Goblin FIngers

 Halloween has come and gone, and we're just a few days away from the next major holiday- Thanksgiving, yet somehow, the local store is a holiday behind. I went to the produce section the other day to pick up something for salad and came across these gems. They're called Buddha's Hand, or Goblin Fingers, for a very good reason. For the life of me, I've never seen anything like it before. The scientific name for this fruit is Citrus Medica Var Sarcodactylis.  Kind of sounds like a disease. As you can see, it's easier to ask for Goblin Fingers if that's what you want. Apparently they're only available for a short time of the year; fortunately that time corresponds with Halloween. I read up on them little bit because I wanted to know what the heck they could be used for, aside from scaring the masks off of little kids when they knock on your door wanting candy. This fruit is also known sometimes as Fingered Citron. It's a member of the Citron family and is used in place of lemon rind for candy and cakes. It can also be ground up and mixed with oils for a type of aromatic scent in your home. Apparently there is little to no juice or pulp, it's almost all rind. It's believed to have been transported to China from India hundreds of years ago. In China it's known as Fo-Shou, in Japan, Bushukan, and of course here it's Goblin Fingers. Not without good reason I might add. It is offered in temples in the Far East  because it is believed to symbolize happiness, good fortune and longevity. Whatever turns your crank. Folks believe a lot of different things. According to the web site Organic Facts, there are health benefits to Buddha's Hand, including pain relief, treatment of respiratory issues, reduces gastrointestinal issues, eliminates menstrual  discomfort, boosts immunity and lowers blood pressure. All that and you can grind it up and put on your cheese cake -- Woo Hoo! Anyway, I found it intriguing that such an exotic fruit would find it's way to our little produce section in remote Hoonah Alaska, and felt like I had to write about it. It's a big world out there. I'm sure that there are things that would boggle the mind and terrify the bold if we knew what was living in someones back yard. In any event, next year I may have to try some of this Fo Shou on a cheese cake and see if it cures what ails me. At the very least it's a conversation piece.