Prickly pear yields two foods: the magenta tunas fruit harvested in late summer for raspados and syrup, and the green nopales paddles year-round for tacos and salads.
Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) is native to the Sonoran Desert and has been harvested by the Tohono O'odham for over 4,000 years. The magenta fruit (tunas) ripens August through September; the green paddles (nopales) can be harvested year-round. Mission Garden cultivates heirloom Opuntia varieties on the Sentinel Peak grounds, and Tucson cocktail programs from Hotel Congress to La Cocina build prickly pear margaritas from the syrup. Mexican markets along South 12th Avenue sell whole paddles for grilling, salads and the canonical tacos de nopales.
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