Content
- Can you eat opuntias?
- When can the fruits of the Opuntia be harvested?
- What can I do for a good harvest?
- Opuntia in medicine
- The essentials in brief:
- Tips
Not only the fruits, but also the leaves of the Opuntie are edible
Can you eat opuntias?
In South and Central America not only the raw consumable fruits of the Opuntia are on the menu, also the shoots or segments can be peeled and cooked cooked. Sometimes Opuntia are now also used as a fodder plant.
Early Articles Are Opuntia Hardy?When can the fruits of the Opuntia be harvested?
Among the most delicious edible Opuntia is the Opuntia ficus indica, the prickly pear cactus. The harvest time is quite different for the different species. In some Opuntia, the harvest begins in late summer, while others mature into November.
As soon as the fruits of your Opuntia turn reddish, it may tingle in your fingers to start harvesting. But you need a little patience. Only then, when the fruits yield to light pressure, they are really ripe.
Break the ripe prickly pears with light pressure from the plant or cut them off with a sharp knife.Peel the fruit, if you want to give it for example in a fruit salad, or simply spoon the tasty prickly pear.
What can I do for a good harvest?
Although the Opuntia are considered easy to maintain, but you have to do a little for a rich harvest. On the one hand, the location should be well chosen. Opuntia like it warm and bright. If they feel uncomfortable in their place, then may leave the bloom. When the fruits form, you should increase the pouring amount.
Opuntia in medicine
Various species of Opuntia, such as the prickly pear (bot. Opuntia ficus indica) are used in folk medicine. The flowers are best collected in spring, the fruits from July to November. While the flowers mainly serve to strengthen, the fiber-rich fruits find a variety of uses, such as for digestion, wound healing or spasm solution.
The essentials in brief:
Tips
If you want to eat the fruits of your Opuntia, then you are looking for the purchase of an edible and tasty variety like the Opuntia ficus indica.