My MIL also loves them and brings loads back home with her.I dont mind them but they not one of my favourite fruit.
Sorry i cant help you myself with any advice about growing them but i did find these.

http://www.rain.org/greennet/docs/exoticveggies/html/pricklypear.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2086089_grow-prickly-pear-cactus.html

http://www.wwmag.net/pricklycactus.htm

Hi Sliema2,

I can remember during August 1983 when we were renting an appartment in Kappara. Every evening a van would pull up outside and a guy would sell prickly pear fruits. He guy used to remove the ouside prickly skin (under a bowl of water) and fill your own basin of the delicious flesshy insides of the fruit. This meant that you didn't have the risk of the minute and very irritating cactus spikes going into your hands!

Apparantly but don't quote me, Christopher Columbus brought the prickly pear cactus (an Opuntia cactus), from the Americas to the West. What you really must know is that if you eat too many they can cause severe constipation so be warned!

As regards growing this cactus I've never tried but knowing that the seeds are very hard, I suggest that you either soak them well or chip the hard outer coating before you sow them. You'll obviously need to grow them on in very free draining sandy/gritty compost located in somewhere warm and reasonably dry. As you know they grow to huge size so unless you've got the room I doubt if you'll ever get fruits to form! Also the prickly pear cactus might require light intensities and day lengths that make growing it here difficult.

Hope this helps,

Trev

Hi Trev, good to hear from you as always mate, ta for the info I have only been eating about two a day and had no nasty side effects yet, I doubt that I will be successfull with growing them due to our Northern Climate however I will give it a go and let you all know how we get on, also ta to jojouk for her reply.

Regards
Sliema2

Hi Sliema2,

Well I never thought I'd see prickly pear fruits for sale here but during this weekend while visiting my folks in Wales I was gobsmacked to see the fruits on sale at a greengrocers in Porthmadog!! It's a bit of a specialist gourmet place - but I was tempted to ask if they were locally grown?

Trev

Hi

I lived in Malta years ago and I remember we used to eat the prickly pears too, I remember them being very soft and juicy. I have seen them in Somerfields for sale occasionally here.

We lived down near a small farm with a big field and I remember as a child picking some yellow flowers and sucking the stems. That too was nice but I don't know what they were?

Maybe I can find out as we are due to go back to Malta in around 7 weeks time.

tipsyletti,

Now you've got me curious!

These flowers you picked, can you remember their shape eg trumpet, composite (like a dandelion), buttercup shaped and roughly how big were they? Also very important, did you suck the base of the flower or was it actually the flower stem?

Trev

Hi Trev

Cannot remember the shape of the flowers but I remember they were at least 9in - 12ins tall. We used to suck the bottom of the stem, not the flower itself. We did it all the time! We lived at the bottom of Sliema in flats that are still there but the farm land behind had gone when I went back in 1995. I remember the farmer had a couple of daughters as my mother used to give him our cast off clothes in return for fruit/veg etc.
His field was full of these flowers that we used to pick. Do you know what they were? Is that why my brother, sister and I are all so scatty now? lol

tipsyletti,

If the fields were full of these flowers I'm beginning to think they were possibly yellow oxalis, since they have a total height of about 9/12 ins. We were in Malta recently and as I mentioned to my mate Sliema2 these wild flowers as he obviously knows, literally grow everywhere.

I shall make enquiries next time we're in magic Malta. I assume the stems had a sweet taste but usually it's the base of the flower that has a sweet taste not the stem, because that's where the nectar collects. If you pull the florets off some red clover here in the UK and rub the base of them on your tongue you can taste the sweet nectar that the bees collect to make clover honey! I used to keep bees when I was a teacher, some years ago hence my obvious interest + I'm interested in wild flowers/plants anyway.

If you think of anything else perhaps you would let me know?

