If you are of Mexican descent, you are already familiar with nopales, which are the pads of the prickly pear cactus, opuntia ficus-indica. On its elder pads, this species also develops the spiky, reddish-purplish-green “pears, which are a topic for another day.
At addition to, of course, Mexican markets, you may get them already peeled, chopped, and bagged in some generic supermarkets. Or perhaps you know someone who wouldn’t mind you snatching a few young pads off of them. This cactus is commonplace in this area. Use flexible, new, and new pads. Older ones are unusable and woody.
Wear rubber gloves if you choose to harvest your own food. The needles on the pads are really uncomfortable. You must remove the little spine clusters before cooking. Lay the pad flat on a cutting board and scrape the surface beginning where it connected to the main cactus and moving in the direction of the round end with a sharp carving knife held almost parallel to the pad’s surface.
The green skin in between the clusters of spines can be left on, but you must cut and scrape closely enough to get rid of all the spiny growth. Your hand shouldn’t feel any hard lumps that might be spine roots when you run it over the scraped side of the pads.
After scraping the pad on both sides, use a vegetable peeler to remove any small growths and spines from the pad’s edges all the way around.
Similar to okra, nopales have a thick, sticky fluid that will cook off. They taste something like bell peppers, light, lemony, and somewhat acidic.
The pads are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. With almost no fat or sugar, one cup has 14 calories, 1.14 grams of protein, and nearly 2 grams of fiber.
After removing the spines, cut the pads into 3/4-inch long strips. Then, cut these strips in half crosswise to create 1-inch pieces. After washing them in a sieve to remove some of the slick juice, allow them to drain.
Once cooked, you may mix them with tomatoes and boiled potato cubes to form a side dish or add them to dishes like huevos rancheros, tacos, burritos, and fajitas. Add some melted queso on the top for an added delight. Or ask your Latina friends what their preferred methods are for preparing nopales.
This recipe is a nourishing culinary gem that our Mexican friends share with everyone in the West and Southwest. Don’t be intimidated by those prickly pads. You are capable of completing this.
Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil, the chopped nopales, onion halves, and 2 crushed garlic cloves to a large pan set over medium-high heat.
Add the water after the juices from the pads are running. Over the following 20 minutes, stir regularly until the liquid resembles a thicker sauce. heat to a medium setting.
Add two more tablespoons of oil, two minced garlic cloves, two sliced jalapenos, and one-half teaspoon of the salt at this point. Mix by stirring.
15 minutes longer of cooking at medium heat during which time the oregano leaves were added.
For the final 15 minutes of cooking if making a side dish, add the diced tomatoes and potatoes.
Is cactus peeled before being cooked?
If you have never used nopales before, cleaning and preparing them may seem difficult. In actuality, cleaning them can initially seem a little intimidating. I can’t wait till fresh nopales that have been cleaned and diced are widely accessible in grocery shops here in the US, just like they are in Mexico. But allow me to teach you a few things while that is happening.
First, while choosing them, look for paddles that are bright green and sturdy despite being soft. Although large ones are very tasty, smaller paddles are more sensitive.
If it’s your first time cleaning them, you might wish to wear plastic gloves. Use cold water to rinse, being mindful of the thorns. Although nopales are finicky and have nearly imperceptible thorns, a good indicator is that anywhere there is a bump, there may be a thorn. After removing the bumps and thorns with a vegetable peeler or small, sharp knife, just like you would with asparagus, repeat the rinsing process. You may wish to lean the nopales against a cutting board. Keep as much of the outer, dark green skin as you can; there’s no need to completely remove it.
Trim about 1/4 inch from the edges and about 1/2 inch from the heavy base of the paddle by laying it flat on a cutting surface. If it will be grilled, served as asada, or used as a mounting platform, slice it into any shape or size. Otherwise, leave it whole. Since I generally use them for salads and soups, I often chop them into little squares and rectangles.
There are various ways to prepare them. How to get rid of the gelatinous liquid that they release as they cook is a major concern for newcomers. In addition to cooking them in salted water, other methods include include ingredients such tomatillo husks, scallion tops, baking soda, and even a copper coin that are said to be beneficial. Regardless of how you boil them, you must repeatedly drain and rinse them afterward.
Aside than grilling, my preferred method of preparing them is to sear them in a little oil for a few minutes, cover the pan while cooking until all the liquid is out, and then uncover the pan to finish cooking. comparable to cooking mushrooms It not only works, but it also lends a pleasant seared flavor to just about any oil, and you don’t need to drain and rinse it again. Try it out after reading the detailed instructions below!
