So...yesterday morning...well not yesterday anymore---it actually was days and days ago now....(It was actually last Friday) I went to take the garbage out and as usual, checked George to see if any of the three fruit/seed pods had burst open....(yes, that is what they do....they just burst wide open and there are the seeds and the 'flesh' right out there for all to see and eat, including lots of little creatures....)....and lo and behold, one of these seed pods had done just that, sometime before I took a look....I have no idea exactly when it did this bursting thing, but I know it wasn't open the day before.....
And here above, is a closer look at what the inside of this round ball-like thing with the protective needles looks like on the inside! Amazing. The little black oval shaped things are the seeds and the thick white/pink stuff next to the outer skin is the flesh...which btw, kind of looks like cocoanut flesh, but it is a lot softer than cocoanut, and much more fiberous. But, the stuff inside...this mixture of seeds and stringy spaghetti-like white/pink translucent stuff....is quite incredible.
I took a spoon and got a small amount of the interior seeds and spaghetti-like stuff out...unfortunately some spilled on the fruit pod below, but what you see above in this dish is what I was able to retrieve....And the taste? Sweet as can be! How is it to eat? Well, not easy. The seeds are really very crunchy and don't really disolve easily with chewing, and the fiberous spaghetti-like stuff is very difficult to chew...at least it was for me. But, the sweetness of the whole thing is quite wonderful and the flavor is not like anything I can compare it to...I have found this to be true of every Cactus type fruit I have ever eaten....indescribable because it is not like anthing else....
I had seperated, as best I could, the seeds from the spaghetti and I have saved those seeds, as you can see above...I would love to start growing a little itty bitty George from these seeds, but usually one needs more seeds than this to get even one seed that will take...but I'm going to try anyway...quite truthfully, it takes such a long long time for a plant like George to grow, I'm not sure I will still be around....but, it is fun to try anyway, you know?Here is a picture of the stuff that fell on that bulb below the one that burst open....
Can you see what I mean about it looking like Spaghetti? See that l-o-n-g stringy looking piece that goes on forever? Well, that is all mixed in with the seeds..but the Spaghetti stuff is so fiborous it just doesn't chew up very well...but you certainly can get the 'good' sweet out of it....
Here is another picture of the inside of this fruit/seed pod after I had scooped out what I could....
This photo above is actually the next day and you can see that the interior 'flesh' is not quite as generous as it was the day before...and that is because it has started to dry out from being exposed to the air and the sun, etc...It lets me know that when I saw this first on the morning of Friday, September 8th, it must have just happened....(Thank You God...) And being exposed to the elements it has opened it up a bit more, too...
I just cannot get over the fantastic magical happenings of nature....the unexpected...the beauty of things never seen before...the look, and the taste....Amazing, Amazing.
And lest we forget where this all started back in late January...here is a picture of the 'buttons' that hold all the dna or whatever, of the flowers, and the fruit and the seeds....
And seeing all this from a slightly different angle.....George...well, the top of George, and those three Seed/ Pod Fruit Thingys, now, in September....
And here below....on this Friday, September 8th....around 5:45pm in the Afternoon...(as Lorca said...only he actually said, 'At Five In The Afternoon') Here is the fruit/seed pod....the flesh, dryer than it was....having dried up and shrunk in the heat and breeze of the day and now, here in the early evening....this fruit is no longer viable..I think the seeds still are viable....well, I guess I will find out.....
And, last but not least, here is George...at least a head taller than me...And I am 5' 4".....(well I use to be....lol) so George is over 6 feet tall...and he is listing! (Oh Dear!) But the point is, here is dear George, once again....
I do dearly love all my plants...And yes, George has a special place in my heart....George and I have been through a lot in the last more than 20 years....And I hope and pray we get to go through a lot more!
But, as I leave you...think about this. These little buttons on George do not seem to go away...they are there, there, there...And, in late January--early February they began to grow....then we finally (after months) had some flowers....and then those flowers turned into fruit/seed pods...here it is September and these fruit/seed pods finally burst open. It is 9 months in the making! Wow! Now what does that remind you of? (lol)....
