Rivenrock Gardens Cactus Blog… go to www.rivenrock.com for edible cactus

From one of our customers….

I received the pkg. of grade C cacti and was pleasantly surprised at the excellent condition of the pads!  My tortoises love them.  I would like to know if the pads can be frozen for future use.  Can they be frozen whole, cut in strips, or diced?
I’m sure that other people would like to know this answer.  Thank you.

My response….

yes, technically cactus can be frozen and thawed for eating later. The way to do it is to prepare the cactus as usual (wiping with an abrasive pad to rid of spines, then trim around the leaf, then wash and pat dry), dice the cactus into 1/2 inch pieces, then freeze them on a cookie sheet with space between each piece. When they are totally frozen, they can be put into a freezer bag and they will not stick together.  When you need some, you can drop some diced pieces into your recipes and it will blend into the mix. The problem with frozen cactus is that the tissue loses the great crunch that the raw leaf has. But it is still fine in a dish in which it is a minor (but important) ingredient.  In other words, if you put it into a burrito with the beans and other items, you are not likely to notice the texture being compromised through freezing.

  Also, I must admit my own particular biases are toward fresh vegetables, and anything we can grow fresh and eat fresh… that same vegetable frozen seems a distant second place. However, you cannot have fresh corn in the winter…. and I’d rather have frozen corn than no corn.  So indeed, for those who use our cactus to help regulate their blood sugar, freezing may well be a very good option. They can put a small handful of cactus into some food they are cooking and be able to have an efficiency with preparation as well.