BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Cacti and Succulents Tips on How to Clean Prickly Pear Fruit

I grow an abundance of prickly pear fruit. Can I pick it when it's green to clean and then have it ripen?

What are some of the best methods to clean fruit? I've been using sand. However, all the fruit I produce will usually go bad before I can clean and dehydrate it all.

I would also like to know if cacti flowers are edible and if they can be dried and used in teas.