July 22, 2014 – When people ask me how to save water in their edible gardens during this year of drought, my answer is two words: prickly pear. It’s a joke that I find knee-slapping hilarious—but also serious. It sounds extreme, and it’s not the answer most people expect, or want. Few Americanos look at Opuntia cactus—which includes the vegetable nopales and the fruit prickly pear or tuna in Spanish—and get hungry, and we don’t know how to eat it (although it’s a delicious and healthy addition to pico de gallo and a star ingredient in chorizo and eggs).
Of course, there are many ways to save water—among them rain barrels and graywater, mulching and compost. (See my article entitled Department of Lawn Replacement: In Defense of Food in EMB Summer 2014) But according to Manfred Warmuth, a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers, species in the Opuntia genus of plants require about 60% less water to grow (and it grows forever). That means that even this year, rainwater is enough!
Warmuth, who’s a computer science professor at UCSC by day, uses his homestead near the university to research which edible cactus species grow easily in Santa Cruz, how to prepare them, and then shares his knowledge with others. He has 35 species of edible cactus in his collection. To Warmuth, it’s a question of food security—as well as expanding our cuisine. As warmer climate plants move north (this is happening), so may cuisine! Prickly pear may be a magic bullet.
In fact, people have been eating the pads and fruits in arid regions of the Americas for thousands of years. Considered “peasant food,” and one of the earliest cultivated plants, it is especially popular in Mexico where it is basic to national identity: the Mexican flag depicts an eagle perched on a nopal cactus eating a snake.
The 5th Festival del Nopal – A “Typical Mexican Fiesta”
Described as “a typical Mexican fiesta,” the 5th Festival del Nopal in Santa Cruz celebrates Mexican heritage by featuring food, live music, folkloric dancing, a recipe contest, cooking demonstrations, a festival queen, and a crafts market. Thirty-three vendors will offer food and arts and crafts, and over 1,000 people are expected to attend the open-air festival, which is free to the public.
“We’re celebrating an easy-to grow-plant that feeds the masses,” says Tony Madrigal, a former Santa Cruz City Council Member who has organized the festival since it began. “Our goal is to teach people how to use the nopales and tunas.” Madrigal is now a city council member in his hometown of Modesto, where he returned “to keep an eye on his mother.”
Many of the food vendors are local mom and pop shops. Food served will range from tacos, tamales, sopes, pupusas, and burritos—all with nopales—to cactus stir-fries and kabobs with veggies and beef, pork, chicken and shrimp, as well as loaded baked potatoes, and other dishes. One vendor is expected to bring a nouveau prickly pear ice cream.
“We literally see grandmas against grandmas, and aunties against aunties,” said Madrigal about the cooking contest. “It gets pretty darn competitive.” Last year’s winner was chocolate covered strawberries injected with tuna puree. The year before, it was a cheesecake with prickly pear sauce.
Performances by Salinas’ Danza Azteca Yaocuauhtil open and close the event, while the Centeotl Grupo de Danza y Baile will perform dances from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. (The group operates an after-school program, to which remaining funds will be donated after the festival covers its costs.) San Jose’s Grooveline, Salinas’ La Calle Show, and Nuevo Ministro, also from Salinas, will provide live music, ranging from Latin jazz to cumbia . There is also a clown show for children.
Opuntia in Cuisine
“Most people come to the festival for the food,” says Manfred Warmuth, who will bring cactus “pads” (or starts) to share with festival-goers. Edible cactus are easy to grow: drop a pad on the ground, even in clay soil, wait a couple years–and voila.
Some people consider nopales and prickly pear to be superfoods. “Let food be thy medicine,” said Hypocrites, and both nopales and tunas are used in Mexico for medicinal purposes. Nopales helps with digestion, can help lower cholesterol, and has anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps regulate blood sugar, and may help with diabetes. Tuna fruits are full of antioxidants. Warmuth says that some species may be up to 11% protein. Composed of up to 15% minerals and 85% water, both are hydrating.
Both the pads and the fruits have spines that must be removed before eating. Wearing gloves, scrape them off with a knife. It’s surprisingly safe and easy. A versatile ingredient, nopales can be sautéed and used as a topping on a tortilla, sandwich or pizza. Like okra in gumbo, it thickens soups and imparts a hearty consistency. The pads can be fried or baked and piled with cheese, meat and sauces. It can add a sour note to sweet and sour dishes. It can substitute for cucumbers.
A related species—Nopaleana cochinealiffera or nopalea grande—bred over millennia to be nearly spineless, has a sweet, delicate-tasting meat, and it’s dear. Rivenrock, an organic farm in San Luis Obispo County, sells it online for $32 for two pounds, not including tax or postage! But for everyman and woman, just grow it yourself—and hold the water.
The Festival del Nopal will be held from 10-6 in the parking lot at 176 Lincoln Street in downtown Santa Cruz on Sunday, July 27, 2014, and is a free event. For more information visit www.festivaldelnopal.com or contact Tony Madrigal at email tonymadrigal@gmail.com.
About the author
Jillian Steinberger-Foster is a regenerative landscape gardener and designer. She is co-owner of Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping with her husband, contractor Ken Foster. They have a thriving homestead on the Westside of Santa Cruz and three active rescue dogs.
