EatTheWeeds: Episode 16: Cactus, Opuntia

[Stillwater900]

Before I was 21, I made a wine with the juice of the fruit and bread machine yeast lol! The best way to juice the fruit is a centrifugal juicer, you dont even have to worry about the glochids at all. Centrifugal juicers are the ones that macerate the fruit and spin it very fast, like a washing machine

Our nopales taste pretty bad, like slimy sour cucumber... Are yours any better?

[WesternBushcraft]

I like those ones A LOT better then the ones in Texas!!!!!!!!!

[moreeso]

we eat only the fruits here in middle east without cooking at all , they r one of the best , thanx for the vid

[godgrant123]

When taking a bit for the tortoises, do you cut all plant or just a part?

[shelties100998]

oh yeah and he never wears gloves while peeling the skin away...

[shelties100998]

my father said you can make soap, and tea, and etc with the leaves

and he makes a very delicious drink in the summer with them by cutting away the skin on the fruit, adding soda, and then letting it steep in the refrigerator for a couple days and we just chew the seeds, he also grew some in a pot by adding 3 little seeds from the fruit and its sprouting!

[Animehem]

how can i get the spines off of my gloves. not the big ones. the spines that are hardly visible and turn skin red and cause itching

[EatTheWeeds]

@Animehem Duct tape works well.

[Animehem]

@EatTheWeeds thankyou very much for your quick reply

[bonesword98]

great vid

[zbyrdman]

I've been studying wild foods for a couple years now and this is the first time i've found your video's they are very informative many thnx for making them 

[EatTheWeeds]

@zbyrdman Thanks. I wish I could redo some of them... one does get better over time.

[RonRay]

What I've found is, the big spines are not the BIG problem... I just pull those out. It's those little tiny spines, or "fuzz" that really gets to me! The slightest touch drives you crazy and you can just barely see them! Wearing cloth gloves only delays the torture, unless you throw them away immediately! I got into them as a child... looked like I had a real fine, short beard. Ever since, I have had a near phobia of that "Fierce Fuzz"!

[EatTheWeeds]

@RonRay Duct tape is good at taking out the glochids.

[RonRay]

@EatTheWeeds

"glochids"... So THAT is what those tiny spines are called!

Thanks!

[wheelori814]

ive never seen any cacti in michigan either. Well, except grown in pots in homes.

[digdugdiggy]

GREEN BEAN RULES!

[weiliiiiiii]

I have no problem with you, love your vids and have learned a great deal from them. I just think once we close ourselves off from learning more knowledge then we are done for.

God Bless.

[weiliiiiiii]

Thank you for removing my comment, go figure you try to help someone out and they do this to you. If you are stuck in your ways then don't post vids to help others out, it shows you are not willing to continue to learn, and one should always seek knowledge. I was just saying you pronounced Opuntia wrong, I am a mycologist and know the Latin names very well, I also own a cacti nursery and its a must for me to know the correct way to pronounce the Genus/Species name.

[EatTheWeeds]

I didn't remove your comment. It just a little farther down.

[weiliiiiiii]

Very nice.

[weiliiiiiii]

Ive talked to many cacti experts and have never heard Opuntia pronounced that way.

[EatTheWeeds]

Which word? Do you mean the Latinized version? There is Roman Latin, English Latin, and some of us who don't like Greek being bastardized by Latin and prefer the Greek pronunciation.

[GodlyVayne]

i had prickly pear cactus fruit at pathfinder ranch here in cali about 6 years back. it was goooood :)

[anadec4cactus]

Thank you very much for this special video about prickly pear cactus.

Hapy to inform you that the 7th inetrnational congress on cactus pear will be hold in morocco next october

[sycth10]

What about Alaska??

[EatTheWeeds]

Yes, even Alaska. Only Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont do not have native cactus.

[DanielManahan]

I buy the cactus fruit in the market, and peel it, eat the center. but I throw away a lot of the fruit skin. Why can't I cook the fruit skin just as I would the pad? seems like a waste if not.

[EatTheWeeds]

You can eat the skin, it it is a matter of taste.

[b1gje55e]

Living in Central Texas we have an obundance of cacti. Another use for the fruit is the drink, which if drank 5 hours before consuming alcohol will prevent hangovers. But the way I see it is, if you're preparing for a hangover, you might have larger issues at hand. Thanks for all the vids.

[Khono]

My dad had an uprooted prickly pear that was tossed at the side of the driveway. It was there for years and, last I saw, was still alive and growing. These plants are very impressive.

[EatTheWeeds]

And if society falls apart, very edible...

[Khono]

Mmm yes, if we use up all our remaining accumulated groundwater and change the climate to the point where we get very little rain, these guys'll be one of the few left to feed us :) They're already pretty vulnerable down there in the Rio Grande Valley, when their reservoir runs dry there's not much they can do. Tie that in with ridiculous government policies like destroying nature preserves to build a border fence and we'll be needing all the help we can get.

[EatTheWeeds]

Have you searched your tube for FeralKevin (no spaces) He's in your area (San Fran) and knows a lot about edibles et cetea.

[MyOwnStickFigure]

Wonderful. We've got a HUGE catcus plant growing wild in the neighborhood. I am doing some research before I start to forage it. This video really helped. I love making raw catcus and avocado soup, thank you for this blessed offering/video.

[EatTheWeeds]

Check it out... just make sure it does not have white sap and that it is edible...cactus can be an acquired taste... also allow for allergies... try only a tiny amount at first.

[MyOwnStickFigure]

Thank you. I am learning a lot from your videos. I am in Northern, CA in a hill/countryside area near some small creeks and wildlife parks. There's an abundance of wild plants around here but I am not sure exactly what is what so I have been hesitant to pick anything which is why I'm trying to educate myself first. Thank you for your educational and helpful channel!

[EatTheWeeds]

I have several on my property, fruits as a treat, pads for dinner.

[Kirinluke]

Opuntias are all over the place where I live and people are just using them for decoration. They have no idea how delicious they are! I planted a pad in my back yard and I can't wait until its ready to feed me.

[pillbug123]

another great vid. I tried to burn off the glochis/spines of the fruit over a fire and was unsuccesful. What did I do wrong? Also, can you drop the fruit in a vitamix/blender with skin on for a smoothie after spine removal?

[EatTheWeeds]

The tiny glochids usually can be removed best by a high-pressure stream of water, like from a garden hose with a small nozzle. Running them over a flame is insurance. They can also be cut out and then hit with water and fire. Large spines need to be burned off or cut out.

[EatTheWeeds]

High-pressure water works, as does passing them over a fire and singeing them off... Yes, you can blends them but the green glop is not too appetizing.

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks. I had fun with the torch. Let me add that a lot of edible cactus have tiny spines called glochis that resemble little tuffs of hair. A high stream of water or burning is the best way to get rid of them.

[yardsnacker]

Excellent!