CactiGuide.com

First off....HI! Im LLLcacti, Pleasure to meet you all.

I was wondering about Cactus flowers(other succulent flowers as well!) However, seeing as how opuntia cactus are dominant in the Texas region I'd Like to ask.

Are all opuntia cactus flowers edible?

This bookhttp://bigbendbookstore.org/store/index ... cts_id=189 says that they are. I just have the habit of finding several sources of information to corroborate the story before I believe and eat.

They are, but why bother...unless you are a cow or tortoise?

Call me crazy, but I have a lust for eating flowers in salads. not to mention it fits right in with my wildcrafting lifestyle. Beyond that I have a few recipes for making cactus flower wine....If I'm already in the business of collecting for food an extra bit for drink wont hurt.

tumamoc wrote:They are, but why bother...unless you are a cow or tortoise?

thats a tiny bit harsh...
why not give it a go?

madaboutsnails wrote: why not give it a go?

Dont worry! Im addicted to wild-crafting. Always have been, always will be(I've heard it all a million times over ) The fever started back when I was a little kid and I caught and cooked my own fish....the next day I had fish-sticks and they tasted like (feces) so I realized why eat crappy food that doesnt taste good and costs me money? when I can eat excellent top quality food that is free!

I wonder, do you also eat the fruit (tuna) and the pad (nopal)? I have heard of people eating pumpkin and squash blossoms and making a tea out of a specific hibiscus flower, but I had no idea, that the prickly pear flower had any importance when it comes to human nutrition.
I live at the U.S.-Mexican border and both the prickly pear fruit and the pads are eaten by the local population.

Harald

Extra-late...
You get spines in your tongue if you eat the fruits from opuntia, I smashed the fruit and made a saucy-like thing, and my tongue hurt like hell... the worst part? You can in no way possible get the spines out... Dumb me

There are ways to avoid getting Opuntia spp. spines and glochids from the prickly pear fruit and stem segment into your mouth. I did try a "tuna" (fruit) some time ago and also ended up having a few tiny glochids embedded in my tongue.
My supervisor does eat tunas and I give him all he can handle. He places the fruit on a paper towel and then proceeds to cut off the tip and the sides. After that he just plops the fruit into his mouth. In Mexico the fruit is tumbled, which removes almost all glochids, especially, if you either blow or wash the fruit to get rid of any that may still stick to the surface.
When it comes to eating the "nopal" (pad), only the very young stem pieces are used. Most likely, certain cultivars are preferred. Young stem growth oftentimes does not have any strong spines. Those that are present are cut off with a knife.

Harald

I personally don't care much for the skin anyway, but if I feel inclined I usually scrape them all good with a knife. After a final ribse under the faucet on full I've found very few glochids in my tongue. But usually I just scrape the insides out. I find right around the seeds to be the best part.