One Prickly Pear, Please

On Saturday afternoon, I went to a farmers market. One of the many reasons why I love the south. They’re here all year round. During my visit, I bought many items but one in particular was this vibrant beauty, a prickly pear. I have never had one before so I was intrigued. I ended up having it for breakfast this morning, along with a bowl of flax flake cereal.

When I sliced open this thorny fruit, the bright red juices oozed all over the plate. It was clear that it had the potential to stain anything in its path. The flavor was delicious, sweet with a slight bite, but it was filled with tons of hard seeds, not exactly what I was expecting. If you want to eat the seeds, you can just swallow them, I did, but you can also take them out and eat the the area in between the seeds and the skin. Too much work in my opinion.

This fruit grows on a cactus, so it’s important to clean off the outside before handling the fruit or cutting it open. Nutritional values include high levels of vitamin C, B-family vitamins, magnesium, potassium, calcium, copper, and dietary fiber. All of which have a positive impact on human health. 

Have you ever had a prickly pear?