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panch0
08-13-2009, 11:09 AM
Well my mother in law done did it again. She went out in her back yard and and cut some pieces of a cactus and cooked it up with sme eggs and salsa. I'll be danged if it wasn't pretty good eating. It was slightly slimey but good. It isn't the prickley pear cactus. This one was thinner and a darker colored green. Does anybody know what species this is or anything about it?

-frank

pocomoonskyeyes
08-13-2009, 11:30 AM
It could be the same thing I see in the Mexican section of the Grocery store. Something called Nopalitos(sp?)

panch0
08-13-2009, 11:36 AM
Thats what it is, Nopalitos which translates into little cactus. I being of that ancestory had never eaten the stuff till a couple nights ago.

pocomoonskyeyes
08-13-2009, 11:39 AM
Was it good? I like most veggies, even boiled okra so may have to give 'em a try. I love Mexican food. Man I gotta' talk about something else I'm starting to get hungry!!!

panch0
08-13-2009, 11:43 AM
It is kind of like okra well sort of. It has the same gooey texture. Just add salt and lime if you are eating them by them self is what my wife told me. She says here dad would throw a strip on the bbq pit and cook it up throw it in a corn tortilla with salsa lime juice and salt and eat it that way. I am going to try that soom. Maybe you should take some to the jamboree.

pocomoonskyeyes
08-13-2009, 12:00 PM
OH please Hush I am getting HUNGRY!!!! LOL Now I know I am going to have to try them. I was afraid to buy them for fear of not liking them and I hate to waste food. Just ain't right.

Ken
08-13-2009, 01:45 PM
"I do not like cactus. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more cactus."

George H. W. Bush (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/georgehw110377.html)

Rick
08-13-2009, 02:33 PM
I don't think I've ever eaten it.

canid
08-13-2009, 02:37 PM
nopales cacti are some of the prickly pear cacti; generally the members of the genus Opuntia. there are many species, around 200.

nopalitos are cut and prepared nopales. it doesn't refer to the size of the cactus, but the pieces it is cut into.

Rat Eater
08-17-2009, 10:39 PM
With the last five months in the desert it was a staple food. I can't stand it just cooked stright too slimey. I would peel one side and lay them up toward the sun and dry them. When 90% dry peel the other side and finish drying. Hang em on a string, grind up as needed to go in rabbit stew or grind it and add seasoning and paleverde peas, rehydrate and use it to stuff quail or ducks.:thumbup1:

canid
08-18-2009, 06:18 AM
i recnetly planted about 14 of these [Opuntia ficus-indica, the common, domesticated agricultural species] along a fence line. i'm definitely more partial to the fruit, but i hope to see them do well. i live in a good climate for these.

Rick
08-18-2009, 07:03 AM
The prickly pear grows very well in the Midwest. They look like they die over the winter and come right back in the spring. They grow almost too well.

TucsonMax
08-19-2009, 06:59 PM
If you post a picture of the cactus I can probably identify it.

earth2res
08-19-2009, 07:03 PM
My mom used to make jelly from the "fruit" of the prickly pear. It was really good.

mountain mama
08-19-2009, 07:09 PM
Here are some good recipes for that cactus: http://www.rivenrock.com/recipes.html

I love prickly pear cactus jelly YUMMMMMM

ingredients:
2 1/2 cups prickly pear juice
3 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 package powdered pectin
3 1/2 cups sugar

Directions:
1 quart of prickly pear cactus fruit should make about 2 1/2 cups of juice. Pluck the fruit from the cactus with a long-handled fork or tongs. Wash under running water, then use a brush to clean (spines left on the fruit will soften during cooking and should come off after fruit is strained.) Steam until fruit is tender and soft. Mash and strain using a jelly bag or fine sieve. Do not add water. Set aside to allow juice to settle. For clear jelly, do not use the portion containing sediment.