And just above....the second one of those three---the one nearest the one that opened on Friday? Well, the second one burst open this morning, (Saturday) and here it is, above....And just below is all the wonderful spaghetti-seeds which I scooped out---and this time nothing spilled....
I'm not going to eat any of this....cause I cannot chew the seeds or the spaghetti like pulp....but, I am going to let the pulp dry and take the seeds and save them with the seeds from the first fruit bulb and then when the third and final bulb bursts open.....save those seeds, too...and carefully plant them all in a pot and keep them warm and hope they 'do-their-thing'.....
Hope is a thing called 'seeds'......
More To Come....
- had this to say:
As much as I love learing about your plants, that stuff looks...well...nasty! If you didn't tell us what it was and just had us guess, I'm sure you would get all kinds of strange answers! George is pretty amazing, though. And big!
- Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 6:57:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
That is the strangest looking thing! You always have the most interesting photos. :)
- Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 7:38:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
That's really cool!!!
I didn't know you could eat cactus fruit. :)
Very neat.
I might try it, if I could get past the texture.
Kendra- Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 7:39:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
Wow! I feel like I flew over on the Star Trek Enterprise to another planet entirely! What a cactus education!
- Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 8:01:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
How cool! Thanks for taking us on a journey with George!
- Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 8:16:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Yay George! Those are great photographs, like nothing I've ever seen before. So much fun!
- Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 10:14:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
You know I don't think I've ever actually taken the time to look inside the fruit or seed pods on our cactus. So thanks for sharing that! I think I will have to check them out next time they're around. :)
- Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 10:23:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Hope in the seed, indeed! And my poor little ivy blooms will drop their seed on wooden decking - never to bloom again. How sad is that?
The open pod reminds me of monsters I used to dream about as a child.....LOL- Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 10:31:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
What an absolute STUNNER your George is... i bet he makes the prickles on the neighbouring cacti's necks really stand on end when they see him!! :D
And those seeds - look so facinating - looking at them makes me think of a different sort of seeds - in a more zoomed in state - haha - i'll get my head out the gutter now!!!
As always luvvie, its been a pleasure! I'll check out your George anytime :D- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 3:06:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
well.. i guess i'm not too old to learn something new! I've got to admit I've never seen those pods or what's in them, nor known that they can be eaten! (for the brave that is lol) Your plants sure are amazing!
- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 4:58:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I never thought a cactus could produce edible things. Thanks for sharing it.
They are truly amazing plants. Happy Wednesday!- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 5:21:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Isn't it marvellous to think that george grew from one of those tiny seeds! It must have taken a long time to get that big. George makes my cacti seem very small indeed. How old is George?
As ever, your photos are lovely :0)- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 5:57:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
How fascinating!!! I had no idea you could eat the 'fruit' inside, either.
You really know your catcti, I love reading about all the different plants you have. I actually just realised the other day that we have a huge old cactus in our garden, although I really don't know anything about it. I might post a pic of in the next week or so (if I remember!!).
Thanks again for a great post!!!- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 6:05:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
George is such a cutie pie. With a couple of arms and a few less spines he could be a girl's dream. And the seeds? Sometimes saving seeds and planting them will surprise you.
BTW, are the fruits of cactus usually edible?- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 7:30:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Those pictures were really interesting. When I am in Arizona, the cactus (prickly pear, saguaro and barrel) do that but I never once thought of trying to eat one (but it will be in my mind next chance). I know the Tohono O'odham gather and eat them and have seen them out with their long sticks. I 'think' on public lands in Arizona they are the only ones permitted from the saguaro.
- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 7:51:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
That's amazing, Naomi!
Love all photos! George is really wonderful! Which is the scientific name of Geoge?- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 8:56:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
Great pictures.
No way would you get me to eat that.
You are a brave sole.
I commend you on your bravery.
Have a wonderful day!
