I used to have a reader who owned a nursery that specialized in cactus. I think that he used the handle "Arc" in comments.
If you are still following the blog, I would love to give your nursery a plug. My readers are most interested in Opuntia with the easiest pads to turn into nopales and the ones with the most flavorful fruit and are hardy to Zone 7.
The thing about cacti is that most people underestimate their tolerance for cold. They are locally common in Michigan if you look in the blow-sand regions where Lake Michigan left sand-dunes stranded inland. I have also seen very healthy cacti growing in crumbly red-rock in the hills above Wapiti, Wyoming a bit west of Cody, Wyoming. Wapiti recorded -39F in 1990.
Our family, myself, my aunt, and my m-i-l used to grow these cacti for a novelty ornamental ... in zones 6a & b ... they die back in winter and never get very tall, but they do spread and survive to bloom beautifully for a very short period. I never tried to eat the "tunas," but they look like they should be nutrition-packed.
ReplyDeleteI have seen them growing wild in South Dakota.
ReplyDeleteIn New Home 2.0, these were fairly common - also, prone to people taking a tuna that did not belong to them unless located behind a fence or in a backyard
ReplyDeleteI should also note that in certain regional grocery stores, they are a produce item.
DeleteWell, I'm checked off for today. I had to look up why nopales were called tunas.
ReplyDeleteThe fruit of that rather oddly cold tolerant cactus are tunas.
I'll step away from the puns running through my mind now.
Thank you for saving me the trouble of having to do the same!
DeleteCommon at family property just west of Hardy dam, transplanted and prospering,
ReplyDeleteA little East of Paris
These plants are all over the Mideast, and guess what; they came from North America! I have several nopales (cactus) plants in the corral here at Rancho Whybother. They'll get quite large out here in the West. Mine are around eight feet tall! Cactus pears or "tunas" actually taste pretty good; like kiwi fruit with big seeds. They're nutrient-packed, too. If you get ahold of some, hold them with tongs over a gas stove flame to burn off the quills. Throw them in the fridge until cold. Cut off the outer skin and enjoy. I usually eat them in slices. The Mexicans tout tunas as being effective against high blood pressure and diabetes.
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