Many years ago, throughout Malta and Gozo, the bajtar tax-xewk/prickly pear cactus served as a gatekeeper between one field and another. Any pesky animal that tried to trespass into a field where he/she was not wanted was met with an outburst of thorns, perhaps unexpected amongst the pretty flowers blossoming next to them.

However, prickly pears are not only good gatekeepers between fields, they're also extremely rich in nutrition, insanely beneficial for the skin, low in calories, cholesterol and saturated fat, anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing and high in Vitamin C and B, magnesium, amino acids, antioxidants, iron, potassium, dietary fibre and other minerals. Yes, a little package of our daily nutrient intake, and apparently, a great hangover cure, may have been staring at us in the face all along.

With October sliding in, and as the prickly pear season draws to an end, why not store the juice to add to your diet as the days become colder (and less colourful)? Here are some suggestions of how the juice could be used:

Just juice

In order to juice the fruit, cut off both ends of the prickly pear and peel off the remaining skin around it. Place the oval-shaped, skinless fruit into a blender until it is liquified. Approximately 10 prickly pears will result in one cup of juice.

‘It’s what’s on the inside that counts’ is an apt phrase when making prickly pear recipes. You need to be careful when cutting the prickly pears, making use of gloves or a cloth in the process to prevent yourself from getting pricked.

Maltese mojitos, Maltese margaritas

Where there is juice, there are infinite cocktail possibilities, and the syrup from prickly pears may be a good addition to give your classic cocktail that Maltese twist. Add in some juice to the classic recipe to infuse the flavour. The juice can be taken directly from the fruit itself without need for blending the liquid. The seeds, which can sometimes be seen as irritating, will respectfully find their way to the bottom of your glass.

The hangover cure

Oh, and leave some juice remaining for the morning after. Prickly pear juice makes a wonderful hangover cure. It has been known to reduce inflammation, elevating headaches and other nasty hangover symptoms - what's not to love?

A salad dressing

Add flavour to a salad by making a prickly pear salad dressing. To make it, you may use a strainer to leave seeds behind, filling 3/4 of a cup with seedless prickly pear juice. Mix in 1/4 of a cup of fresh lemon juice, a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, a large pinch of sea salt, sugar and ground black pepper and two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.