Did you know you can eat Prickly Pear Cactus? It has been a staple in Central America for thousands of years and a healthy addition to one’s diet. If you are going to try and add cactus to your diet then I would suggest picking the young, firm, bright green pads because they have less spines and the most flavor. Make sure that you wear thick gloves no matter what because most of the spines will go unseen but believe me, they will not go unfelt!
- Peel the spines away with either a potato peeler or you can use a small knife. Make sure that you have removed all of the spines before you remove your gloves.
- Remove any bad areas on the pad while you run it under cold water.
- You can either slice the pad or keep it whole, it all depends on what you are going to use it for
- You can boil them and rinse them in cold water and serve them as toppings on a salad
- They can be grilled and seasoned and served with a meal or mixed with vegetables
- Use them in soups or stews or while cooking in a crockpot
- Cactus has been known to lower blood glucose as well as fight off and kill viruses in the body
I am going to be honest with you, I actually gave this a try. I was curious. It didn’t really make me feel either way about it. It was kinda plain and I was not the biggest fan of the texture. I do think if I put it in a smoothie I would like it better and get the health benefits from it. Give it a try yourself and let me know what you think.
The fruit itself can be eaten right off of the plants. The sweetness level is all depending on when you pick the fruit. Green is less sweet and red is very sweet with shades of color in between. You will have to wear thick gloves when handling the fruit and then remove the glochids over an open flame, using a fork stuck on the end. Peel the skin off and enjoy the fruit of your labor!
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