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Prickly Pear Cactus

 
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I’m currently living in central Texas among fields of prickly pear cactus. I’ve eaten cactus before (I think in a taco) and have had the juice in some juice blend but have never cooked it and certainly have never foraged it. Have you? Do you have any tips or recipes to share?
 
pollinator
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I have a large patch of them as well.  I do not eat the cactus, my beagle does though.
 I use the fruits to make wine every year.  Also makes a very nice jelly.
Use heavy gloves to avoid glochids, then I roll them around over the grill before handling. those little things can stay in your hands for weeks.
 
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I have eaten the pads sliced and cooked like green beans which is what they taste like.  The slice and cooked pads were served with scrambled eggs.

Our daughter gathers the fruit in August to make jelly.
 
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Ralph Sluder wrote:
Use heavy gloves to avoid glochids, then I roll them around over the grill before handling. those little things can stay in your hands for weeks.



I second this. Years ago I went and collected prickly pear fruits using only a dish towel since I had no gloves. The little spines stuck with me for a long time!
 
pollinator
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The pads, nopales, make excellent salsa. There are many recipes online. I absolutely love them. At the markets in the Bay, they would cut off the prickles with a machete. Territorial Seeds sells a thornless variety, but they are currently sold out.
 
pollinator
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We cook the (store-bought) pads on the grill. Amazingly good, particularly if you brush them with the oil from a jar of Chicago hot giardiniera.

You can also dice/slice and add them to any mixed veg dish.  Once cut, they are slimy almost like okra, though.
 
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