During my time as a vegetarian and also as a vegan, I have heard rumors of this magical food called coconut bacon. Coconut. Yum. Bacon. Pleasurable moan. I’m sold! While at the grocery store E and I decided we would try a new “exotic” fruit each week. And pretty much anything but a tomato is an exotic fruit to us up here in the Frozen Tundra.

The first on our list was a pepino melon. It’s native to South America. A cross between a melon and a cucumber in taste. It wasn’t too bad to eat and super easy to prepare. Unbeknownst to us it has multiple health benefits including anti-cancer benefits.

Pepino melon is a powerhouse of antioxidants, thanks to the combinations of vitamin C, vitamin A and beta-carotene present in it. These antioxidants fight free radicals and prevent oxidization of the cell. Antioxidants are vital to fighting the spread of cancerous cells.

The study conducted by the Department of Biotechnology at Karunya University, India further proves its cancer effectiveness. In the study, it was found that Pepino fruit extract has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticancer properties.

Looks like this little melon will be on our plates more often.

Since there was a coconut waiting to be taken home right next to pepino, I thought hey let’s make coconut bacon. Using a whole coconut proved to be a challenge. I don’t know how those deserted Sims survived on coconuts for so long. It was interesting to make! The easiest part was getting at the water. A mallet and screwdriver made quick work of that and it was delicious!

Next up…opening the coconut!

That wasn’t too hard. The most difficult was getting the meat out of the shell. That was seriously the longest process and all of the tips proved ineffective. Still we got it done. Next was mixing the sauce and then stirring in the coconut. Then off to bake for an hour.

So yeah…it appears that my lack of baking skills includes coconut bacon. I haven’t given up yet though. Next time I think I will simply get organic coconut flakes vs a fresh coconut. The experience was great but the outcome was a flavorless chewy mess!

However, it was a cool experience and it led us to our friend Pepino Melon! He’s in my lunch pail today next to the berries.

Should you decide to try the coconut bacon there is a recipe link below!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sfchronicle.com/recipes/amp/Recipe-Coconut-Bacon-13164111.php