From the Spring Foraging Cookbook: Prickly Pear Cactus

From the Spring Foraging Cookbook: Prickly Pear Cactus

The Prickly Pear and its related, Indian Fig, Cactus is one of my favorite wild foods. I collect the fruit in late summer through winter, so that is a topic for another brook. But, while the fruit varies in flavor and quality, it can be much like kiwi. With the spines removed and peeled, the fruit is excellent eaten fresh, turned into a sherbet or similar frozen dessert, or used to make wine. The cactus pads are not sweet like the fruit. But, they are very popular in Mexican cooking, often called nopales or tunas. The spines should be burned off and the cactus pads peeled. Then, they can be eaten like okra or grilled and added to tacos, etc. Honestly, I think prickly pear is fantastic!

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Agreed, prickly pear (both fruit and pads) are fantastic!  I grew up harvesting them in the southwestern US.  The fruits are incredibly seedy, but very tasty.  I find that the flavors vary from year to year on a plant.  I've assumed that it just varied by weather, but never did any digging.