That’s too bad. I have one that I grew from a seed of store-bought fruit. It’s never flowered or fruited yet, but it hasn’t really had a large enough pot or enough sunlight until this year. I’ve remedied those issues, and I hope to try hybridizing it with my native cactus. Opuntias hybridize fairly readily, so it’s not out of the question.
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I have had the fruit ripen some years, but not all. Let’s face it. Portland is not Arizona. And I am glad about that.
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Did you guys know you have a Native Agave Eastern Agave Manfreda virginica Up North (see Link) (and by New Hampsire area E. coast)
Jcguarneri I agree with whaT YOU say (going to try our native prairie ones as well soon)
Put these into tocos you will not regret (I agree)
Kind of a sourish Flavor Nutty flavor (I after I cut up I sauttee to carmalize)
I prepare mine different though I burn mine on the stove first, then scrap the spines off
I never really did learn the correct way that’s just the way I came up with.
(people use a blow torch as well to burn the spines off)
I also Made a dish I have made before after adding these pads transformed the whole flavor
I forget, but maybe a burieto Maybe chili maybe a bunch of taco’s maybe soup
(I only added to get rid of a large amount I didn’t make the initial recipe)
Clark Inks The slimy food term is Mucilage it’s good for you – you can also eat those Hens, and chicks
Like brought up by JC it is like what is in the mallow family (hibiscus holly hocks marsh mallow)
On a different note Chia seeds expand in your stomach make you feel full
So something that may retain water should be good for you as well like the mucilage like chia
the native people of mexico ( tarahumara tribe ) can barely drink any water , and run around all day (literaly run all day) the chia seed releases the water slowly into their bodies .
(little more complicated corn gurl beans etc)
( the tarahumara tribe they have running contests kicking a wooden ball around
The Tarahumara Ultrarunners | Ultrarunning History – (or Born to run)
These cactus can be applied to rattle snake bite
(if your in the desert may as well until you get to the doctor if you choose)
Since the prickly pear is trying to source water it is something that is drawing agent (medicinal )
draws out the poison
I am no expert on it (you’d need other medicine cone flower extract (echinatia )
I do believe as I have put some on a cut seems to help with the itchyness (yes I use plantain weed too)
The store bought fruit is Okay (I like the green better then the red green it’s sweeter)
In Memphis by a Mexican resturant they had the best tasting outside In a planter
I expect it may have been brought by purpose from the people that traveled there
(they are gooey not like the stores that are firm , for shipping but they are so good)
GRIN has high brix selections (I have the links too, but never used GRIN YET.)
Eastern Agave
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/east_agave.html
Brittle prickly pear
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/prickly_pearx.htm%20
eastern Prickly pear
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/br_prpear.html
I am surprised someone mentioned they didn’t in shipping must of been dried by the heat
I had some pads dried like hard as a rock and tiny shrivled up , and brown they grew again.
I too want to breed some I even have some pads I got from Florida but just because.
(smooth pads though)
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This is copied from another forum (tropical fruit forum)
So not my research
Some of these GRIN sites seems to be expired
I hope most the numbers are still the same so people can order
I checked PARL 244, and it worked for me
I hope someone better at using grin could explain better as I used to know how to use it better
but never used it myself yet
(and forgot how to search it , and order like I wrote years ago saved to myself in emails)
Are these new links Useable ?
be good to know so I can know if I am doing something wrong.
For breeding , and fruiting faster fruit
Graft to Drooping Prickly Pear
Opuntia monacantha
(I quote)
Give me some time (perhaps 3-6 months) I am going to start grafting these once I get new pads out to Opuntia monacantha rootstocks (This is one of the fastest growing and prolific fruiting, Opuntias I have seen in SoCal). Also going to try grafting a section of Stenocereus gummosus to Opuntia monacantha.
Blockquote
https://www.ars-grin.gov/
Opuntia species (not variety)
https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomylist?category=species&type=genus&value=Opuntia&id=8512
The PARL Opuntia selections I have from the NALPGRU;
1 --NOT LISTED PARL 237 http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1652656 ?