We remember Malta at the start of the 80's. Things have certainly changed there over the years,

Trev

Thanks Trev

These flower stems definatley tasted ok, as kids we thought so anyway.
I am back to Malta in 7 weeks time for a memory trip. I lived there in the early 60's and although I went back in 1995, I am taking mother this time who hasn't been back since we came home in late 1963. She will definately see a difference!

http://www.maltawildplants.com/Col_ylw.html#YLW

pictures of the yellow flowers in Gozo and Malta

can you spot it here ?

HI mark,

I've looked at the flowers on that link and from what I know there's only a couple of them I'd put in my mouth. In fact I reckon the euphorbia would soon see you off!

That does however narrow down the field to possibly one of the brassicas (ie cabbage family turnip, mustard etc) or as suggested oxalis. I'm still curious as to which one it is cause I want try it myself next time I'm in Malta.

tipsyletti, - it really must have been magical to have lived in Malta during the 60s. I was in my teens for most of the 60s and travel was not so easy then. What precious thoughts I would have had, had I been lucky enough to have lived there then!

Trev

Hi Trev

Yes it was certainly magic! I have very good memories although I was only young. I attended my first school there, Vardala which was a british naval school. The building is now either a hospital or a boys school, not sure which but stands way behind Mdina.

There is a bar on Silema front called Tonys Bar, in fact there are 2, one belonged to Tony and the other his brother. In Tonys there is a collage of pictures, or at least was there in 1995 when I last went, in that collage was my dads picture, one of many naval ratings that used to use the bar.

I am taking my 72 year old mother back in 7 weeks time for a real memory trip. Dad won't go as he says he doesn't think he can handle the airport, shame cos I reckon he'd love it!

I have emailed the link to the flowers to my sister who was a couple of years older than me and may remember a bit better. Will let you know what she thinks.

tipsyletti,

Thanks for your concern regarding the flowers.

I know Tony's bar very well. When we're there they even know what we drink before we order these days! If you've been following some of the postings you might know that Mr & Mrs Sliema2 met up with us at Tony's bar, during our recent visit. It really was a special meeting because as Maltaphiles we'd both been posting on this forum in 'cyber space', for the last few years but had never met!

You've intrigued me even more because you mentioned a collage in Tony's bar which I must confess I can't remember seeing, unless you are referring to the poster which has been there ever since we've known Tony's bar? I posted a copy of this poster on the forum some time ago, please click on this link and pan down to my 2nd posting,

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=26891&p=492397&hilit=poster+tony%27s+bar#p492397

Is your father one of the sailors on this poster? If not and the collage is still there would you try to take a picture and post it on this forum when you return?

Tell your dad he ought to get over to Malta. It's only a short flight and he might just enjoy the airports - we always do 'cause our holiday starts as soon as we've handed over our luggage, if you know what I mean! He doesn't know what he's missing!!

Trev

Thanks Trev,
Have looked at the poster but it is not what I am talking about. This was down by the bar on the wall and a collection of actual photos.
I too spent many a time down at Tonys bar as a child, I remember there were tall back wooden seats, maybe they felt bigger as I was only small. We used to sit with a bottle of coke and get spoilt by all dads mates.
When I get to Malta in April, I will go and see if the photos are still there and if so, take a pic for you.

When I was living in Malta back in the early 60's, we spent alot of time at Manoel Island, it had all different size swimming pools from a covered paddling pool to a large adult size one. I remember as I was in-between and used a small rock one that was full of fish too. My dad was an eager swimmer and used to jump off the driving board into the sea with us on his back, (rubber ring in place)!

It is a shame that Manoel Island has changed so much now, I did not get any further than the glass blowers when I visited in 1995 but was told that the pools had gone?

tipsyletti,

Thanks for your reply. Hope you can get this photo but failing that if it still exists we'll take a look at it next ime we're there.

Manoel Island certainly has changed over the years. A few years ago someone told me that Portugal had bought the Island. I heard nothing more and thought that it was probably a stupid rumour!

Trev