Buddha's Hand Citron

I went for a walk at lunchtime today, along Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. I walked past one of my favourite shops, The Vegetable Connection. Apart from cheese and meats; dried pastas and jars of condiments and jam; fruit and vegetables including heirloom tomatoes and a large selection of potatoes; were these little creatures:

The first time I'd seen them was on Boing Boing earlier this month. They really are quite mad-looking. A company in the US uses them to flavour vodka. Someone used them to make a limoncello style drink. Another person has made marmalade with them. Or you can make candied fruit with it. You can also grate it and use it like lemon zest.

I picked up the fruit, with encouragement from the guy in the shop and rubbed the skin and there is lemon/lime scent about the fruit. The fruit retails for about $15 a kilo, so $4 or $5 each.

I must say I was stumped with this fruit. No clues as to what to do with it. I didn't buy one today. Maybe I'll get one another day. According to my fruit and vegetable bible, Market Fresh, they are in season until October, so maybe the fruit muse will strike before then!

I had a quick look at Little Saigon Market on the way home from work and no sign of them there today. Maybe they'll appear there later in the season.

Certainly one of the more bizarre fruits I've seen in recent times. I think I'd like to grow a Buddha's Hand tree one day, what a cool thing to have growing in your back yard!