Night blooming cactus

Check out this cactus that is in our backyard. Its about 8 feet tall. The photos were taken at about 9:30 last night.

Wow!!! that is REALLY cool!

Thanks. It only blooms on rare ocassions. I think its only a few days a year. My BF cut it back about 6 months ago and brought it into where he works (a nursery/landscape company). They wanted to start growing it. One of the Mexican guys saw it in the back of the truck and cut it up and ate it!

Originally Posted by katspixiedust

That's awesome Renee! What a neat cactus to have in your backyard!

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Thanks Katherine. Yeah, its way cool except the parts on the ground are hard to see in the dark.

Originally Posted by Rockcat

One of the Mexican guys saw it in the back of the truck and cut it up and ate it!

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Wow! That is so cool! Thank you for thinking of us when you took the pic!
Do the big moths (I LOVE moths -they're just nocturnal butterflies with really neat antennae) come to sip the nectar? That is too funny about the gardener eating the cactus - my people eat beaver-tail & prickly-pear cacti we call it "nopales" and it's similiar to greenbeans, but if it isn't rinsed correctly, it's slimly like okra..

Originally Posted by catsknowme

Wow! That is so cool! Thank you for thinking of us when you took the pic!

Do the big moths (I LOVE moths -they're just nocturnal butterflies with really neat antennae) come to sip the nectar? That is too funny about the gardener eating the cactus - my people eat beaver-tail & prickly-pear cacti

we call it "nopales" and it's similiar to greenbeans, but if it isn't rinsed correctly, it's slimly like okra..

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Actually, our neighbor was nice enough to come out and take the pictures (even at 9:30 at night). There are a lot of butterflies and moths around. I don't know if they're the kind you're asking about though. Unfortunately theres a lot of mosquitos around too, so I didn't stay out there too long. I was curious what the cactus tasted like. Do the beaver-tail & prickly-pear cacti taste similar?

The cacti taste the same to me. You can get canned "nopales" at a Mexican-foods store, to try. It's kinda salty, though. It's really good served with "carnitas" or even plain, fried pork-chops, mashed pinto beans, & eaten with corn tortillas.
You're smart to stay away from the mosquitoes! Now that we know all the viruses they carry, those bites seem to itch worse than ever.
OOh, I hope that you don't have first-hand experience with the cactus being on the ground...

Originally Posted by catsknowme

The cacti taste the same to me. You can get canned "nopales" at a Mexican-foods store, to try. It's kinda salty, though. It's really good served with "carnitas" or even plain, fried pork-chops, mashed pinto beans, & eaten with corn tortillas.

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I think I will try some "nopales" now that you told me what they are! Now, what are "carnitas"?

Originally Posted by catsknowme

OOh, I hope that you don't have first-hand experience with the cactus being on the ground...

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I've been careful so far - thanks!

Wow, that's pretty cool!!

Thanks for posting the pics

"carnitas" (which literally means 'little meats') are delicious! The proper way to make it is to cube and simmer a pork shoulder with the spices of your choice, including garlic, onions, cumin (cominos), oregano, sometimes cilantro, for a couple of hours till very tender. Some people simmer the pork shoulder whole, and shred the meat. The meat is often "crisped" up by sauteeing it. I do "Speed Carnitas" by cubing pork chops & sauteeing the cubes with the spices; sometimes I add "Las Palmas" red chili sauce, with a little extra garlic - I like it almost as much as the "real way".

Cool cactus!! There is a cactus native to Wisconsin that I have had for a couple of years but no blossoms yet. It got bigger and I thought those were blooms but it was just more cactus.