Prickly Pear

Opuntia humifusa

vegetable

Prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa, the cold-hardy Eastern species) is a low, sprawling paddle cactus, surprisingly hardy to about zone 4, grown for two foods: the flat green pads (nopales), eaten as a vegetable once the spines are removed, and the sweet, ruby-red fruits (tunas) that follow its big, satiny yellow flowers. The mucilaginous pad sap is also used on skin much like aloe. Tough, drought-proof, and architecturally striking, it asks only for sun and sharp drainage, slowly forming a spreading patch of paddles that flower beautifully in summer and fruit in late summer to fall.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

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🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Cochineal scale →

  White cottony patches on the pads hide the cochineal insect - scrape or hose them off and prune out badly infested pads

• Root rot →

  The main killer - plant only in gritty, sharply drained soil and water sparingly, never letting it sit wet

🌾 Harvest & storage

Harvest young, tender pads in spring and summer when they are about palm-sized and still bright and flexible, cutting them off with tongs and a knife; carefully scrape or burn off all spines and glochids before cooking them like a green bean or pepper. Pick the fruits when fully colored deep red and slightly soft in late summer to fall, again wearing gloves, then singe or scrub off the glochids before peeling. Both pads and fruit must be de-spined before use.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Prickly pear gives two foods: the pads (nopales), a mild, slightly tart, mucilaginous vegetable high in fiber and vitamin C eaten in eggs, salads, and tacos, and the sweet red fruit (tunas), juicy and full of antioxidants, eaten fresh or made into juice, syrup, and jelly. The pad gel is also used on skin. Both parts must have their spines and tiny glochids removed first.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Handle with care. Both the pads and the fruit are covered in tiny barbed spines (glochids) that lodge in skin - use tongs and thick gloves, and singe or carefully peel off all the glochids before eating.