Prickly pears

The Latin name is Opuntia ficus-indica. G happened upon a few of these fruit in his travels, growing on a cactus at the side of a road somewhere and brought them home. I'd not tried them before, he'd had them ages ago in Morocco. The fruit is best described as tasting like a melon crossed with pomegranate and the texture of a firm persimmon, slightly gritty (seeds inside). I would imagine on a hot summer day, eating these chilled would be very good. The only downside is the prickles! Great care required in picking and peeling them. G says the Moroccans used a piece of bamboo split around the top to open it into a cone shape to pick them. We've saved some seed and will try to grow our own plants if we can germinate them successfully.