Alan Levine
Jordanian spiny cacti yield an exotic fruit mostly known as cactus or prickly pear. The fruit is as spiky as the plant itself, so farmers harvest them carefully with plastic gloves. It usually grows on a non-cultivated land next to the farms and railway tracks. The usage of cactus pear is quite versatile. You can eat it raw; it resembles a melon to some extent, or it is also made into fresh juice, jam, smoothies, used in alcoholic drinks and in medicine. Its juice is also applied in making hair styling gel as well. Cactus pears are rich in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients and believed to help in losing weight. The growing season runs from April through August, and the peak falls during summer when the street vendors sell it.
