Author Topic: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya  (Read 64806 times)

ricshaw

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #75 on: September 25, 2014, 12:30:14 AM »
This will sound surprising considering I'm living all the way on the East Coast, but I do prefer the greens over the reds too. The riper ones will have more of a sugary taste (with flavor akin to sugarcane, IMO), the unripe ones do have a tendency to taste like watery cucumbers. Unfortunately the seeds are still hard, making them more for blending up than eating fresh.. Can't afford to crack a filling or two :-X And the reds aren't as flavorful or as sugary, in my opinion. I'd love to try great selections of opuntia or cereus, but that isn't found easily here in New York (if at all!)


Thanks for the input.  I will wait before trying another one.

nullzero

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #76 on: September 25, 2014, 12:49:36 AM »
Ricshaw,

That green prickly pear does not look very appealing. I have eaten a lot of prickly pears the last 5-6 years, I would say most of the store bought ones were large with a watered out flavor and hard seeds. Prickly Pears, at least the ones sold in the markets here, seem to be selected for size, durability, and then color. The red and orange flesh prickly pears are most likely healthier due to the compounds which give the prickly pears color.

You really wish I could share some pads atm, I have no pads available right now. But in the next several months to a year more pads will be available.

They appeal to some people.  When I bought mine, a lady was buying about a dozen or more. The green ones are popular with some people.  Not sure why.

I think the green ones have a cultural/society appeal in Mexico (its what people are use to). Reyna and Cristalina prickly pear are both the top 2 major prickly pears sold commercially in Mexico (both are green exterior and white flesh). "The cultivars reported in Table 1 are the most well known and marketed. Six of them 'Reyna', 'Cristalina', 'Naranjona', 'Chapeada', 'Amarilla Montesa', and 'Roja Pelona' share about 90% of production."

Btw, typo I meant to say "I" in the following "You really wish I could share some pads atm"
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-446.html#Table
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ricshaw

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #77 on: September 25, 2014, 01:12:26 AM »
I have yet to see the 'green ones' growing anywhere in my travels around SoCal.

From the sea

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #78 on: September 27, 2014, 07:30:08 AM »
i have a few Opuntia stricta prickly pairs growing from wild plants down here, the fruit are small dark red and have a raspberry like sourness that i love. The place i get them from use to be loaded with the cacti but Hurricane Wilma almost wiped the stand so i decided to collect some pads.
there are a few types of wild cactus down here that i would like to taste but i have never seen flower like, Acanthocereus tetragonus.

ricshaw

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #79 on: November 14, 2014, 06:10:21 PM »
Some people call them "Indian Fig". They are not a fig, and they are not from India.

For those who are on Facebook, check out Confraria do Figo da Índia.
https://www.facebook.com/ConfrariaDoFigoDaIndia/photos_stream?tab=photos_stream
https://www.facebook.com/search/358074540947166/photos

or the web site: http://www.cgfi-confraria.pt/

Luisport

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #80 on: November 14, 2014, 06:14:23 PM »
Some people call them "Indian Fig". They are not a fig, and they are not from India.

For those who are on Facebook, check out Confraria do Figo da Índia.
https://www.facebook.com/ConfrariaDoFigoDaIndia/photos_stream?tab=photos_stream
https://www.facebook.com/search/358074540947166/photos

or the web site: http://www.cgfi-confraria.pt/
Yes we call it figo da india here!  ;D

ClayMango

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #81 on: November 14, 2014, 06:22:31 PM »
I have yet to see the 'green ones' growing anywhere in my travels around SoCal.

can confirm...All you see is the reddish looking ones everywhere...all over...tuna growing crazy everywhere in Socal....I've even seen Tuna Borders as fences for many properties.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2014, 12:58:41 AM by ClayMango »
Thinking about joining a Fruitaholics anonymous support group...Fruit addiction has taken over my life!

emegar

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #82 on: November 14, 2014, 11:16:24 PM »
By far, the best cactus fruit was from a Mammillaria sp.-- tasted exactly like intense strawberry.... beter than field ripe field picked strawberries

Opuntia ficus-indica.. at least one I have.. i prefer to any Hylocereus. I fruit C. jamacuru grown from seed and its on a par with Hylocereus.

