The fruit is ripe as soon as a part or about half of the skin shows a change in colour. A fruit harvested after the entire fruit has changed colour is overripe. Harvesting the fruit is a challenge, because the fruit may be covered with spines or small hair-like thorns depending on the type of cactus pear plant. There are many ways to pick the fruit and include using tins tied to sticks and long pairs of tongs. Yet, it is a task, which should not be approached without a pair of gloves (or several pairs) to protect the hands, goggles to protect the eyes, clothing which covers the arms and legs and closed shoes. In order to prevent damage to the base of the fruit, hold the fruit lightly, and cut the fruit away from the mother cladode by only barely slicing into the flesh of the cladode.

Working with cactus pear fruit for preservation or processing is problematic because it is covered with hair-like thorns that penetrate the skin and causes severe discomfort. Therefore, the first challenge in preserving a large amount of fruit is preparing the fruit by removing the thorns. This process begins by washing the fruit in cold running water. It is possible to remove the most thorns by brushing the fruit under running water.

The second challenge is the thick peel of the fruit. If the peel is removed and discarded, almost 50% of the fruit is wasted. In addition, the peel is the part of the fruit, which has a more structured flesh and is free of seeds. Thus, blanching the fruit is the recommended method for removing thorns and keeping the inner peel, as described here. After the fruit has been washed in cold water and brushed to remove most of the thorns, place the fruit into a large pot of boiling water for 60–120 seconds to blanch the fruit. Remove the fruit from the boiling water and immediately shock in cold water. The washing and blanching of the fruit should remove enough thorns to be able to work with the fruit comfortably without gloves at this stage. The outer skin of the peel is easily pulled free like the way the outer skin of a tomato is removed after blanching. The peel and pulp are the parts of the fruit, which are used in most recipes. The seeds are removed by liquidizing the fruit and straining the seeds out.

To enjoy the fruit fresh, the thorns may be rubbed or washed off and refrigerated. Cold cactus pears not only taste very good, but the low temperature helps to lengthen the shelf life. The cut and tear method is used to remove the peel. The fruit is held in place on a cutting board using a fork, while the two ends of the fruit are sliced away using a sharp knife. The next step is to make a cut over the length of the fruit. The knife and fork are then carefully slid in under the peel and around the fruit. The peel will come free and is then pulled away from the inner part of the fruit. The peel is discarded, and the inner fruit containing the seeds are served cold and enjoyed as the fresh fruit.

During the summer months, the cactus pear fruit ripens and needs to be harvested in bulk before the birds destroy them. The best way to deal with lots of harvested fruit is to freeze them. Wash and package them in zip-lock bags before freezing them. Keep the fruit frozen until you are ready to process or preserve them : Blanch in boiling water and peel the skin off, just as would be the procedure with fresh fruit. It may be possible to remove the skins from defrosted fruit without blanching them first. The flavour of the fruit is retained in the freezing process; however the texture is severely affected. Fortunately, liquidizing the whole fruit to remove the seeds will eliminate this problem. The fruit may be frozen for up to a year.

In order to pick the nopalitos safely, they are held at the top with one hand (wearing gloves) and removed by making a small cut into the mother cladode. The nopalitos should not be harvested early in the morning, because of the more sour taste.

Consumers may find the mucilage (slime) in nopalitos undesirable. The mucilage content may vary according to the age, size and cultivar. However, in cases where it is desirable to remove the mucilage, a procedure has been developed. Cover the nopalito pieces in dry salt and allow to stand for 10 minutes. After rinsing and draining, soak them again in salted water (500 ml water with 20 g salt) for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain and dry the nopalitos before eating or using them in recipes.

Nopalitos are never peeled, only the glochids (which could include the occasional thorn) are removed. The first step is to trim the outside edge of the nopalitos to remove most of the glochids or any other imperfections. The second step is to place the nopalitos flat on a cutting board. While holding on to the base, a sharp knife edge is pressed flat on the nopalitos and moved sideways in a back and forth motion. This removes the protrusions created by the glochids. Lastly, remove the base and slice the nopalito into five-millimetre strips. The strips may be used in salads, stir-fries, confectionaries, or any other meal. Nopalitos may also be cut into larger pieces such as blocks or chopped finely, depending on the requirements of the recipe.

Pre-cooking preparation of unripe fruits

At the very early stages of fruit development on the cladodes, in early spring, a magnitude of fruit may develop on the cladodes. Farmers often pick most the fruit from the cladodes to prevent overcrowding and to ensure that the fruit, which remains on the cladodes, develop into bigger, marketable fruit. Often, the unripe, picked fruit go to waste. These fruits are edible and could be processed into very tasty preserved products, similar to green figs. Harvesting and preparing the unripe fruit before processing:

1. Harvest the young, green, unripe fruit weighing between 15 to 25g each.
2. About 120 green fruit makes a batch of one kilogram harvested.
3. Wash each fruit by holding it with tongs and scrubbing using a brush.
4. Top and tail the fruit (it is necessary to cut the indentation out).
5. Place the fruit on the cut side and cut the core of the fruit out using an apple corer.
6. Discard the peel.
7. The green fruit cores should weigh between 6 and 8 g each when ready to use.
8. Rinse the green fruit cores to get rid of most of the sliminess.
9. Place in a large bowl of water, add salt (500 ml water and 20 ml salt) and place a plate in the water to force the fruit under the water solution.
10. Allow to soak overnight.

CONTACT US

General enquiries: Alba Du Toit

T: +27 51 401 7656
E: DuToitA1@ufs.ac.za

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