Living in oh-so-humid Florida, I hadn't thought of my yard
as a suitable place to grow cactus. They grow in the desert, right? My narrow
mindset was challenged one day at the beach as I wandered barefoot in a dune
area. After accidently stepping on a baby cactus, I became hyper-perceptive to all the small cacti underfoot. If these cacti weren't native, they were
certainly quite at home in coastal Florida. I also had a vague notion that
expanses of cactus were good forage for cattle. Even if cactus grew well here,
I wasn't disposed toward planting edibles for ruminants.
All that changed, when I was gifted a couple of cactus paddles. I was told that this particular variety was spineless and almost glochid-free. That sat well with me. Glochids are the invisible, hair-like, barbed spines that can lodge in the unsuspecting handler. In case I needed to weed around the base of the plant, I'd rather not be attacked by lurking spines. My benefactor assured me that the leaves were edible. This particular variety was also easy to prepare, since I wouldn't have to burn or cut any spines off, just give each surface a solid rubdown.
I put the gifted paddle in the ground, butt-side down. I may
have watered it once or twice. It took root and grew slowly at first. A year or
two later, feeling a bit guilty that I had not eaten any; I picked some, taking
it out for an inaugural spin on my dinner plate. I read that in Mexico, they
grill cactus paddle, also called nopales there. I brushed some oil on a medium-sized
paddle, threw it on the griddle, turned it over, grilled it some more, and
sprinkled it with salt. It tasted a bit like green beans, but with a citrus spark. Not bad.
With no maintenance whatsoever, the plant kept on growing.
With a seemingly never-ending source of cactus, I was determined to find
further culinary uses. As a big-time salad eater, I suspected that it would
work well in a salad. When raw, the paddles are mucilaginous, fairly bland, and crunchy. Cut
into large pieces, I didn't care for them. But cut into smaller pieces, the
thinner, younger paddles add a fun texture. The thicker, older paddles start to
get a little fibrous; so texture-wise, they are a great substitute for celery
in a salad. Celery is hard to grow in Florida, due to its consistent need for
cooler temps and lots and lots of water.
Although I continue to enjoy cactus in salads, my favorite
use is cooked with an egg. I can add some chopped paddles to an omelet. They go
together beautifully. I also enjoy the reverse, where I add a thin layer of egg
to some fried chopped paddles. Before adding the egg, fry the chopped paddles
in garlic, onion, turmeric, rosemary, salt, red pepper, or whatever you might
have in the garden or in your kitchen. As the eggs cook, add some cheese, if
you are so inclined.
Cactus has now settled comfortably into my diet. As it turns out, it's healthy as well. The U.S Department of Agriculture has
assembled a nifty webpage to look up the nutrients of various foods. Most of
the uncommon foods I grow are not there. Many thanks to the USDA for adding
cactus a
couple of months ago. It's high in fiber and antioxidants. I predict that when nutrition experts add slime to the list of nutrients they measure, cactus paddles will be considered a superfood. Until then, online it is reputed to help with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and hangovers, but without much research to back it up.
My sweetheart took notice of this new food in our diet and started experimenting on his own. He has perfected a breakfast preparation of cheesy grits chock full of cactus paddle. I have also successfully used young cactus paddles to thicken up a smoothie. Some people juice it, but I have never tried that. If you decide to boil the cactus, in a soup or stew for example, there is a trick to getting rid of the mucilaginous quality you may encounter. Just as you have cooked the cactus sufficiently, add a pinch of baking soda. It will fizz up and the sliminess will be gone. Do note that if you add too much baking soda or you use too small a pot, it may froth up so much that the pot overflows.
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I do have one regret. I did not keep the cactus plant thinned enough and it now resembles a one-plant forest. At one point, it was threatening the lanai frame that it had grown up against and we had to hack it down a bit. I have since started two new plants that I intend to keep rather small. I will see how well they produce, before cutting down the forest.
A single cactus plant flowering madly (Nopalea cochinellifera) |
For my friends in colder regions:
Although the cactus I grow takes the heat in stride, you can find varieties that live through freezing winters. Cacti grow from Alaska down to southern South America. My guess is that cactus is a hardy plant, but each variety is hardy in its own way. They all seem to be drought-tolerant, so they are great to grow if you live in a part of the world that faces lengthening droughts as part of climate chaos. Check that the specific variety you intend to grow is edible.
Although the cactus I grow takes the heat in stride, you can find varieties that live through freezing winters. Cacti grow from Alaska down to southern South America. My guess is that cactus is a hardy plant, but each variety is hardy in its own way. They all seem to be drought-tolerant, so they are great to grow if you live in a part of the world that faces lengthening droughts as part of climate chaos. Check that the specific variety you intend to grow is edible.
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