It’s going to be another great year for prickly pear tunas in the North County San Diego back country. We’ll start harvesting them in about a month. Tunas are the fruit from the prickly pear cactus. The photo above was taken last September of the left-over compost material from making tuna juice which is delicious and healthful, as are the tunas themselves. The tunas are from the Opuntia ficus-indica, a domesticated species with fewer thorns, making gathering them much easier.
Abe Sanchez and I travelled to Oaxaca City in the spring. Our first day there, we ordered nopales chunks (the cactus pads) sauteed with onions and tomatoes for breakfast at the mercado. When we noticed the sign for tuna ice cream, we ordered that as well. It’s made from tunas, but they’re much smaller than the ones shown above.
Deborah Small's Ethnobotany Blog 
I would love to buy prickly pear tunas – NOW!!!!!!
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Hello
Very interesting can you tell me more about your trip to Oaxaca?
When was the last time you were there?
Thank you very much
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Is there any place you can buy prickly pear juice in the San Diego/Chula Vista area? I’ve seen it on the web, but it’s very pricey. Thanks for your help!
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