Buddha's Hand or my Black Friday

This weekend I went with my grandma to The Fresh Market, a great little specialty food store that just opened up in Peoria.  It reminded me a bit of a cross between a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's--with a great fresh fish and meat counter!

Instead of spending hours in line at the Mall or department stores on Black Friday, my grandma and I took a leisurely stroll through the new store admiring the wares.  It was so enjoyable, pushing our little cart, drooling over the pastries and fresh fish, and pointing items we would like to try.  We admired the columns of olive oils, each unique with its own shape and design, and picked out our favorites of the group, the ones we would like to try.  We loaded our baskets with fresh garland for our Christmas decorations, whole bean coffee for J, Advent calendars for my cousins, and fresh sushi for our appetizers that evening. As one of 17 grandchildren, I don't often get that one-on-one time.  I felt very blessed and thankful to be there at The Fresh Market with my grandma.

One of the unusual items we came across was a Buddha's Hand.  I only knew the name of this citrus because J and I watch Chopped on Food Network every week and it has appeared in one of the mystery baskets.  We admired it for a while and then put it back.

Source

Now I am wishing I had purchased it anyway.  I am heading back to Peoria for my birthday in a few weeks and I might just have to pick one up!

Has anyone heard of a Buddha's Hand? What about a recipe that call for this ingredient, should I purchase a Buddha's Hand in the next few weeks?  Come across an unusual ingredient yourself lately?  Let's talk...