In a saucepan, measure out 2 1/2 cups of cactus juice; add 1 package of powdered pectin. Bring mixture to a fast boil, stirring constantly. Add lemon or lime juice and sugar. Bring to a hard boil (one that cannot be stirred down with a spoon) and let boil for 3 more minutes. The timing is important to get the mixture to jell properly. Remove from heat, skim and pour into hot canning jars leaving 1/4 inch space per jar. Wipe jar rims and seal lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Makes 6 1/2 pints of jelly.

mountain mama
08-19-2009, 07:11 PM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0a/Prickly_Pear_5half.JPG/120px-Prickly_Pear_5half.JPG

panch0
08-19-2009, 07:16 PM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0a/Prickly_Pear_5half.JPG/120px-Prickly_Pear_5half.JPG

Thats the one. She just went out back and brought in some planks and cut it up in little squares and cooked it up with some eggs.

TucsonMax
08-19-2009, 07:26 PM
There are lots of recipies for Prickly pear, one local treat served at a gardens spot here is prickly pear lemonaide... absolutely delicious

panch0
08-19-2009, 07:33 PM
It was not the prickly pear that she cooked up, it was the green plank like in the pic.

TucsonMax
08-19-2009, 08:15 PM
Panch0:

Mountain Mama got that picture from: Wikipedia, here's the pic half way down the page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear_cactus

It is the prickly pear (at least the picture is) and that's the cactus w/ lots of recipies.

panch0
08-19-2009, 08:18 PM
These are the ones though it doesn't say which nopal its from. I dont think it is the prickley pear cactus that she cooked up. I see those every day and they have a thicker plank. These are thinner and a darker green.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nopalitos

Rick
08-19-2009, 08:26 PM
Nopal?

http://www.nopaltrade.com/images/cacti5.jpg

panch0
08-19-2009, 08:32 PM
OOps I meant cactus. I am from South Texas and we got our own dialect down here known as Tex-Mex. We mix spanish and english and even have hybrid words like trocka with means truck. That is not a real spanish word but we know what it means around these parts.

Ole WV Coot
08-19-2009, 10:40 PM
Sounds like something I would like to try. Okra I like, fried mostly. Sounds good and comes with its own toothpicks, now I gotta drive down the road and look for a fresh possum.

canid
08-19-2009, 10:41 PM
if you'd read the posts of others, you'd see that i've already answered that.

panch0
08-19-2009, 10:51 PM
Missed it, oops my bad. Its the ADD acting up again. Hehehe..

canid
08-20-2009, 02:09 AM
i hear you there. sorry if i was gruff; was cranky earlier in general.

erunkiswldrnssurvival
08-20-2009, 11:52 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZOT9TTylg8 this is a video of using cactus fruit for food, a cousin of the prickly pear the planks are edible too when roasted, i remove the spines with a fish filet knife just slice along the surface. the fiberous strings arent too palateable so cooking and scrapeing the soft flesh is recomended. the cactus is very much like a green bell pepper.

your_comforting_company
09-09-2009, 07:43 PM
I couldn't help but revive this post. I was driving to work yesterday and noticed on the edge of a field about half a dozen or so prickly pear cacti. I picked a few fruits from each plant.

texture is like that of cantaloupe (sp) but the taste was similar to dewberry. Of course I got my hands full of prickles but for something so delicious it was worth it!

I just have one question. How do you get the seeds out without wasting any of the pulp (or is it okay to just swallow the seeds and not worry about it?)? these things are worse than watermelons when you get into the pit. I didnt mind the prickles as much as i did the seeds.

Funny thing is, my grandmother has always had one growing in her yard and I never paid any attention to the fruits being edible. It wasn't until I read about it that it even occurred to me as a possibility to eat cacti. She said her sister has always eaten them and rooted her own so she would have some to eat without having to drive all the way down here. She makes jams and jellies and pies and as soon as I can get hold of her (they are on vacation atm) I'm gonna try to get some recipes to post up for you guys.

Rick
09-09-2009, 07:47 PM
You can eat those? I had prickly pear growing in my yard until about 2 years ago. Got tired of it and got rid of them. Sheesh!! You're talking about the red fruit, right? By the way, if I walked within 3 feet of those da**ed things I'd have those little splinters all over me. They hurt like heck and are a pain (pun intended) to get out!! The ones we had didn't have big stickers like in the picture. Ours had tiny little hair like stickers.

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/Texas/prickly_pear_tx-web.jpg

crashdive123
09-09-2009, 07:52 PM
I couldn't help but revive this post. I was driving to work yesterday and noticed on the edge of a field about half a dozen or so prickly pear cacti. I picked a few fruits from each plant.

texture is like that of cantaloupe (sp) but the taste was similar to dewberry. Of course I got my hands full of prickles but for something so delicious it was worth it!

