Not too far from me, prickly pear cactus grow wild, at 52 degrees North latitude – the species is Opuntia polyacantha, and they grow wild in zone 3. There is an even hardier species (Opuntia fragilis?) that grows several hundred miles further north, in the Peace River region. Supposedly the fruits of both are edible and tasty, though I’ve never tried them myself. Here are some wild O. polyacantha, photographed by me a week or so ago.
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I grow them in the garden. In our wet climate, I plant them in a raised pile of gravel. It works. They are especially good for people with diabetes. I like to chop them up. In Mexico they eat them often like we eat green beans. They can be a bit slimy, so I steam them rather than boil them for a long time.
John S
PDX OR
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Did the thornless ones still have the prickly hairs? What about the fruits themselves?
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From my experience, many of the thornless ones have the little prickly hairs. I only got one fruit or two I think. I use one of those plastic green brillo pads on them and it works great. Just keep it separate from your other ones or you will anger your spouse!
John S
PDX OR
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I’ve grown ones that had no thorns. They had spots that looked like they would have thorns. No prickly hairs. Fruit is second rate because it’s small and the seeds are hard. You can juice the fruits in the same way as grapes.
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I fry mine though they are still slimed like okra. Wonder if slime is the good part.
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I can use the slime to make milk-less chocolate with milk chocolate texture. I learned that in Mexico.
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Please elaborate!
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I wish I could I only sampled some at the factory. Obviously no milk flavor. The texture was great.
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Some doctors describe the slime from okra, mallows, cactus, etc., as part of what makes detox work within our bodies. I like to chop them into green bean sized pieces. In my experience, most Mexicans here and there eat them this way too.
John S
PDX OR
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So has anyone found a good-tasting one that is hardy to -30F.? I have a sandy area they could go in. Also, is there a danger of them becoming invasive?
An update on some 3rd pad hardy cactus
All of these came as unrooted pads from coldhardycactus.com. I had a few others, but they died along the way. One of these set a fruit last year that never fully ripened. I’m hoping to get some fruit this year since they all seem to be pretty well established now and are sending up a lot of growth. Here’s how they look:
Little to no die-back on Plum.
Prickly Pear didn’t have any issues.
White Sands is the only non- Opuntia. It’s a Echinocereus triglochidiatus v. gonacanthus (I think) and it seemed to do fine as well but it’s form is a little different than the others, so hard to say.
Mesa Sky fell apart and didn’t really like the moisture of snow cover.
Oklahoma Pancake did great but seemed to have issues with moisture from snow cover on a few pads.
Paradox Form survived just fine, but seems to have a spreading growth habit that I’ll have to contain.
Wood’s survived, but also sort of fell apart a bit and didn’t seem to happy with all the moisture.
Brilliant Orange had no problems.
I’m a fan of prickly pear cactus fruit, so It’s nice to know that some of these will survive here. Hopefully I’ll be able to report on taste by the end of the year.
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There’s a native east coast prickly pear (O. humifusa) that I’ve been growing at my inlaws’ in central MA for about a decade. I’ve just moved some to Nashua NH this year and don’t anticipate any problems. It handles wet winters better than just about any cactus (they grow wild on Long Island and I think the Cape as well). The fruit have great flavor. The problem is there is way more seed than pulp, so it’s more of a novelty for me. I’ve experimented with soaking the seeds/pulp in water to extract the flavor. The result was kind of like aloe vera drink–very thick and silky. As far as cooking the pads, the best way to go is to use young pads that haven’t hardened off yet, zip all the spines/eyes off with a peeler or knife, and then grill them whole. You get better flavor development and the sliminess is mitigated. Slice them up and serve them in tacos. You won’t regret it.
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I agree with the young pads, JCGuarneri. They prevent diabetes. A common vegetable in Mexico. They’re like green beans are here.
Due to our wet winter and spring weather, I grow them in gravel, and the roots can reach down to get moisture when they need it. They need full sun and outstanding drainage.
If you cut one to grow another plant, let it dry out for at least a week, so it doesn’t rot. They can take months without water if it’s a full pad in shade.
JohN S
PDX OR
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Some of my cold-hardy collection as it starts to wake up. I just transplanted these to this bed last year from cuttings and container plants, so they’re definitely on the small side.
Agave neomexicana started from seed 10 years ago from mesagarden.com. I have one that’s much larger and nicer, but I like to bring that one in over the winter just in case…
Opuntia humifusa from cuttings from Suffolk County, NY, with O macrorhiza from Riley County, KS, in the background.
Cylindropuntia imbricata (I think) from cuttings from New Mexico. This one is skinnier than it should be because I had it in a pot with not enough light for too long. I’m hoping it will size back up after a few years.
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Looking good, @jcguarneri. I ended up digging up all mine and putting them in pots so I could control water better. I’d originally made them an area of mostly sand and small rocks, but it wasn’t working. So we’ll see how this new approach goes. They all survived the winter outside just fine. And that’s great, but I’m really just interested in fruit production.
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Containers are definitely easier. I ended up putting a raised bed together because I like the ornamental qualities and I can give them room to expand.
I’m not sure if any of the zone 5/6 hardy Opuntias produce fruit that you can eat like the store bought ones. Definitely edible, but you’re more sucking pulp off the seeds than anything else. That being said, I think the flavor is superior, and I haven’t tried that many so I could easily be wrong. I’ve got a seedling from a store-bought prickly pear fruit that has also been under lit for too many years. I’ve rooted a cutting in a bigger pot and brought it outside for the summer. I’m hoping I’ll get some fruit production out of it. I also want to try hybridizing it with a cold hardy Opuntia, but the ploidy might be all wrong.
I also want to try Echinocereus engelmanni and E fendleri. They’re supposed to have good fruit and are cold hardy. I had an Escobaria vivipara until I killed it by transplanting just a bit too early last year, and that’s also supposed to have edible berries. I need to put another Mesa Garden order together.
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I’m still toying with the idea of some cactuses on our sandy, dry ridge where nothing much else grows well, but don’t want them to become invasive. What variety would you recommend for a beginner near the southern edge of zone 3 who just wants them for eating, not for looks? We’ve never eaten them before, either, so something easy to prepare. Thanks.
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All cactus are succulents but not all succulents are cactus. All cactus with few exceptions are native to the Americas. So any cactus hardy to your climent will likely not be invasive in the US.
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