My Peruvian Apple Cactus with fruit
One of the really fun parts of living in Southern California is the strange tropical fruits you can grow. I recently planted a banana tree and a mango tree. We will see how they do.
Having bought a house with over an acre that had belonged to an avid organic gardener for some 40 years I am occasionally surprised by a new plant or fruit popping up.
There is a cactus garden well off to one side that I had paid very little attention to until the other day when I noticed these big round pinkish red fruits on a tall cactus. Somewhat like a dragon fruit but no pointy things. So I took some pictures and sent them off to a friend in the local chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers.
Oddly enough at the meeting I missed (yes I am a member and love it) someone else had asked the same question.
The answer is that this is a Peruvian Apple Cactus, Cereus repandus. So I immediately googled it and found the wikepedia article and a utube video both of which assured me it was edible.
So I had to try this gorgeous fruit and it was quite delicious.
The texture is a bit like sherbert with large granules of sea salt in it and the flavor is sweet, refreshing and a bit like a kiwi. Not an intense flavor but very pleasant. You do not eat the skin which is very tough. You cut it in half and eat it with a spoon.
A friend of mine gave me a couple of cuttings which I planted in the front garden. I divided the plants when they grew big. Now I have three tall plants which ear beauful followers which only last a day. The follower turned into purple fruits. I was waiting they grow big before picking them. Unfortunately the birds got to them before I did. They would picked open the thick shall and picked clear the inside of the fruit. This year I place paper bag overnight the young green fruit. Now I harvest quite a few good eating fruits from the plants. I found if I left the bag on too long the shell may crack open. I shall check them earlier next cycle.
Paper bags, what a fine solution! I have found the best place to share gardening tips is Dave’s garden site. See http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54386/#b
I have so many fruits this year that I let the birds have the ones which have already split open. The others I pick and put in my fridge and then I have one every morning with breakfast 🙂
They say that this is sweeter than the dragonfruit….can you send me some cuttings here in the Philippines? Thanks.
Best if you hand pollinate with flowers from a fellow plant. Self sterile plants must be cross pollinated. Also you might try feeding a bit. Well well and then let dry to 70 percent (what I read). Try early in the morning before the sun shuts the flowers. Knock some pollen off of all flowers of other plant and then with a blush brush transfer pollen in bowl to female part of other plants. Then do the reverse. More and bigger fruit hopefully. bill
Bill it sounds like great advice but around here, in the east San Diego area, these are practically weeds and I usually have too much fruit as it is. Please add your comments over at Dave’s garden! (link is listed just above your comment)
could I possibly buy some of these Peruvian apple fruits off somebody?
n I buy some apple cactus fruits off somebody?
Ask again next October/November – the birds ate the rest of mine but I will go look (had a huge crop this year) and let you know if there any are left
Good day,
Iam intetested in peruvian apple cactus fruits or seeds.
I live in Central America and the climate change has made our location drier would like to plant a few 100 plants to see thier behaviour in my location
How did your mango and banana trees fare? I would love to live in a place where I could grow mangos, and not have to buy them at the store.
So how long do the fruit keep once picked? Do they require refrigeration or better left on counter? Just had our first one, surrounded by these in mission texas, never knew about them until today!
I usually refrigerate them because they are so delicious cold. They only seem to keep in the fridge for 3-5 days though
How can i tell when ripe?
It is ripe when the color changes to a nice red