Edible and Medicinal Plants in the Sonoran Desert
- arbekaswashbucklers
- Jun 14, 2019
- 5 min read
We lived in the desert years ago and still visit family there as often as we can. However, I never thought about eating any of the plants out there. After-all, everything there sticks, pokes, or pricks you. The thought that any of them were edible never crossed my mind.
God has created so many edible plants in all climates and terrains and a few years ago, my son started learning about desert wild edibles after moving to Arizona. So in this post, I thought I would do just a brief overview of some of them since the majority of people will never forage for them.
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert on wild edible or medicinal plants, especially the ones in the desert. Please be 100% sure of what you are ingesting or using as a medicinal plant. Many plants can make you ill while others can kill you. In the desert however, they are more likely to stab you to death. :)
AGAVE (Agave spp.) is considered a succulent and is often used as a landscape plant. I never knew it was edible but the core of the plant can be cooked and eaten. You can also pound the leaves and let it dry to get the strong fibers out to make rope. The tips of the leaves have extremely sharp and strong points that could be used as a needle. If you are skilled enough to cut around the needle without cutting through, you may be able to pull a long string/fiber up with it. In a survival situation this could be great for sewing things together.
Nick said when the juices from the leaves get on your skin it really burns so be sure to use gloves or have water (a rare commodity in the desert) nearby to rinse your hands.
Agave nectar, a natural and healthy sweetener, is derived from the blue agave plant. This same plant is also used to make tequila.
PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS (Opuntia spp.) In Spanish it’s known as Nopal(es) referring to the cactus pad(s), and ‘tuna' referring to the fruit of the cactus. I have eaten both on this plant. When we lived in Mexico we ate the nopales cut up which tasted very similar to green beans. Nick picked the fruit for us to eat in Arizona and it was very good and sweet, they just have a lot of seeds inside, but they are edible.
Obviously, you want to be sure to get all the glochids (poky barbs) off because those won’t feel good going down your throat. To prepare the pads for eating, you will want to scrape off the glochids and then peel the skin off. You can use a potato peeler. The inside is what you want to eat. Slice it up and either sauté, grill, or boil it.
The fruit of this cactus is very tasty and to prepare it, you can either slice it and spoon it out, or peel it like an apple. The seeds are hard but wont hurt you to swallow them.
There are several health benefits to eating Prickly Pear Cactus. It has been used to treat diabetes by lowering blood sugar and has lowered high cholesterol. Some have used it to treat obesity as well. It’s high in fiber, antioxidants, and carotenoids.
SAGUARO CACTUS (Carnegiea gigantea) The Saguaro is the largest cactus in the United States and found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert. I like to refer to them as desert trees and I think they look really neat. They can grow up to 60 feet tall and when fully hydrated can weigh between 3200-4800 pounds! It is estimated that they can live to be 150-200 years old.
Of course they have needle sharp barbs too being a cactus, and arms/branches that extend from its body. Some can have numerous arms, while some don’t have any. The pretty white flowers at the tops of the arms were starting to bloom this last visit as were several species of cactus. We enjoyed several walks identifying and photographing them.
The fruit of the Saguaro is edible and also sweet tasting. It is ruby red when ready to eat, usually by the end of June. Maybe we should drive back so we can taste all this fruit!
CHOLLO CACTUS (Cylindropuntia fulgida) Also known as jumping cactus, and is very painful when it gets stuck on you! Connor had one on his leg a few years ago while on a hike. It gets its name because the slightest touch and a piece will cling to you until you take it off. We’ve seen several cattle with Chollo on their mouths. I’ve always wondered how they eat and drink with them on there because they just don’t fall off. It takes some doing to remove them and is a very painful process.
Nonetheless, there are edible parts to this cactus if you are brave enough to harvest it. You can harvest the flower buds and the fruit of the Chollo Cactus. Maybe use tongs to collect it? :)
BARREL CACTUS (Ferocactus) As the name implies, the Barrel Cactus is barrel or cylindrical shaped. I’ve been poked by this one while on a hike. OUCH!
The edible parts are the fruit, seeds, flower buds, and inner flesh. I also learned that the pulp of the barrel cactus has been used to make cactus candy. I bet it’s sticky! :D
PALOVERDE TREE (Cercidium microphyllum) There are several varieties of Paloverde trees and this one has pretty yellow blooms in the spring and their trunks are a light green color. The seeds and flowers are both edible and the seed pods are similar to peas and you can eat them green or dried.
MESQUITE TREE (Prosopis spp.) The Mesquite tree is very common in the southwest desert and is also a member of the legume family. The seeds can be eaten and the whole pod can be ground into flour after being dried. Studies show this flour can help lower blood sugar.
STRAWBERRY PINCUSHION CACTUS (Mammillaria graham) This cactus is small as is the fruit, but covered with spines! If you are skilled enough (or have a handy tool) to dodge the fish hook spines of this cactus, it has a tasty and delicious fruit that Nick said tastes like a cross between a strawberry and kiwi.
This is not an exhaustive list as there are many more edible and medicinal plants in the desert. If you are interested in learning more about the above plants or want to learn about others not listed , here are some great books:
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