Prickly Pear Fruit

I've been curious about the prickly pear cactus fruit for years.  Ever since I was a little girl and discovered a homemade jar of Prickly Pear jam in my mother's pantry.  The jar was never opened and used, I have no idea how it tasted.  Was it sweet, sour, or incredibly bitter?  Who knows?  I just remember it being a vile shade of green, like mushed peas.

So, how surprised was I, to find that the inside of a prickly pear is actually magenta, like dragon fruit.  The fruit itself reminds me of a guava, sweet but full of seeds.  Well, I hope they were seeds and not spider eggs (as the urban legend of the cactus filled with spider eggs, was all I could think about while cutting into the fruit!)

And I think I will consider using the prickly pear in future cooking endeavors, perhaps a pie or martini?  Well at the very least I know what I will be eating the next time I get lost in the desert.