The tip to processing is to freeze the tunas and then squeeze them in a cloth bag of sorts and the juice will flow into a bowl for use. no waste or time spent peeling and seeding
Mexican here! My family comes from the desert with these things aaaaaaall over the place, and we've been eating them for generations. You're supposed to peel and eat the whole thing, which is how most native people in the areas these grow in eat them. It's not difficult at all. You just chew it without crunching your teeth down on the seeds. "Most people just use the juice or make jelly candies", HA I've never in my life seen anyone make lemonade or "jelly candy" out of these.
My neighbors are a Mexican family that moved here and they make cactus pear jelly. Maybe not where youre from but apparently it's popular where they're from
I remember eating this fruit in South Texas and Mexico with my grandma when I was little. I finally found some at my local grocer in central Indiana and this video definitely helped remember how to eat prickly pears! Thanks!
yeah in mexico they are very popular, especially in small villages where nopales (cactus) grow. Just watch out and don't eat more than 2 or 3 because too many seeds can cause constipation (yes you eat the seeds!)
I love getting them with my mom because we cut them up and eat them like that! The seeds are hard but the seed are beneficial for the body. I love eating cactus pears
I bought a red one from a grocery store in Peterborough, Ontario to try it. I found the fruit inside delicious. I put it in the fridge for a few hours. Having it cold is refreshing.
believe it or not, i live in new england and have prickly pear cactus growing in my back yard! the cactus pears make an excellent wine! it's quite a bit of work, but well worth it!!!
Hello! Just so you know, to harvest these from a plant the easiest way is to grab a windproof torch or lighter and burn all of the hairs off, but use the ones with a long neck. I love cactus pears and I hope to finally grow one in my backyard! try this juice with lemonade and it makes for a super refreshing drink
Wow! you've introduced me to a new fruit, one I have never heard of. Isn't the world a wonderful place, still so much to discover :) Very informative as always. Steve
Yes, I love them, we used pick and eat them all we used is a tin, stick, knife and fork and be careful... they taste ever better cold from the fridge haven't had one in years lol don't eat too many (lived in the Orange Free State)
They weren't cleaned off at my store, I grabbed one off the shelf at Price Chopper, and had to buy some tweezers WHILE I WAS THERE to get the spines out.
This is an ordinary fruit for my family, we make jam/jelly out of these. Quite a bit of work BUT MY GOD YOU WILL NEVER WANT ANY OTHER THING TO SPREAD ON YOUR BREAD lol
Oh my goodness, lol, you cut too much off! All that is going to waste. I only PEEL mine and take off a very thin layer as if peeling an apple. The rest of the fruit including the SEEDS are good for you! Eat the WHOLE fruit!!!
In Arizona there is prickly pear stuff all over...its so amazing...I miss it when Im back home in Canada. I just got some last night. Thanks for the pointers!
I live in the Chihuahuan desert of SW Texas. I have made hundreds of half pints of jelly from our native prickly pear cacti for over 10 years. I am puzzled this season as to why the dark red ripe fruit are still totally green inside when cut open. The seed area in the middle is red, but the entire surrounding pulp is green! We are in an extremely hot summer, more than the usual 100° typical temps. Could that be affecting the tunas? I cannot find this issue discussed anywhere. Thank you.
I tried to eat one of those out our yard where we used to live...it was terrible LOL. Now I know how to eat one and it might be a lot better peeled and the seeds removed!
4:51, haha, not me, I saw these in the market last Saturday for the first time in my life, I got so interested, I picked some up today. Hope they're ripe enough, will taste them tomorrow. :)
Those cacti are technically illegal in Australia because they grow like weeds when not properly tended. I’m planning to get one so I can have a drought resistant fruit garden. Already got a dragon fruit tree
LoL Replying to my own comment :) I just realized I have heard of the Cactus Pear. I grew up singing about it.. remember Jungle Book and Balou, ♪ If you pick a Paw Paw ♫ ♫ Or the Prickly Pear ♪ That made me smile any way, happy days :) Thumbs up for making me smile.
Lawd yt ppl and things they aren't used to. "Not like pomegranate seeds."I just had this for the first time today and the seeds were delicious! Eat em up.
