Have Your Own Fruit Festival Right at Verdon Parc with these Fresh Twists On Your Healthy Favorites

Have you been living in your condo at Verdon Parc for a while now? Or you’ve just moved in? Consider yourself lucky because you’re just a few minutes away from the major malls and Agdao and Bankerohan public markets where fruit stands selling fresh and cheap local produce abound.

Now that the Kadayawan Festival is just around the corner—and exotic fruits like durian, mangosteen, pomelo, lanzones, rambutan, and marang are in season—you’ll enjoy easy access to fruits that are distinctly Davao. Such a convenience is one of the many perks of condo living.

Davao is known for producing some of the best fruits in the world, making it worthy of the title “Fruit Basket Capital of the Philippines.” While these fruits are usually eaten raw, you can definitely change things up a bit. Have an awesome fruit fest from the comfort of your condo in Davao with these seven fresh twists on your healthy Kadayawan favorites, which are sure to please your palate.

Durian cream puffs

Love it or hate it, durian will always be the undisputed King of Fruits. That’s why this exotic fruit dominates the yearly Kadayawan Festival in Davao. And there’s your durian ice cream, durian coffee, durian pastillas, durian candies, and practically anything you can attach “durian” to. Dabawenyos just can’t have enough of it!

Craving for some durian-flavored delights other than the fruit itself and the usual delicacies? Or maybe you’ve bought too many durians, and you want to create something else out of them? Why not make some durian pastries that you can snack on anytime?

Durian cream puffs are a unique twist on this tropical fruit. Check out this video on how to make your own durian cream puffs.

Durian pizza

If there’s a sin that health-conscious junkies wouldn’t dare to commit, eating pizza might top the list. But if you top it with durian, it would be delightfully sinful—or rather—sinfully delightful.

Make “healthy” and “pizza” a perfect pair by adding durian to it. To whip up a durian pizza in your condo for rent in Davao, mix durian flesh with cream cheese, custard, sugar, butter, salt, fresh milk, and whipping cream. When the mixture is smooth and thick, spread it evenly and sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese on a pizza crust. Bake the pizza for a few minutes until the crust turns golden brown. Voila! Your homemade durian pizza is ready for sharing with friends during a movie night in your condo.

Mangosteen cupcakes

A high-fiber, low-calorie fruit, mangosteen is typically used as an herbal remedy for infections, diarrhea, allergies, and other diseases. Besides that, there are other lesser-known uses of mangosteen that you must know as a Dabawenyo. When the fruit is included in a cupcake recipe, it will certainly produce yummy, guilt-free treats for health buffs.

To add a sweet-and-a-bit-sour flavor, mix half a cup of mangosteen juice into the batter and frosting. Then bake your cupcakes the traditional way. Before they’re fully baked, top each one with a scoop of mangosteen. Sprinkle your mangosteen cupcakes with colored sugar. Now, it’s Instagram-ready!

Pomelo cocktail

Pomelo, locally known as suha, is a huge hit among tourists in Davao City as a staple pasalubong. Have you ever tasted or heard of gin pomelo or gin pom? Traditionally, gin is mixed with powdered pomelo juice. How about mixing the real fruit with gin?

Be a bartender in your condo by concocting your own pomelo cocktail! If you’re feeling a bit experimental, juice up pomelo in a blender, pour it into a tall glass, and mix it with gin (or vodka, if you don’t like gin). You can also add orange juice, brandy, syrup or basil. Then throw in some ice cubes and small pomelo chunks. Garnish it with mint leaves. There you have it—a cool and refreshing drink that’s great for unwinding by the pool at Verdon Parc.

Buko-rambutan dessert

Here’s a unique twist on rambutan that’s as easy and quick to prepare as eating the fruit: a tasty dessert that combines this tender, fleshy fruit with buko, jelly, condensed milk, and all-purpose cream. The grape-like, sweet-and-sour flavor of this fruit complements the creaminess of buko, cream, and milk. It’s like your typical buko pandan or buko lychee but with a different taste. Rambutan is a great alternative to lychee because of its higher fiber content.

Lanzones salad

Lanzones tastes so good when eaten raw. What more if you put a fresh twist on this fruit? You can experiment in your condo kitchen at Verdon Parc—add lanzones to your fruit salad or enjoy it as a salad on its own.

Here’s a fuss-free way to make lanzones salad: in a bowl, soak peeled lanzones (with the seeds removed) in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, salt, and ground pepper. Your salad is ready to serve after an hour!

Marang jam

If you’re not a fan of durian, marang makes a good substitute. Because you’re living in a condo, its sweet odor that’s less powerful than durian’s will be one less thing to worry about. It’s healthy, too! Marang is packed with carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

The catch, though, is that the fruit’s flesh quickly darkens when it’s exposed to the air. So marang has to be eaten right after opening it. Or you can turn it into a dessert like marang jam. Cook the flesh of the fruit with sugar and lemon juice until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Pour the jam into a sterilized jar, cover it, and leave it to cool for 10 minutes. Store it in the fridge for use within several weeks.

You don’t have to break a sweat to enjoy your own fruit festival in your condo. With the easy access to malls and public markets selling Davao’s famed tropical fruits, condo living in one of DMCI properties like Verdon Parc is truly convenient and hassle-free.