be that way.
Are these available pretty much? I don't have a Whole Foods near me - bummer.

[Naiad]

That's not weird - that's fun. I'd love to find one and put it in my fruit basket at work. What a hoot that would be!!! Then I could pretend I didn't know how it got there. THAT would be weird. They KNOW I'm weird at work. I practice hard to be that way.
Are these available pretty much? I don't have a Whole Foods near me - bummer.

I've seen them pop up every few months. I'll go, "Buddha's BACK, baby!" :D

They seem to have a limited spot for the rare items. I think the "Buddha Basket" is currently occupied by duck and quail eggs :rolleyes:

[tiggerbounce]

A mutante carrot or parsnip?

[Wendee]

A carrot that took fertility pills?


Wendee

[Rawzula]

A new Halloween accessory:eek:?

It looks like something a kid would wear when trick-or-treating:eek:

[Conscious Midwife]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Carrot?
Ditto

looked like conjoined carrots to me too

Or Octopus Squash:p

[Rawkinlocs]

You guys do know that the answer was given, right? I'll post it in the first post just in case!

[Petals]

Yes Cherie, I know the answer was given, but it still looks like a "primordial thing" to me.

[Damzlfly]

Has anyone had one? What do they taste like?

[Veganforlife]

The fruit itself is a type of citron and is often described as lemon-like. The fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. It has a thick peel and a small amount of acidic flesh and is seedless and juiceless. It is very fragrant and is used predominantly by the Chinese and Japanese for perfuming rooms and personal items, such as clothing.

The peel of the fruit can be candied. In Western cooking, it is often used for its zest. The inner white pith is not bitter as is usually the case with citrus, so the fingers may be cut off and then longitudinally sliced, peel pith and all, and used in salads or scattered over cooked foods such as fish.

[lil fairy z girl]

wow i would never of know in a million years :)
its amazing the abundance of different types of food

best wishes
sal
~*~*~*

[Damzlfly]

Cool! After my fast I'm going to hit the asian market as well as the farmers market. Gotta get me one of those! ;)