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| Bird damage to nopal fruit called tunas in Mexican Spanish. Bird damage to cactus fruits is a good indicator tunas will have good quality for human consumption. Tunas are high in vitamin C. |
Q. I have a large cactus garden in my front yard and much
fruit. My cactus are the”bunny
ears” type. Is the fruit of this
type good to eat and does it have health benefits? I am a retired teacher and just read your
article on cactus fruit. I have made
jelly from them in the past. I suffer
with Crohn’s disease and wonder if this fruit is comparable to the Nepolia
(sp?) health drink that costs so much. Since Crohn’s is an auto immune illness,
I wonder if this fruit has some good anti-inflammatory properties? Thank you
for your time and any help you can give me.
A. Sorry to hear about your health concerns. The fruit
would definitely be edible BUT not all Opuntia
type cacti are as desirable as others for eating. The nopal cactus is also a
“bunny ears” type but the fruit may not be as edible.
would definitely be edible BUT not all Opuntia
type cacti are as desirable as others for eating. The nopal cactus is also a
“bunny ears” type but the fruit may not be as edible.
In some
nopal cactus the sugar content may be as high as 30% which would rival fully
mature wine grapes in sugar content. I normally will get about 16 to 18% which
would rival a really good apple or peach.
nopal cactus the sugar content may be as high as 30% which would rival fully
mature wine grapes in sugar content. I normally will get about 16 to 18% which
would rival a really good apple or peach.
A good
indicator about whether it is going to be a good one is how the birds use the
fruit. If birds are devouring the fruit then it will have some really good
characteristics for human consumption. If the birds leave it alone, well… it
probably has low desirability.
indicator about whether it is going to be a good one is how the birds use the
fruit. If birds are devouring the fruit then it will have some really good
characteristics for human consumption. If the birds leave it alone, well… it
probably has low desirability.
So look
for bird damage to ripe fruit. Nopal or bunny ears cactus is selected for
edibility so not all of these cacti are as desirable as others for food.
for bird damage to ripe fruit. Nopal or bunny ears cactus is selected for
edibility so not all of these cacti are as desirable as others for food.
As far
as health benefits goes, I have heard that it is of course high in fiber
content, helps to lower cholesterol, helps reduce high blood pressure, is
normally high in Vit C (reds are the best) but I have not heard anything about
auto immune system benefits unless you want to count the Vit C content as part
of that. But I am no health expert and you would probably have to do some
digging in the literature online for that information. There are some good
papers out of the University of California with the University of Sonora on
this subject in the past.
as health benefits goes, I have heard that it is of course high in fiber
content, helps to lower cholesterol, helps reduce high blood pressure, is
normally high in Vit C (reds are the best) but I have not heard anything about
auto immune system benefits unless you want to count the Vit C content as part
of that. But I am no health expert and you would probably have to do some
digging in the literature online for that information. There are some good
papers out of the University of California with the University of Sonora on
this subject in the past.
Also if you want to start growing cactus for food you
will have to alter your irrigations to push new succulent growth starting in
about March. A deep irrigation every two weeks is all that is needed along with
a fertilizer application high in nitrogen in the spring. Compost applications
at the time of planting and on the surface each year will also help push new
growth.
will have to alter your irrigations to push new succulent growth starting in
about March. A deep irrigation every two weeks is all that is needed along with
a fertilizer application high in nitrogen in the spring. Compost applications
at the time of planting and on the surface each year will also help push new
growth.