Hi all,
Have any of you seen whole prickly pears in produce anywhere?
Was just wondering where one might find one?
Luce
Prickly Pears
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Hi! In Arizona they are everywhere, except in the grocery store. Well, maybe Whole Food might have it, but I've never seen it there. Here is a site that sell it in the form of jam, spread, and nectar. http://www.arizonacactusranch.com/
Mandy
Mandy
Thanks for the website.
Just drank a prickly pair soda today, and found the taste strangely familiar. Must have something to do with
something from way back in my past. Do you suppose it used to be used as a flavoring in things a long time ago?
It is VERY different from anything else I've ever tasted.
My hunch is that it's common in West Texas as well.
Just drank a prickly pair soda today, and found the taste strangely familiar. Must have something to do with
something from way back in my past. Do you suppose it used to be used as a flavoring in things a long time ago?
It is VERY different from anything else I've ever tasted.
My hunch is that it's common in West Texas as well.
Luce,
It's very common west of I35, (except for extreme West Texas -- west of the Pecos), and it's extremely thick in many pastures in South Texas. Years ago, when I hunted in South Texas, east of Laredo (near Encinal), except for bacon and eggs for breakfast, for the other meals we often cooked whatever was available off the land. One night when we were having grilled javelina (peccary), we peeled, cut into strips and fried some prickly pear pads just to see what they were like. Outside of the problem of getting many thorns in our fingers while trying to peel the darn stuff, (even though we burned most of the thorns off over an open flame, first), it actually didn't taste too bad; sort of like bland squash, since most of the flavor is in the breading, anyway. This was about 40 years ago, so I don't remember exactly how it tasted, but I would point out that we never did it again, so I have to conclude that either it wasn't the tastiest treat that we ever consumed, or it was more trouble to prepare than it was worth.
As far as nutrition is concerned, it must have some nutritional value, because during severe droughts, ranchers use huge propane burners mounted on tractors to burn the thorns off several acres of prickly pear each day, in order to provide something for the cattle to eat. Deer like them too, and as soon as they hear the roar of the propane burner, they come running and wait for the tractor to finish, then move in and munch on the pads among the cattle. It's also a source of water, when no other water is available because of drought.
It contains a significant amount of vitamin C, magnesium and calcium, but other than that, as you can see by the chart at the site at the link below, prickly pear is mostly fiber (and water). Of course, nutritional analyses are based on the fruit (called "tuna" in Spanish), rather than the pads.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fru ... ces/2039/2
This site gives rave reviews for prickly pear, however:
http://www.azcentral.com/health/diet/ar ... y0531.html
Tex
It's very common west of I35, (except for extreme West Texas -- west of the Pecos), and it's extremely thick in many pastures in South Texas. Years ago, when I hunted in South Texas, east of Laredo (near Encinal), except for bacon and eggs for breakfast, for the other meals we often cooked whatever was available off the land. One night when we were having grilled javelina (peccary), we peeled, cut into strips and fried some prickly pear pads just to see what they were like. Outside of the problem of getting many thorns in our fingers while trying to peel the darn stuff, (even though we burned most of the thorns off over an open flame, first), it actually didn't taste too bad; sort of like bland squash, since most of the flavor is in the breading, anyway. This was about 40 years ago, so I don't remember exactly how it tasted, but I would point out that we never did it again, so I have to conclude that either it wasn't the tastiest treat that we ever consumed, or it was more trouble to prepare than it was worth.
As far as nutrition is concerned, it must have some nutritional value, because during severe droughts, ranchers use huge propane burners mounted on tractors to burn the thorns off several acres of prickly pear each day, in order to provide something for the cattle to eat. Deer like them too, and as soon as they hear the roar of the propane burner, they come running and wait for the tractor to finish, then move in and munch on the pads among the cattle. It's also a source of water, when no other water is available because of drought.
It contains a significant amount of vitamin C, magnesium and calcium, but other than that, as you can see by the chart at the site at the link below, prickly pear is mostly fiber (and water). Of course, nutritional analyses are based on the fruit (called "tuna" in Spanish), rather than the pads.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fru ... ces/2039/2
This site gives rave reviews for prickly pear, however:
http://www.azcentral.com/health/diet/ar ... y0531.html
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Very interesting.
From what you said about the lack of much flavor in the pads, and what the site I just read said...about the bland pads tasting like green beans, I was reminded of the time a friend (whose mother was from Mexico) fixed me an authentic Mexican dinner.
One of the sides she had was cactus, cut up to look almost like French cut green beans. Don't remember their having a whole
lot of flavor, but everything else did. Do you suppose these were from the same prickly pear cactus plant?
By the way, when we traveled somewhere in the car one day, she told me that a Mexican family lived in a particular house.
Asked her how she knew that, and she said, "Because of the cactus growing by the side door." Thought that was so neat!
You would think I would've known that, given where I grew up...well...duh.
The soda's flavoring must've come from the prickly pear plant's fruit since it had a very definite, albeit unique, flavor. Still wondering how I happened to remember this fruit's unique flavor. It's in my head somewhere. Must've been waaaay back yonder.
Anyway, you have triggered a memory from my past that might otherwise never have come to my consciousness again.
No wonder foods connect us to our past.
From what you said about the lack of much flavor in the pads, and what the site I just read said...about the bland pads tasting like green beans, I was reminded of the time a friend (whose mother was from Mexico) fixed me an authentic Mexican dinner.
One of the sides she had was cactus, cut up to look almost like French cut green beans. Don't remember their having a whole
lot of flavor, but everything else did. Do you suppose these were from the same prickly pear cactus plant?
By the way, when we traveled somewhere in the car one day, she told me that a Mexican family lived in a particular house.
Asked her how she knew that, and she said, "Because of the cactus growing by the side door." Thought that was so neat!
You would think I would've known that, given where I grew up...well...duh.
The soda's flavoring must've come from the prickly pear plant's fruit since it had a very definite, albeit unique, flavor. Still wondering how I happened to remember this fruit's unique flavor. It's in my head somewhere. Must've been waaaay back yonder.
Anyway, you have triggered a memory from my past that might otherwise never have come to my consciousness again.
No wonder foods connect us to our past.