
It has no spines either and is completely smooth. The fruit is similar to the dragon fruit but much smaller. The Peruvian apple cactus produces small bright pink fruit with a white flesh and crunchy seeds inside.
#Best cacti drink flavor skin
Alternatively, you can peel off the skin and slice the fruit up to use in a fruit salad or smoothie. You just cut it open and then scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Dragon fruit is high in fiber and magnesium, so it does offer some nutritional value.ĭue to its lack of spines, dragon fruit is really simple to eat. Once cut open, it reveals a white pulp with tiny black seeds. The fruit has bright red skin and green scales. You’ll actually find dragon fruit freely available at grocery stores. The Dragon fruit also known as Pitaya is another form of cactus that is perfectly edible and delicious. The flowers and buds of the barrel cactus are also edible but they need to be handled carefully to avoid the spines. The fruit itself has no spines but the flowers at the end of the fruit do so you have to be careful to remove these without getting pricked. The Barrel cactus produces heaps of tiny pineapple-like fruit that are perfectly edible and have a slightly tart flavor. The best time to harvest them is when they have colored significantly but before they start to open.

The fruits will ripen on the cactus and eventually open up to expose the juicy pulp within. The bright red fruits (when ripe) are normally produced right at the top of the plant so they can be difficult to harvest. The blossoms are the state wildflower of Arizon. This is the tree-like cactus that is found in the desert. Be sure to keep your gloves on until you’re sure that you’ve removed all the spines. Remember, there are large spines around the edges of the pad but also smaller spines along the fleshier lengths. Once harvested, you need to remove the spines with a vegetable peeler. Choose young, green pads as these will be the tastiest. To harvest these, hold the pad with a pair of tongs and cut off at the base with a sharp knife. The leaves or pads of the prickly pear are used in many Mexican dishes and can be eaten raw, grilled or even roasted. Before using them you have to remove both the prickly skin and the millions of small hard seeds inside. These are commonly used for jellies and syrups. The ripe fruit of the prickly pear can be harvested by grabbing them with a pair of tongs and then gently twisting them off the plant. The thorns can cause a lot of pain if you happen to snag one. The most important thing to remember is to never touch any parts of the cactus with your bare hands. A bag or bowl to put the harvested pieces into.Harvesting the edible portions of this cactus can be quite challenging because of the many thorns but there are ways you can do this safely. You can eat both the fruit and the green pads of the plant.

Here, we’re going to look at the most popular edible cacti, one by one. What Are The Best Cacti To Harvest And Eat?Īs I mentioned, most cactus fruits are edible but while some are very tasty, others are best left alone.
#Best cacti drink flavor how to
Let’s explore some of the best edible cacti and how to prepare them. You’ll most likely be familiar with the prickly pear which is used widely in Mexico in many local dishes. The most commonly harvested cactus fruits belong to the Opuntia family of which there are over 200 species. You just have to learn which cactus fruits are edible and how to prepare them. With some species you can eat other parts of the plant as well. You might be surprised to learn that you can eat the fruit of many species of cactus.