I just have one question. How do you get the seeds out without wasting any of the pulp (or is it okay to just swallow the seeds and not worry about it?)? these things are worse than watermelons when you get into the pit. I didnt mind the prickles as much as i did the seeds.

Funny thing is, my grandmother has always had one growing in her yard and I never paid any attention to the fruits being edible. It wasn't until I read about it that it even occurred to me as a possibility to eat cacti. She said her sister has always eaten them and rooted her own so she would have some to eat without having to drive all the way down here. She makes jams and jellies and pies and as soon as I can get hold of her (they are on vacation atm) I'm gonna try to get some recipes to post up for you guys.

You can grind up the dried seeds and use them as flour, or a thickener for soups.

your_comforting_company
09-09-2009, 08:28 PM
Rick
Yep. the ones we have have tiny little needles in tight bunches all over. the long needles are only on the biggest parts of the plant. And yes! you can eat them they are delicious. try some next time you spot some but wear gloves. I spent quite a while (after working all day with them in my hands) getting the stickers out

Crashdive
The question was how to get the seeds out without losing the fruit, and is it okay to eat the seeds whole as they are in the fruit. I do remember reading about the flour and am excited to try it since i've found an abundant supply of ripened fruit along the roadside. seems to me you will either lose the pulp to get the seeds, or lose the seeds to eat the pulp. I wanna try to use both! I can eat the fruit and spit the seeds into a bowl i suppose haha.

thanks for the inputs guys

crashdive123
09-09-2009, 08:33 PM
Rick
Yep. the ones we have have tiny little needles in tight bunches all over. the long needles are only on the biggest parts of the plant. And yes! you can eat them they are delicious. try some next time you spot some but wear gloves. I spent quite a while (after working all day with them in my hands) getting the stickers out

Crashdive
The question was how to get the seeds out without losing the fruit, and is it okay to eat the seeds whole as they are in the fruit. I do remember reading about the flour and am excited to try it since i've found an abundant supply of ripened fruit along the roadside. seems to me you will either lose the pulp to get the seeds, or lose the seeds to eat the pulp. I wanna try to use both! I can eat the fruit and spit the seeds into a bowl i suppose haha.

thanks for the inputs guys

I am not going on first hand experience - yet. I do have a small patch staked out waiting on the fruit to ripen though. From what I understand - pick fruit wearing gloves, remove spines from fruit with a wet cloth, slice and pick out seeds. As I said, still waiting on them to ripen - I'll let you know how the theory to practice works.

crashdive123
09-09-2009, 08:35 PM
Here's the link to the Forage database section with some info on it. http://www.wildcrafting.net/forage/plant/153/

your_comforting_company
09-16-2009, 06:55 AM
just an update... since the post, I've eaten a few more pears with friends, and swallowing the seeds wont hurt you. at least it didnt hurt any of us.

and the ones I spotted on the road are getting ready. mmm mmm good!
(my great aunt has yet to send me any recipes but will keep u guys posted)

panch0
09-16-2009, 09:18 AM
We eat the seeds. my wife's grandfather and uncles have acres upon acre in mexico of pear cactus that they harvest and sell. They just eat the seeds since it is to hard to remove. They have been doing this for at least 50 yrs and they have not had a cactus grow in them yet. Hehehe....

Rick
09-16-2009, 09:56 AM
Then what's those stickers that have to be cut off each morning?

panch0
09-16-2009, 12:03 PM
That call my prickley pear fuzz.

crashdive123
09-16-2009, 06:40 PM
We eat the seeds. my wife's grandfather and uncles have acres upon acre in mexico of pear cactus that they harvest and sell. They just eat the seeds since it is to hard to remove. They have been doing this for at least 50 yrs and they have not had a cactus grow in them yet. Hehehe....

This also has great medicinal implications. Prevents hemorrhoids.

Durtyoleman
01-29-2010, 12:48 AM
Tried prickley pear fried once...was kinda bitter but if hungry i suppose i could deal with it. When doin landscapin' i got to hate thorns on any plant. Now I plant anything edible with thorns cause it alerts me to thieves and tresspassers...LOL
Just try to plant it on the outskirts and away from the garden.

D.O.M.