Prickly pears

[Spitfire58]

Has anyone tried eating the prickly pears ? If they are edible ??

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Yes, I love them. The locals pick them using a pair of wooden long handled tongs, shake them around in a colander to get rid of the fine prickly hairs and then peel them and eat them fresh. They also make a jam with them and a liqueur. I let them do the picking and preparing and accept any gifts!

They were so valuable to the Majoreros that the plants used to be listed on property deeds, or so I've been told.

The old dead stems decay and make very interesting features in a garden or as part of an art work. I'll take a pic tomorrow to illustrate one I collected today to attach an air plant to.

[Spitfire58]

Wow. Thanks for the answer T el P. They have certainly fallen out of favour if they used to be that valuable, see them all over now just left on the bush 

[Archer]

The prickly pear jam mentioned by Tamara, is very nice with fried goat cheese. I think it's called Mermalada de Tunos.
Great Tapas/starter dish.

[Sam]

Has anyone tried eating the prickly pears ? If they are edible ??

You can sometimes buy them at the Sunday market in Corralejo (El Campanario Shopping Centre). They will peel them into a box for you, cost a couple of euro. Notice how carefully they handle the pears. We quite liked the taste and have managed to buy them in a supermarket, just can't remember which one.

[Sam]

They were so valuable to the Majoreros that the plants used to be listed on property deeds, or so I've been told.

The old dead stems decay and make very interesting features in a garden or as part of an art work. I'll take a pic tomorrow to illustrate one I collected today to attach an air plant to.

Listed on property deeds? That's interesting. Wasn't that just to mark the border of the property? Sort of like using the trees in the UK in the past?

[Captain Sensible]

The man who delivers our bottled water collected some from our garden last week so he can eat/use them.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

An example of the stem when it has decayed - it develops a lovely lacy effect:

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

They were so valuable to the Majoreros that the plants used to be listed on property deeds, or so I've been told.

The old dead stems decay and make very interesting features in a garden or as part of an art work. I'll take a pic tomorrow to illustrate one I collected today to attach an air plant to.

Listed on property deeds? That's interesting. Wasn't that just to mark the border of the property? Sort of like using the trees in the UK in the past?

I was told it was because they were so valuable as a source of food and liquid especially during the really bad drought years. The Paws or Pads (the green fleshy pads that form the bulk of the plant) can also be peeled and eaten. And of course they were the plant on which the cochineal fed/bred, giving a valuable industry to the island for many years.
They are really easy to grow, they don't need planting/watering. A Paw that is left lying on the ground will form roots and start a new plant in the harshest of environments whilst the seeds are distributed by birds and ground squirrels. In a lot of countries they are considered an invasive species.

[windermeregolfer]

With posts like the ones on this thread the forum will become a great source of education about the island, very many thanks for the posts so far