You mentioned that you could 'brush' the spines off. What kind of brush do you use? Also, please tell me where I can get the kind of cactus that will grow these really big tunas. The cactus where i live (Texas) only has the small fruit.
i prefer most of my fruit farmers market fresh and ripe? so firm is relative because it's meant to be eaten within 1 to 2 days. so how firm is firm.? well done part of my hand like when i check for meat?
picked some up to day from the store and indeed it wasnt to plesant to eat. i wil try blitzing them up. Thanks for the vid.This year i wanna grow my produce in bucket do you have any tips on what to grow and what not? greatings from holland
Getting these yourself, you're going to want to de-spine them. There are few ways i've found to do this. Burn it, the spines burn away quickly. Simmer it, about 40 minutes will turn the spines into harmless noodles. Or tumble it, shake a few at a time in a metal strainer for a few minutes and it effectively removes 99% of the spines. i have also heard that the skin it the best part for you in terms of nutrients so juicing it with the skin on would be best, though it may make it more bitter.
Red Robin has a prickly pear lemonade! I really enjoy thiers so for quite a while I've been searching for some fruit of my own to try it. Thanks for the great how-to on peeling and using the fruit!
It depends on what variety of cactus you are growing. However, if it going to produce pears, that will be the place that they appear. You can see a great example of a pear cactus in my Robbins Ridge Ranch video. It should be listed under the Field Trip section.
It's bec ause you don't know how to eat them...your not supposed to bite on the seeds...you just break up the fruit with your mouth small enough and you swallow...
And in the movie On the Way to School, there was an african boy who grabbed the ripe, red fruits with his bear hands, obviously somewhere where there wasn't a needle spot, quickly chopped off the hairy needles, peeled back the skin and bit into the flesh.
+Waffle Waffleton not that stingy before sunrise, but if you are not going to eat them immediately, put them in a bowl/ bucket full of water to keep the thorns soft... still beware
Bianca Mari` IT seems that the softest thorns are actually the ones that are the most dangerous, since they're fricking impossible to see and impossible to get out too!
The tip to processing is to freeze the tunas and then squeeze them in a cloth bag of sorts and the juice will flow into a bowl for use. no waste or time spent peeling and seeding
I actually pick my own here in Texas and use them at my restaurant.
I know it's been 8 years since you posted this but what restaurant? I've been searching for a new place to eat!
Mexican here! My family comes from the desert with these things aaaaaaall over the place, and we've been eating them for generations. You're supposed to peel and eat the whole thing, which is how most native people in the areas these grow in eat them. It's not difficult at all. You just chew it without crunching your teeth down on the seeds. "Most people just use the juice or make jelly candies", HA I've never in my life seen anyone make lemonade or "jelly candy" out of these.
My neighbors are a Mexican family that moved here and they make cactus pear jelly. Maybe not where youre from but apparently it's popular where they're from
i prefer cutting them in half and scooping them out with a spoon. The juice is sticky and i dont like getting it on my hands, id rather drink it!
WARNING: DO NOT HANDLE WITH BARE HANDS!!!
Tiny prickles that you cannot see will give irritating splinters. Handle with gloves.
great i read this just after eating two of them bare handed then scratched my balls/ fondled my junk. now i feel it on my hands.
I learned that the hard way
Yep
Thanks for the warning but that reason is why I was looking for a video like this 😂😂😂 my fault tho should of googled before diving in
Use a small thin mesquite branch to smack it a few time to get the prickles off.
I remember eating this fruit in South Texas and Mexico with my grandma when I was little. I finally found some at my local grocer in central Indiana and this video definitely helped remember how to eat prickly pears! Thanks!
They're both delicious and taste differently. Don't try to chew the seeds, just swallow them. I love these things.
I probably should have posted this one last week with the photos of the ENORMOUS cactus pear displays that I posted. Let me know what you think.
I have purple pears cactus that looked ripe.outside my door.Is it alright to eat them at this month of October 28th and November?
yeah in mexico they are very popular, especially in small villages where nopales (cactus) grow. Just watch out and don't eat more than 2 or 3 because too many seeds can cause constipation (yes you eat the seeds!)
I love getting them with my mom because we cut them up and eat them like that! The seeds are hard but the seed are beneficial for the body. I love eating cactus pears
I bought a red one from a grocery store in Peterborough, Ontario to try it. I found the fruit inside delicious. I put it in the fridge for a few hours. Having it cold is refreshing.
I thank God for all the producer out there! May God bless you, protect you and give you peace! 🙏🏻
I got a spine on my thumb it was stuck there for about a month
believe it or not, i live in new england and have prickly pear cactus growing in my back yard! the cactus pears make an excellent wine! it's quite a bit of work, but well worth it!!!
lucky
Thank you!! Was wondering if the green ones I just bought were ripe or not! :)
Hello! Just so you know, to harvest these from a plant the easiest way is to grab a windproof torch or lighter and burn all of the hairs off, but use the ones with a long neck. I love cactus pears and I hope to finally grow one in my backyard! try this juice with lemonade and it makes for a super refreshing drink
Can I pick prickly pear off the cactus when it’s yellow, if not the birds take it. Lol. I like them ripe! Thank you.