Cactus Spines Overview
The Southwest features a cactus with those thorny spines that carry a sharp punch, which is your enemy when hiking there.
I adore cacti and am frequently spotted on the trail taking pictures of them, especially young barrel cacti.
However, despite how “cute and “beautiful they are, a slip or a brush against one can result in some discomfort. Or the severe discomfort a woman had in Sedona after falling into a large area of cacti that lodged their “needles all over her body Four of us were using tweezers to assist her in getting rid of them.
The two different kinds of “thorns” or “needles” on cacti are called glochids and spines.
Cactus Spines
The enormous spines are “cactus needles that can be easily seen with the naked eye from a distance of a few feet.
This is the “Good ones are the ones that are the simplest to get rid of. In some cases, you can remove the spines by yourself rather than using your cactus first aid kit.
If you decide to remove a spine by hand, proceed with extreme caution to avoid pushing it in or breaking the spine, both of which will make the process more difficult.
Cactus Glochids
Glochids are the needles that resemble hair and that you can see when you are close to a cactus. Because they are so small, they may be difficult to see, and they may enter in groups, these are the ones that can be the most difficult to remove “Normally, needles include a barb, which makes it challenging to remove them.
DO NOT attempt to manually remove glochids! Tweezers or a combination of tweezers and a pair of tweezers should be used to remove this “putty patch
A microscopic focal stack of 21 images of a cholla cactus spine reveals the barbs that make removal agonizingly painful.
How Do You Treat Cactus Wounds
Once all of the spines or glochids have been taken out, clean the wound well and apply an antibiotic ointment. Try to wrap the places with a bandage, gauze, and tape if you have them, especially if you’re in a “dirty location.”
If your wound(s) are itching or in discomfort, use your best judgment when choosing a medication and think about utilizing a topical solution and/or an over-the-counter choice like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
What Happens if You Leave a Cactus Needle In
What goes in must eventually come out. If that tiny pimple appears at the site of the cut, it might unfortunately be a painful process. Typically, that indicates that it has reached the surface of the skin, and you should be able to get rid of it by carefully pressing the pimple out with your fingers after emptying it.
Are Cactus Needles Dangerous
Although cactus spines are not toxic to people or animals, if they are left in or are not properly cared for, there is a potential that the wound area will become infected.
There is a possibility that something on the spine, such germs, might possibly result in an infection.
How to Remove Cactus Spines
Use a pair of needle-nose tweezers to remove as many spines and glochids as you can if you are unable to remove them by hand. If there is any Elmer’s Glue remaining, spread it over the affected area and cover it with gauze while it dries, which takes around 30 minutes.
Duct Tape
Because it can be used for so many different things, like fixing malfunctioning equipment temporarily and mending torn clothes, duct tape is a particularly useful tool to bring in your backpack. I keep a little roll in my rucksack and a small quantity attached to my hiking poles.
Forcep Tweezer With Pointed Tips
When you need to remove spines and glochids precisely, tweezers with pointy tips are more useful than those with slant tips.
You can purchase them online or in the beauty section of your preferred retail establishment.
Finding a “combo kit with sharp tip tweezers and a magnification is something I advise.
Tweezer With Magnifier from Amazon, REI, and Walmart can be seen in the combo set from these online merchants.
Lighter or Matches to “Disinfect the Items
It’s advised to keep a tiny lighter on hand at all times in case you need to start a fire or clean the tools you’ll be using to remove the spines in an emergency.
Learn more about the 10 Essentials for the Southwest Hiker to bring in case of emergencies.
Elmer’s Glue-All
This is one of the most frequently advised methods for removing cactus spines and glochids when used in conjunction with gauze.
Because it’s so difficult to locate little bottles, I always take a 4-ounce bottle about with me, even though it’s bigger than I need. Amazon is the only place I could discover to buy them. View the Elmer’s Glue-All 1.25 ounce container.
I’ve only used Elmer’s Glue-All, the “all-purpose kind,” not the kid-friendly washable variety.
Wound Wash
Since we typically don’t bring soap and water to keep our hands clean, this is a challenging one to undertake while hiking.
We will rinse the area with water from our hydration bladders to get rid of any debris.
Disinfecting Items With Fire
Heat your instruments with a lighter until the metal becomes red for the quickest and most effective way to “disinfect” them. Once it gets red, let it cool and then begin the removal process of the intrusive object (s).
If you don’t have a lighter, see if you have alcohol wipes in your first aid box.
Antibiotics and Antihistamines
Most people advise keeping antibiotics in your cactus first aid kit, but we go a step further and recommend including an over-the-counter antihistamine to help with any reactions you might have to the unpleasant skin invader.