Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 2 Jan 2026

Velvet Nopal tacos: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Velvet Nopal tacos

Velvet Nopal tacos

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Prickly Pear

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Prickly Pear

🍴 Velvet Nopal Tacos

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 tender velvet nopal pads (Opuntia cochenillifera)
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 small tomato, diced
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Corn tortillas

Instructions

  1. Remove spines from nopal pads and slice into strips.
  2. Boil the sliced nopal for 5 minutes, then drain well.
  3. Heat oil in a pan and saute onion until soft.
  4. Add tomato and cooked nopal, season with salt, and saute until tender.
  5. Serve warm in corn tortillas.

🌵 About the plant:
Nopal Opuntia (prickly pear cactus pads) is a cornerstone vegetable in Mexican cuisine and a long-standing staple across Central and South America. It is valued both as food and medicine. Traditionally eaten sauteed, grilled, or stewed, nopal is rich in fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. It is especially well known for its role in blood sugar management - many people who eat it regularly report significant improvement in diabetes control.

🌱 In the garden:
Prickly pear is a fast-growing, tough desert plant with showy red flowers. It thrives on neglect, tolerates drought, and also handles Florida rain surprisingly well. Easy to grow, productive, and edible, it is one of the most practical food plants you can add to your landscape.

🛒 Add Nopal Cactus to your kitchen garden

📚 Learn more:

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Date: 29 Apr 2024

Fun Facts: Cacao beans

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

📖 Fun Facts: Cacao beans (Theobroma cacao) were used to make chocolate, and the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations valued cacao beans as currency 💰 Can we use chocolate as money?
  • 🍫 Chocolate tree has large dark green leaves that shade the fruit pods which grow directly from the trunk and branches.
  • 🍫 The flesh of the fruit is eaten as a dessert, and the seeds are the raw material of chocolate. Hot chocolate can be made by drying the seeds, roasting, grinding, and adding milk.
  • 🍫 This exotic rare tree makes a gem of a houseplant collection.


🛒Get your own Chocolate Tree

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Date: 26 Apr 2025

Fun Facts About the Guava Flower