Growing up in New Mexico my mom would make jelly out of them and I’m in my 50’s and I still harvest them and singe off the stickers and make jelly
Wow! you've introduced me to a new fruit, one I have never heard of. Isn't the world a wonderful place, still so much to discover :)
Very informative as always.
Steve
When I was young we lived on a farm in South Africa and had cactus plants on our property. We used to go pick the pears all the time!
Yes, I love them, we used pick and eat them all we used is a tin, stick, knife and fork and be careful... they taste ever better cold from the fridge haven't had one in years lol don't eat too many (lived in the Orange Free State)
They weren't cleaned off at my store, I grabbed one off the shelf at Price Chopper, and had to buy some tweezers WHILE I WAS THERE to get the spines out.
This is an ordinary fruit for my family, we make jam/jelly out of these. Quite a bit of work BUT MY GOD YOU WILL NEVER WANT ANY OTHER THING TO SPREAD ON YOUR BREAD lol
I know I'm replying 8 years late, but if you see this, may you lend me the recipe?
this fruit is result of a variety of cactus called Nopal, very popular here in mexico :D
Oh my goodness, lol, you cut too much off! All that is going to waste. I only PEEL mine and take off a very thin layer as if peeling an apple. The rest of the fruit including the SEEDS are good for you! Eat the WHOLE fruit!!!
Oh oh yeah they are edible! I used to pick them all the time.they are very popular around East Africa
How do they taste like?
Cactus pears are awesome! Love to eat them when hiking
When I lived in Sicily we always had prickly pear jam, it’s the best!
My son and I tried a red one for the first time today & enjoyed it very much...with seeds and all! :)
Love this fruit. Been pricked so many times though.
Thank you, I have seen those and didn't but since I wasn't sure what to do with them. Now I know!
In Arizona there is prickly pear stuff all over...its so amazing...I miss it when Im back home in Canada. I just got some last night. Thanks for the pointers!
They taste perfect either way green or red
I live in the Chihuahuan desert of SW Texas. I have made hundreds of half pints of jelly from our native prickly pear cacti for over 10 years. I am puzzled this season as to why the dark red ripe fruit are still totally green inside when cut open. The seed area in the middle is red, but the entire surrounding pulp is green! We are in an extremely hot summer, more than the usual 100° typical temps. Could that be affecting the tunas? I cannot find this issue discussed anywhere. Thank you.
I actually like the seeds
I tried to eat one of those out our yard where we used to live...it was terrible LOL. Now I know how to eat one and it might be a lot better peeled and the seeds removed!
What's the name of the cacti that grow the green pears? I'm gonna try and grow some at home. I don't like the red ones. They're too sweet.
.. Nopales, I think. I dunno
I love these, i buy them from a local produce vegi market. I prefer them with seeds, only way i eat em lol.
4:51, haha, not me, I saw these in the market last Saturday for the first time in my life, I got so interested, I picked some up today. Hope they're ripe enough, will taste them tomorrow. :)
how long does it take for the green to ripe by the counter?
Do the flower colors tell you how many spines?
Thanks for this vid. I just got a bunch on sale so I may try a few different ways of eating :)
I love the greens ones😋😋😋😋😋
WOW! Very interesting! Seen them but NEVER bought one.I will now! Great for juicing! Thanks produce guy!!
Those cacti are technically illegal in Australia because they grow like weeds when not properly tended. I’m planning to get one so I can have a drought resistant fruit garden. Already got a dragon fruit tree
Never had one of these before, they look delicious
these things grow everywhere in new mexico
What type of brush would you use to take the spines off?
That's not bad at all. Ours are about 1/3 that size. I'm in tucson too.
Excellent!!!!! always wondered how to eat!!!! Thanks a lot
youre supposed to eat the seeds whole; only the wild tuna skin too should be eaten to avoid pesticides etc; you can eat the cactus leaves too
Thanks for the video! Very informative
LoL Replying to my own comment :) I just realized I have heard of the Cactus Pear. I grew up singing about it.. remember Jungle Book and Balou,
♪ If you pick a Paw Paw ♫
♫ Or the Prickly Pear ♪
That made me smile any way, happy days :)
Thumbs up for making me smile.
The purple one I got was soft inside. I didn't have any problem with the seeds at all, It was soft, I swallowed the seeds.