LISTED 2 PARL 244
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. GRIN-Global
BRIX 13.00, S. DEV. 0.52
3 not listed PARL 246 http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1652664 BRIX 10.43, S. DEV. 2.82
4 PARL 253
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. GRIN-Global
BRIX 15.03, S. DEV. 0.85
5 PARL 254
Works , but unavailable PARL 254 GRIN-Global
BRIX 14.60, S. DEV. 1.15
6 not available or working PARL 256 http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1652674 BRIX 14.73, S. DEV. 1.37
7 works PARL 262 PARL 262 GRIN-Global BRIX 11.30, S. DEV. 0.82
8 works not available PARL 342 PARL 342 GRIN-Global
PARL 342 http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1652725
I hope this helps
I figure I’d search all these because I may want to look myself,
and not have everyone have to re search these themselves , and take the time
I hope it is used, I may have that prickly pear from Memphis to offer ,
but it’d have to be after persimmon season.
Will try to get a report on what I think of the native species In IL.
Oh and Opuntia joconostle is suppose to have a berry flavor
I do like those sour ones xoconostle as well from the mexican store made some Vinegar by accident with some after sweetened juice sat out.
(copy/paste called sour ’ taste. The word xoconostle (pronounced: choko-nose-leh)
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I forgot to bring up
Opuntia macrorhiza How is that doing
Ever tried the pads or fruit or has anyone else?
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It’s growing well for me. It hasn’t fruited for me yet, and the pads are small and less numerous, so I haven’t harvested any.
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In my experience people with inflamation and joint pain benefit from eating the pads and fruits.
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I contacted the Cold hardy cactus contact people to find out which they recommend for juice and flavor and this is the list.
Hello, the only ones with good “juicy” fruit are the phaeacanthas like OP034 which is ‘Paradox form’, ‘Plum’, gilvescens, ‘Mesa Sky’, woodsii, ‘Brilliant Orange’, ‘Nectarine Beauty’ (not listed on website), and if you are in zone 6: engelmannii (not listed on site but available.)
Kelly
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Those are some of the one’s I have, and none of them have produced fruit larger than a grape. If you’re thinking of ordering some, it might be worth sending him a follow-up to see if he offers any that produce larger fruit.
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I emailed them not long ago. I’ll see what they have to say. Other than the fruit how have they been as for as aesthetics? I have a flower garden in my yard that I struggle with the moisture and wildlife. This might be a unique solution. Of course they’re sold out on most of the hardy ones.
@lordkiwi did you ever order any?
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How long do the fruits keep on the cactus?
I was driving through Corvallis yesterday, and saw a big one covered in large fruit, on a property on a main roadway.
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I had plans to make a low maintence rock garden at my parents place in DC. But all of those plans got canceled last year.
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The pads sort of droop and melt each winter. Then some come back and grow nicely each spring, putting on more and more growth each year. I used to have mine in ground in a sandy patch of soil, but weeding + cactus thorns = no fun. So, I moved them back into pots. If you had a specific area for them to grow without weeds, though, I think they’d look very nice. Especially when they’re flowering. Their flowers are like sculpted wax.
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Using a thick mulch of gravel (at least 2") or even just wedging them between rocks goes a long way to keeping the weeds out.
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Being in South Texas, I never really considered how cold hardy prickly pear would be. We have a lot of it. I had a stand of a good nearly spineless variety that also makes tasty fruit. Our recent freeze event literally melted it. We were probably at about 11° F for several hours and below freezing for most of 5 days. Many of the native ones weren’t even affected. I was happy to see the improved stand coming back up from it’s roots. D
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Here’s some of my collection. I would add the anyone looking to grow Mesa Sky for fruit, I don’t think it ripens fast enough. Plus it is INCREDIBLY spiny.
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Is that Barr’s Dwarf?
There are a couple of species of prickly pear that are native to Wisconsin. Here’s one:
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Too bad that one doesn’t sound like one you’d grow for the fruit:
Fruit characteristics: Fleshy and greenish to reddish when young, dry and tan at maturity, inedible, 1.2 to 1.5 cm
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