It is amazing that all of the nopal plants at Art Park Gardens are “pups” of the “mother” cactus. The mother nopal thrives alone in one corner of the gardens at the end of one of its eight raised beds.
Nopal is a common Spanish name for Opuntia cacti (commonly known in English as prickly pear), as well as for its pads. The name nopal comes from the Nahuatl word nohpalli for the pads of the plant. Nopales grow in numerous clumps at the Art Park Gardens next to Borrego Art Institute.
The nopal pads can be eaten raw, cooked, or used in marmalades, soups, stews and salads, as well as being used for traditional medicine. The farmed nopales at Art Park Gardens are of the species Opuntia ficus-indica or Opuntia matudae, and both are edible. Another edible part of the nopal cactus is the fruit, called tuna in Spanish and “prickly pear” in English. Nopales have a light, slightly tart flavor, like green beans.
Nopal is an excellent source of the dietary mineral manganese, and a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, and calcium.
