Food Review: Fruit of the Opuntia plant

Fruit of the Opuntia (Paddle Cactus)

This week while mowing the lawn I noticed that our Cactus plant had grown some ripe fruit, I taste tested it, and decided I would pick them after I was finished with the yard work. 

The Fruit has quite a few names; Tuna(spanish), Cactus figs, Desert Pomegranates(coined by yours truly if someone hasn't done so before me)

It really is quite a good little fruit, and the taste is very similar to 

Blackberries(juice), Pomegranates(seeds), and Plums() 

(DISCLAIMER Benefits and Drawbacks featured are of the Opuntia plant in its entirety, I was unable to find a site that would just provide info on the actual fruit as the whole Opuntia plant is edible.  )

Benefits
It is high in fiber, antioxidants and carotenoids. 

Drawbacks
I had said earlier that I taste tested, I ate one fruit to make sure I didn't have any allergic reaction before I ate any more, this is a good idea for any kind of food you haven't tried before. 

If you'd like to try prickly pear cactus, consider easing into it. Prickly pear cactus can cause side effects, including intestinal issues, nausea, and abdominal fullness, for some people.

Tips
If you decide to pick fruit from the opuntia plant, I definitely recommend thick gloves even if you think you can avoid the thorns of this plant the thistles dislodge very easily and will get you, and make sure that no thistles are on the fruit that you have picked.