Lawd yt ppl and things they aren't used to. "Not like pomegranate seeds."I just had this for the first time today and the seeds were delicious! Eat em up.
they actually taste awesome..they are just a pain with all the seeds..worth it tho..
Lol watching in 2020...I’ve got dark red fruit that’s green inside?
You mentioned that you could 'brush' the spines off. What kind of brush do you use? Also, please tell me where I can get the kind of cactus that will grow these really big tunas. The cactus where i live (Texas) only has the small fruit.
i prefer most of my fruit farmers market fresh and ripe? so firm is relative because it's meant to be eaten within 1 to 2 days. so how firm is firm.? well done part of my hand like when i check for meat?
picked some up to day from the store and indeed it wasnt to plesant to eat. i wil try blitzing them up. Thanks for the vid.This year i wanna grow my produce in bucket do you have any tips on what to grow and what not? greatings from holland
Getting these yourself, you're going to want to de-spine them. There are few ways i've found to do this. Burn it, the spines burn away quickly. Simmer it, about 40 minutes will turn the spines into harmless noodles. Or tumble it, shake a few at a time in a metal strainer for a few minutes and it effectively removes 99% of the spines. i have also heard that the skin it the best part for you in terms of nutrients so juicing it with the skin on would be best, though it may make it more bitter.
I bought them from Al Rancho and ate them , can’t chew the seed I swallow them 😅
Thank you so much for this!
Red Robin has a prickly pear lemonade! I really enjoy thiers so for quite a while I've been searching for some fruit of my own to try it. Thanks for the great how-to on peeling and using the fruit!
I don't find the seeds unpleasant at all, you can just swallow them whole or spit them out.
Ishaq Ballut
my cactus has yellow flowers on top. will these become pears?
It depends on what variety of cactus you are growing. However, if it going to produce pears, that will be the place that they appear. You can see a great example of a pear cactus in my Robbins Ridge Ranch video. It should be listed under the Field Trip section.
I'm guessing they're pretty sweet. They do look really nice, the cactus-ade sounds really mouthwatering XD
thanks so much for these great vids; exactly what I wanted to know!
When you toss these into the blender, is the juice u get kinda slimy?
Nopales oh that sounds heavenly right now :D
Thanks, produce guy!
All this is wrong... the greener the better.. its sweeter and less mushy. That's why the green one is yellow not red.
Great for inflammation!
you don't chew the seeds. you swallow them with the crushed fruit.
Found your Channel by this video
is there any difference in medicinal properties between green and red?
those are huge! compared to the ones in tucson!
I like this guy
It's bec ause you don't know how to eat them...your not supposed to bite on the seeds...you just break up the fruit with your mouth small enough and you swallow...
Those are massive tunas! What variety?
I've never seen them at my local store before. I really want to try one. :'(
Helpfull video! Looking forward for my Vegetable and Music Festival! :)
I rather eat it when it still looks green. I don't like the purple kind because it doesn't taste right.
I wish cactus apples grew to be this big in New Mexico D:
And in the movie On the Way to School, there was an african boy who grabbed the ripe, red fruits with his bear hands, obviously somewhere where there wasn't a needle spot, quickly chopped off the hairy needles, peeled back the skin and bit into the flesh.
+Waffle Waffleton not that stingy before sunrise, but if you are not going to eat them immediately, put them in a bowl/ bucket full of water to keep the thorns soft... still beware
Bianca Mari`
IT seems that the softest thorns are actually the ones that are the most dangerous, since they're fricking impossible to see and impossible to get out too!
pls come back man
you slightly mentioned using gloves. You should EMPHASIZE how much gloves are needed to pick this plant. The stores don't remove the prickleys
i never seen this fruit in my country. indonesia
thanks
why can't you ever use the original name of the things? the name is Tuna and it comes from the Nopal
thx or so help full. :)
Why didn’t show us how u eat😀
Tunas, their name are tunas ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Produce Guy... Can you eat a Joshua Tree?~
But please be careful! The skin has glochids which are tiny hair-like things that embed in skin and feel uncomfortable.
Please wear a mic. You sound like you are in an echo chamber and it is *really* hard to understand you as I am hearing-impaired. Thanks!
Dude, this is from 2012.
ya TUNAS
The guava fruit has found its cousin.
You eat the seeds just swallow them.
Get a lapel mike.
As usual the Americans came a little late! Now they discovered the cactus pears or better cactus figues!...
hahaha..its ok..just means ill have to stop being lazy and do a little research :0)
Compear :D