*^_^
(=':'=) hugs
(")_ (")Š from da Cool Raggedy one- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 10:02:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Ok, I have to be honest.
The first guy who looked at that kind of 'fruit' and thought, hmmm, that might taste good had a screw loose.
I mean, he may have been right, but what possesses someone to try it in the first place?!- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 10:25:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Absolutely amazing.
And maybe even a tad bit gruesome. lol
I've never seen anything like it, that's for sure.
Wonderful unique George.
May all plants be as appreciated and wanted.
~S :)- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 3:53:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I learn so much about plants from you! Wow! George is one awesome plant!
- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 4:02:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
I think George's fruit looks well-deserving of a taste.
When I lived in AZ I always intended to make Prickley Pear jelly, but never got around to it. Know you can buy it ready made, but have never even tasted it. Most people don't realize the wonders in the fruits of the cacti.- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 5:53:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Wow! Very cool! I've never seen anything like it. My husband is into cacti and has a couple small ones.
- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 6:00:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Well, when I read the title I got tickled Naomi!! Somehow, "the fruit of george" just struck me as funny!
That is so amazing. It looks like his mouth just opened and he isn't saying "feed me" because his mouth is already full of the seeds and the spaghetti stuff. It's like he's saying "here, have some!"
I really appreciate you taking these photos as George has progressed with the seasons. It is a very learning experience and just another one of nature's wonders. I hope some of the seeds will grow. I'd save them and try too!! Thanks for another great post Naomi!!- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 6:55:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
Now that is a face only a mother could love!
I would love to see George in person but some of those pictures look like live aliens!
Fun interesting post Naomi!- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 8:04:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Go George, I am just about to send you some pics of US with George, the ones Mark took with my camera actually came out great.
Check soon ok :)- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 8:14:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Nine months in the making, huh? Very neat!
It doesn't look very tasty to me at all!
It certainly is amazing though.- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 10:00:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Now that I've been thinking about this, aren't you worried about having eaten those seeds?
You could grow a George in your stomach. I mean, that's what they say about watermelons. :P- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 10:17:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Hi Naomi and George :) Gosh hes a fascinating creature, or should I say she? Nine months growing its fruit sounds very femine :)
The fruit remind me of something I saw on tv, a chef from Nz was in China, its a delicacy but she couldnt get past the smell of it to try it! I cant remember its name.. hehe that was helpful wasnt it! Your very brave to eat it Naomi :)- Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 11:00:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I never realized it could be eaten.
How does it taste?- Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 5:43:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
The spaghetti & seeds on the plate look like some expensive caviar dish. I don't think I'd eat it though, I'm just not brave that way. But 'ol George, I know he's brought you tons of joy & you love him to pieces. I'm glad he's healthy.
- Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 6:58:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
gosh some wonderful images of the wonderful area and plants around your home..
I bet you have such a great time in your yard....- Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 6:59:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Thanks so much for sharing your fascinating experience with 'George.' I love plants and very much enjoy seeing how they bloom and re-seed.
- Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 12:25:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
Wow this is the first for me to know that cactus fruit can be eaten. It does look similar to the soursop. I mean its flesh.
- Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 1:51:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Today I learn something new - I never realized you could eat the fruit of a catcus. Best of luck growing son-of-George. I love your seed-to-hope analogy.
- Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 7:46:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
You are one brave lady! I don't think I would have tried to eat that stuff.
- Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 10:13:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
Poor George. Where is the love for him?
- Friday, September 15, 2006 at 8:49:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
Poor George. Where is the love for him?
- Friday, September 15, 2006 at 8:49:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
That is so fascinating! Being from Canada, we don't have cacti...some tiny ones on the dry prairies of the west in summer but nothing NOTHING like what you have there. I have never seen anything like this before...not pretty* by floral standards maybe but certainly beautiful by natures standards. Amazing how that thing just opens when ready.
Thanks for the education!
Here via Michele's- Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 2:26:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
what's worse than finding a worm in your freshly spooned cactus fruit?
half a worm !!!!
heh heh- Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 11:40:00 AM PDT
x4