Recher, you don't happen to know which Mammillaria species you liked, do you?  Does anyone know which species of this genus are reputed to have the best fruit?
James

nullzero

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #83 on: December 04, 2014, 11:36:58 PM »
Found this large tasty Cereus sp. fruit around the corner, growing on the corner next to the sidewalk of a commercial area. I will update with some photos of the mother plant by this weekend. Fruit is very large especially for Cereus sp... it rivals a lot of good dragon fruit selections in size. Taste, is very sweet sugary pear taste with lower acid, flesh texture is very unique and interesting. I had two others taste the fruit, they all seemed to like it a good amount. The texture is like a fluffy pear with a unique crunch and a some lower moisture content.

Production was lighter, but I saw about +20 large fruits on the plant this year. Considering there is not much pollinators around the area, and the area is part sun. I have some seeds drying now btw.






« Last Edit: December 04, 2014, 11:40:02 PM by nullzero »
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From the sea

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #84 on: December 05, 2014, 07:34:14 AM »
When I was working in key west earlier this year I found a Cereus that had fruit almost the same size, the cactus was 25'x30' took up the whole lot it was in. I took a cutting from it the fruit was Fuzzy on the inside, like a ball of twine with seeds, I liked it. It got rid of my headache too.

gunnar429

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #85 on: December 05, 2014, 09:38:49 AM »
When I was working in key west earlier this year I found a Cereus that had fruit almost the same size, the cactus was 25'x30' took up the whole lot it was in. I took a cutting from it the fruit was Fuzzy on the inside, like a ball of twine with seeds, I liked it. It got rid of my headache too.

do you mean fuzzy on the outside?
~Jeff

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ricshaw

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #86 on: December 05, 2014, 11:54:43 AM »
do you mean fuzzy on the outside?

Sometimes the fruit is fuzzy like cotton on the inside.

nullzero

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #87 on: December 05, 2014, 12:38:20 PM »
Some of the Cereus sp. have really interesting texture. I wonder who is growing Cereus sp. X Dragon Fruit crosses out.
« Last Edit: December 05, 2014, 12:40:12 PM by nullzero »
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Luisport

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #88 on: December 05, 2014, 01:23:53 PM »
BRASILOPUNTIA BRASILIENSIS:  Fruits from February to April. Plant beautiful ornamental aspect, Fruits with prickly shell, to eat good cut in the middle, holding on with folded paper towel and remove the pulp with a spoon, very delicious pulp. http://www.colecionandofrutas.org/brasiliopuntia.htm

dxgn

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #89 on: December 06, 2014, 02:39:45 AM »
Hi all, anyone got any species of optunia pads to sell? Wouldn't mind any type as long they produce fruits,

Cheers,
Jet

ricshaw

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #90 on: December 07, 2014, 12:48:23 PM »
Just in time for the Holidays!

Opuntia Prickly Pear Spirit
http://venturaspirits.com

Opuntia is a prickly pear spirit, made from the fruit of the Nopal cactus. Its flavor is as singular as tequila’s, an invigorating balance of fresh fruit and desert earth that is all its own. 
Over a ton of sun-ripened California fruit is fermented into wine and then distilled in each batch. This is a new spirit tradition that belongs to California.


