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More than just a Prickly Pear

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Contributed by: Beverly McClure on 5/28/2008

Have you noticed the Prickly Pear Cacti blooming recently? Aren't they gorgeous? The plants in our pasture have yellow flowers, but some blossoms can be pink, red, or purple. Prickly Pear Cacti are found in all of the deserts of the American Southwest.

In addition to adding to the beauty of the landscape, parts of the Prickly Pear are good to eat. Okay, I can't swear to this myself because I've never tried what I'm about to tell you. But according to what I've read, people have been eating the Prickly Pear Cactus for centuries.

The blossoms grow on the tip of cactus nodules, and these later ripen into the fruit, a common delicacy in Mexico that is sold in markets and called "tuna." (Mmm. the tuna I eat is a fish. Interesting.) The fruit, also known as cactus fig and Indian fig, is harvested usually during late summer and early fall. You can eat the fruit like you would an apple, but be sure to remove the cactus needles, called glochids, first, unless you want to look like a pin cushion and, even worse, feel like one.

You can also use the juice to make jelly, marmalade, or as a dressing for salads. Mix the juice with other juices for smoothies and shakes. Click here for recipes.

How about making a Prickly Pear pie or a topping for your cheesecake, instead of using strawberries?

The flat parts of the cactus that I always thought were leaves are actually part of the stem and where the fruit grows.They're called pads and you can cook and eat them the way you do green beans, spinach, and other veggies.

Medical studies have shown that it's possible the pectin in the plant can lower "bad" cholesterol, but not affect "good" cholesterol. It also may be used to treat type II diabetes, diarrhea, and stomach ache. Many more studies are needed, but who knows? Look at the aspirin and other medicines we have today.

Did you know the Prickly Pear has been Texas's state plant since 1995? I didn't. Now I do.

If you've eaten any tasty Prickly Pear dishes, let us know. We might want to try them, too.

Sources:
Wikipedia.com
www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_pear.html

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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments

Submitted By: Ann Weyant

posted on 5/28/2008 @ 6:46:13 PM

Rated Story

I've had the prickly pear jelly and it was pretty good. I noticed last year that Walmart had some of the pads for sale and had a recipe on how to cook them. It's said the prickly pear pads are a good source of water too. Some 100 years ago ranchers used to burn the spines so the cattle could eat the pads for forage.

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Submitted By: Gene Griffin

posted on 5/28/2008 @ 9:58:20 AM

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Sorry! That's "Mom" not "mpm".

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Submitted By: Gene Griffin

posted on 5/28/2008 @ 9:56:43 AM

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I have tried the "cactus fig", Beverly. It's delicious, but full of seeds. My mpm introduced me to it when I was a teenager. Another one she told me about was the bull nettle seed. It tastes great, too, but she said that the white tip on the shell is poisonous, and must be removed.

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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments

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Beverly McClure

Iowa Park , TX

Beverly McClure has posted 44 stories and 215 comments since joining on 9/17/2006. Beverly McClure 's average story rating is 4.93.

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