Another prickly pear season has passed, and no one has noticed, because this fruit is almost non-existent on the market.

This is strange, because prickly pear (cactus) trees are the most common fruit trees in the Maltese countryside.

But on closer inspection we see they are very old, with most of them fruitless, and the few that still bear fruit are left to rot, till they fall to the ground.

The irony is that everybody loves prickly pears, ideally on a plate, or in juice form to avoid the seeds.

This is a delicious fruit, with great nutritious value.

So how can we afford to neglect it just because of its tedious spikes, which can easily be handled with a pair of good gloves?