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By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

One of my favorite plants of all time is cactus. Luckily for me, they grow abundantly here in Arizona! All of the different varieties and the unique shapes, sizes, and colors that they offer are always so cool to look at! But besides being visually pleasing, some varieties, prickly pear in particular, are actually edible and very nutritious too!

According to Hope Wilson, a dietician and nutritionist from the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension both the prickly pear fruits and the pads are edible and nutritious.

When it comes to the fruit of the prickly pear, peeling back the spiny outer skin reveals a soft, watermelon-flavored flesh that can be scooped out and used for jams or jellies, eaten plain, and more. These fruits are full of vitamin C, fiber, and other minerals, and are low in sodium, fat, and have zero cholesterol.

Wilson also says that the pads, on the other hand, are very hydrating, and taste sort of like a mix of green beans and okra. Tender pads harvested in the spring are the best, and can be grilled whole, or diced and sauteed, after the spines have been removed, of course! My grandma loves to cook Nopales, which is a Mexican dish comprised of diced prickly pear pads, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chiles all stewed together and eaten in corn tortillas.

While eating cactus might not be your thing, it’s still interesting that this spiny desert plant can offer so much nutrition! If you want to read some more about prickly pear cactus, check out this article from Fill Your Plate!