Our ranchers have used it in droughts, but they have to use burners to burn the thorns off before the cattle feed on it.
Other than that, the prickly pear is a pest.
Nopales Salad (prickly pear salad) is delicious!
Nopales Salad
Ingredients:
* 1 kilo (2.2 lbs.) of cactus (nopal) paddles
* 1 onion - halved
* 4 C. water
* 2 Tbsp. salt
* 2 large tomatoes - chopped
* 1 large onion - chopped
* 4 green chiles - chopped
*
How to Prepare:
If the nopales you buy do not already have the thorns removed, do so carefully. I recommend using gloves and a potato peeler to do this.
Once you have removed all thorns, wash and chop the nopales, place in a pan with water, halved onion and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Drain nopales and add remaining three ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt if necessary.
I also add garlic. Serve on a tortilla. My kids go nuts for this stuff.
Prickly pear makes a nice jelly, and the juice of its fruit is supposed to be a health food. (At $45 per quart bottle of prickly pear juice, it's a nice racket, too.)