Dragon fruit began to be produced on a large scale in Europe in a small coastal town in the region of Murcia: Águilas. Its origins are important, as this wild cactus could be found in the ravines of the surrounding area, growing in the wild. It was native here long before we knew its fruit. The gardens of the houses in Águilas were adorned with these cacti, which curiously, on some summer nights, produced large and fragrant white flowers. These flowers would open at dusk and die the next morning, with the first light of dawn and the intense summer heat. It was as if from a magical tale.
The microclimate of Águilas, so tropical due to its warm winter days and humidity, makes dragon fruit thrive. But at that time, something was missing from the equation. Even though there were flowers, their pollination was not possible, since in Spain there are no large nocturnal insects and animals that pollinate their flowers and exchange pollen as in other countries in Central America, Latin America, and Asia. In other words, there were no bees working at night.
That's when the farmer's hand comes in. It is their hands that, with a small brush, act as nocturnal pollinators. With a flashlight on their head and many summer nights worked, they have managed to establish and expand the presence of dragon fruit in our lands.
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