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Cactus Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to cactus
For thousands of years, people in Mexico, South America, and the southwestern United States have been eating cactus to help supplement their diet. The most common kind of edible cactus is the prickly pear cactus. The fruit is sweet and delicious, and the leaves of the cactus are used in numerous dishes.
About cactus
There are over 200 types of edible cactus under the Opuntia species, including the very popular prickly pear cactus Opuntia Ficus-indica. This cactus, sometimes called the Indian Fig, cactus pear, or Paddle cactus, produces wide flat leaves or pads, striking flowers, and in most cases, beautiful bright red fruit. Most species of prickly pear cactus have spines and tufts of barbs that are quite irritating when brushed against. Many of the commercially grown prickly pear cactus in the species Opuntia Ellisiana, are spineless which makes them much easier to handle.
You can harvest the pads of the cactus, commonly called Nopales, any time of year, and can get as many as 6 harvests per year off each plant. When preparing prickly pear pads or leaves with spines or thorns on them, handle them with leather gloves and use a knife to scrape the spines off carefully. You can eat the nopales raw in salads or cook them to serve as a side dish. Nopales have a slight lemon flavor and, when cooked, have a texture similar to green beans. When eaten raw, they have a texture that resembles okra.
During the summer months, the fruit, called tuna fruit, ripens to a bright red color. After harvesting the fruit and scraping the spines off, you can use the delicious fruit, with a taste similar to cranberries, to make jelly or use the beautiful red juice to make a syrup to put into Margaritas.
How to pick out cactus
Nopales are sold either as a whole leaf, cut into strips or cubes, or sold in bags or jars. The ideal cactus pads have smooth flesh and a bright green color to them. The tuna fruit should have a bright red color and be firm and free of bruises and blemishes.
How to store and preserve cactus
Once you have clean and spine-free Nopales, you can either leave the pads whole or cut them up, place them in baggies or a storage container, and they'll keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. When using prickly pear fruit, you want to cut the fruit in half and peel the skin away. You'll want to remove the seeds by running the fruit through a sieve.
Once you have the juice, you can store it in the refrigerator for about a week and add the juice to sparkling water for a refreshing beverage. You can also freeze the juice in an ice cube tray to use for the future in water or Margaritas. Making prickly pear syrup or jelly is another popular way to preserve prickly pear juice.
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FAQs about cactus
Prickly pear cactus, both the leaves and the fruit, are low in calories and high in dietary fiber. Cactus contains vitamins C, A, K, and E. Cactus also contains essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, manganese, copper, and iron.
You can boil the Nopales or cactus leaves, grill them, fry them, or even steam the flat pads. Once cooked, add them to scrambled eggs, put them into burritos, quesadillas, tamales, or gorditas. Grilling Nopales brings out their natural sweetness and makes an excellent side vegetable to any meal. A popular way to eat cactus in Mexican cuisine is by making a cactus salad. You can use whole cactus leaves, or for your convenience, buy a bag with pre-cut strips.
Boil the leaves for about 15 minutes until they become tender, and then drain them. Once cooled, add them to a salad bowl with diced tomatoes, chopped green onion, a handful of cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, and a pinch of salt and Mexican oregano. Top the salad with crumbled Queso Anejo, Cotija, or feta cheese.
Impress your friends at your next gathering by serving them a prickly pear Margarita.
Ingredients:
- 4-ounces of Silver tequila
- 2-ounces of Triple Sec
- 2-ounces of prickly pear syrup
- 1-ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice
- Salt
- Lime slices
- Ice cubes
Directions:
Rub the rim of a glass with fresh lime and add a touch of salt to the rim, Pour all the ingredients into a blender or cocktail shaker, and fill the glass with the colorful Margarita blend. Garnish with lime slices.
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