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Cleaning the Opuntia ficus-indica-prickly pear cactus


Cleaning the Opuntia ficus-indica-prickly pear cactus

This vegetable is called nopal and is made from the young segments of prickly pear, carefully peeled to remove the spines . Nopales are used in variety of mexican dishes.



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They're doing it with no protection on their hands ! :O
I hope they don't get those glochids in their fingers :o(

4 Mar, 2013

 

They have no gloves but they use holders or clips to hold and manipulate them. Sort of like a clothes pin but little bigger.

4 Mar, 2013

 

It's still a bit risky :o(

4 Mar, 2013

 

They're experts at it! lol!

This is widely sold in our markets. I'm not sure why anyone would buy it at a store here because it grows wild everywhere.

5 Mar, 2013

 

LOL. Maybe nobody wants to clean it? I see it in many forms around here, including canned and pickled.
I had it only once with eggs (huevos con nopal) but it suppose to be very rich in minerals such as madnesium ,calcium, manganese, ans some people swear on that it controls their diabetes :-)

5 Mar, 2013

 

Yes, I've read that it's very nutritious and has many medicinal properties.

I've never noticed if the ones sold in the stores here have their little needles.

5 Mar, 2013

 

They use clips and special knives to clean them. I sometimes watch them (to their amusement) in the market. Here, they do not sell them with the little pricks. Even WalMart has bags of them in fresh produce section.

5 Mar, 2013

 

If I'm not mistaken they have tongs here to put them into paper bags. They are sold loose in the produce area here at Food 4 Less.

5 Mar, 2013

 

So maybe still hairy or prickly?

5 Mar, 2013

 

Yes, from what I remember.

6 Mar, 2013

 

I try-- never can get them done right. I hate the "stuck" feeling.
The juice is good- but costly. At least the Mexican markets here can get the juice spine free.

20 Jan, 2016



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