From the sea

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #91 on: December 07, 2014, 07:59:57 PM »
When I was working in key west earlier this year I found a Cereus that had fruit almost the same size, the cactus was 25'x30' took up the whole lot it was in. I took a cutting from it the fruit was Fuzzy on the inside, like a ball of twine with seeds, I liked it. It got rid of my headache too.

do you mean fuzzy on the outside?

nope on the inside, like a ball of wool yarn that's kind of juicy and sweet

starling1

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #92 on: December 08, 2014, 07:41:55 AM »
Found this large tasty Cereus sp. fruit around the corner, growing on the corner next to the sidewalk of a commercial area. I will update with some photos of the mother plant by this weekend. Fruit is very large especially for Cereus sp... it rivals a lot of good dragon fruit selections in size. Taste, is very sweet sugary pear taste with lower acid, flesh texture is very unique and interesting. I had two others taste the fruit, they all seemed to like it a good amount. The texture is like a fluffy pear with a unique crunch and a some lower moisture content.

Production was lighter, but I saw about +20 large fruits on the plant this year. Considering there is not much pollinators around the area, and the area is part sun. I have some seeds drying now btw.







looks like a standard apple cactus to me. A lot of people in Brisbane have problems getting them to set fruit, I guarantee there is some kind of species specific moth involved in pollination that we don't have here.

ricshaw

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #93 on: December 08, 2014, 01:21:57 PM »
More Just in Time for the Holidays...

PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA

http://youtu.be/ulC9D3R2Ias

No Comment!!

« Last Edit: December 08, 2014, 01:26:21 PM by ricshaw »

ricshaw

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #94 on: February 13, 2015, 01:04:35 PM »
Today at Edgar Valdivia's Dragon Fruit tasting and garden tour, he had me taste the little dried fruit hanging on a columnar cactus he calls "cactus raisin".

The dried fruit taste just like a "raisin"!

I lucked out...  he gave me a cutting.  My guess it is Myrtillocactus.  Edgar said he got it from a collector in Santa Barbara.

Today my little geometrizans(?) cutting flowered.


ricshaw

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #95 on: February 13, 2015, 01:14:16 PM »
Just in time for the Holidays!

Opuntia Prickly Pear Spirit
http://venturaspirits.com

Opuntia is a prickly pear spirit, made from the fruit of the Nopal cactus. Its flavor is as singular as tequila’s, an invigorating balance of fresh fruit and desert earth that is all its own. 
Over a ton of sun-ripened California fruit is fermented into wine and then distilled in each batch. This is a new spirit tradition that belongs to California.

UPDATE:

I was given a bottle of Opuntia Prickly Pear Spirit as a gift.
I can't believe how bad it tastes.  It is undrinkable.
I have contacted Ventura Spirits, but have not heard back from them.

nullzero

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #96 on: February 13, 2015, 01:15:08 PM »
Ricshaw,

Nice flower, all my plants think its spring now with the heating trend the last month. That sucks to hear the Prickly Pear spirit is crap. Perhaps you have to make your own prickly pear wine to really show off how good the fruit is.
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funlul

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #97 on: February 22, 2015, 05:38:15 PM »
I have a Peruvian apple cactus that tastes great and is quite a grand sight when flowering.

Welcome to pick up cuttings if local. Please PM
« Last Edit: February 22, 2015, 06:13:26 PM by funlul »
Looking for scionwoods: loquat, cherimoya, jujube, chocolate perssimon

nullzero

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #98 on: February 22, 2015, 05:39:09 PM »
I have a Peruvian apple cactus that tastes great and is quite a grand sight when flowering.

Welcome to pick up cuttings if local.

Funlul,

I would be interested in cuttings, I am in LA coastal area. Welcome to the forums.
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funlul

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Re: Cactus fruits that taste good (sweet), other than Dragon Fruit/Pitaya
« Reply #99 on: February 22, 2015, 06:15:04 PM »
I would be interested in cuttings, I am in LA coastal area. Welcome to the forums.

Strangely I could not send PM nor email, connection reset. Two different browsers. Will try later, or PM me your contact info.
Posted in the trade forum here
« Last Edit: February 22, 2015, 06:43:18 PM by funlul »
Looking for scionwoods: loquat, cherimoya, jujube, chocolate perssimon