SLOW FOOD LAS VEGAS

Slow Food Las Vegas Hosts Cinco de Mayo Food Event

LAS VEGAS— In Mexico they are called nopal cactus. Research conducted at the University of California and the University of Sonora in Mexico demonstrated that these cacti, when consumed as a fresh vegetable, show promise in reducing heart disease and have a positive effect on individuals inflicted with Type II diabetes. These cacti love the desert heat and don’t like much water, perfect for our hot and parched desert climate. Come join Slow Food Las Vegas on Sunday, May 3 from 1 to 4 pm at Cooperative Extension’s Lifelong Learning Center, for an event will teach you how to grow these cacti at home and how to prepare them for meals for an interesting, healthier, personal Las Vegas lifestyle.

The nopal cactus grows natively in the warm, arid regions of Mexico. In more recent years, commercial production of nopal cactus for fresh vegetable and fruit has spread to Italy, Spain, Israel and other warm arid regions of the world due to the pioneer work developing superior cultivars at several universities in Mexico. They have been experimenting with numerous ways the nopal cactus can be used in the creation of juices, cakes and pastries, fresh vegetable, fresh fruit and preserves, salads, soups, appetizers, and others. Research has demonstrated food from nopal cactus contains significant amounts of protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, simple sugars, ascorbic acid, and carotenes thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin.

Photo by: jlastras

Two Sonoran selections of nopal cacti have been grown organically at Cooperative Extension’s Research and Demonstration Orchard since 2004 in an international research project.

Single pads from these plants will be distributed at the event to participating families for home planting. Recipes developed at the University of Sonora will be demonstrated and distributed during the event. Faculty and volunteers from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension will teach workshop participants how to grow these plants in their backyards, supplying an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits during the growing season. There is a $10 fee for the program to help defray costs.

For more information about these classes in English contact Bob Morris at 702-257-5509 or email info@slowfoodlv.org For Spanish speakers, please call Martha Barajas at 702-257-5522 or email barajasm@unce.unr.edu.