can anyone identify this plant?

[reese_in_va]

Would this be Nopal?

[M.A.R.]

Bingo!!! Reese there's you lunch!!!!

You don't have to peel it, just scrape it and cut into strips and sautee, as veggie side dish along with some grilled steak strips, pico de gallo and tortillas.

[reese_in_va]

Interesting....I have ton's of this plant here. If you look real closely at the picture, on right hand side you will see a flower beginning to grow.
Down in the valley, near PoP, there is this same plant growing, it is almost 10ft. tall and the trunk is huge, about 1 foot diameter. The base looks just like a tree trunk, with thin bark on it. Didn't know I could throw it in with a taco Good timing too because my habeneros are ripe!

[M.A.R.]

well look up the recipes on the net, it tells you that the nopal should be young and tender, i think I am going to cook up some nopales when i go down there in the summer.

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by M.A.R.

Bingo!!! Reese there's you lunch!!!!

You don't have to peel it, just scrape it and cut into strips and sautee, as veggie side dish along with some grilled steak strips, pico de gallo and tortillas.

Lots of Mexicans where I live!! (Which means lots of nopales around.)
I had nopales for the first time in salad. I don't care for it, but it is another vegetable and it is a shame that Dominicans have not learned to eat it. The use of nopales in Mexico goes back to precolombian times. Mexicans use the tender leaves, not the old ones. Tuna is the name of the nopal fruit, which I have eaten, as well. (It takes getting used to it.)

A bit of history: Tenochtitlan (today Mexico City) was the name the Aztecs gave to the capital of their great empire. The name means the place of the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. The Mexican flag has in its center an eagle perched on a cactus branch.

(Our supermarkets carry nopal leaves and fruits.)

Norma

[reese_in_va]

Great info Norma thank you. I understand Columbus brought them over to the Caribbean, at least this is what I was told. I can't wait to get the fruit from these prickly pears, my wife is going crazy over the fact that we have had these for years in Sosua, but no fruit. Now that we have the ranch in the campo , I have spent over a year and a half developing incredible soil, plants are/ have changed. Everything is so lush and plants are flowering, which never flowered before. My wife just loves fico d'india. I can see myself very busy in the next week propagating these plants for her
Thanks every one!

[Chirimoya]

Originally Posted by reese_in_va

Great info Norma thank you. I understand Columbus brought them over to the Caribbean, at least this is what I was told.

To the Caribbean, from the mainland American continent? Cactus is originally from the New World, isn't it?

[GringoCArlos]

Scrape off whatever spines are there on a young leaf. Using a sharp knife, cut 1 cm wide strips down the length of the leaf. Boil it for 10 to 15 minutes. You can eat them hot as is, or eat them later cold, with some vinegar sprinkled over them. The taste is similar to green beans. It is slso said to help with glucose control for diabetics.

You can also cube up the strips and add to your salads (after cooking). A nice change.

[reese_in_va]

Chirimoya you are absolutely correct. I confused the prickly pears with the crown of thorns, which Columbus did bring with him on his first return to Lisbon in 1493.
It's not hard for me to get confused, especially when I am posting on different threads about different topics, I need to be more focused. I wish not to provide false information or mislead anyone.....thank you for noticing and taking the time to challenge me on this information and posting it Keeps me on my toes.


GringoCarlos, thanks for the preparation tips on Nopal. This I will try and look forward to having it part of a meal. I never knew I could eat it, my wife is just estatic about the fruit, which is hopefully on it's way.

[reese_in_va]

Originally Posted by reese_in_va

John Evans, thank you for your many posts. As usual your correct.
I did a search for frangipani and everything I looked at had completely different leaves.
The pictures I looked at just now using "pudica" make the correct match. Thanks and yes, when you get here you can come over and take a look at what we have here.

This one may be difficult to see because of the grass/ weeds growing around it, can anyone identify it? It has brownish, leathery like leaves and tiny little red flowers.

Our neighbor calls it Brujita or little witch, but this is obviously a Dominican name for this flower. All searches have turned up nothing on the net.
Does this ring a bell with anybody?