Star fruit, or carambola are one of the many tropical fruits grown in Hawaii. More often than not, excess harvests find their way to friends, family, and co-workers to share in the bounty.

Why dried?

Star fruit is often eaten fresh. While the fruit itself is juicy, the flavor is hard to describe, some describing it as a slightly sweet cucumber with an odd aftertaste. As the fruit becomes more ripe, the flavor intensifies. It’s not my favorite.

Instead of eating it fresh, I prefer to eat it dried and dehydrated. The flavor intensifies but since it is first treated to a brief soak in a gingered sugar syrup, the result is sweeter and more palatable to me. I prefer to dehydrate the fruit until it loses most of its liquid but remains chewy, like a gummy candy. But they are equally delicious if you dry them all the way to chip-like crispness.

How to use dried star fruit

My favorite way to eat dried star fruit is straight out of the jar like candy. It doesn’t last long in the house. But you can also:

• Add as the dried fruit component to a cheese or charcuterie platter
• Use as decoration for baked goods
• Mix into a trail or snack mix

And as an extra benefit, you get a jar of ginger sugar syrup with a light flavor of star fruit to use in cocktails and other drinks.

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