The Unsuspecting Delights of Prickly Pear Fruit

Here in Arizona we have some really different plant life.  Take the prickly pear for instance…

Would you like this in your front yard? Such a warm and welcoming demeanor it has, does it not?  It looks like how I feel on some days. 😀

Where are all the spines on this one?

Around our house this is the kind we see.

Deer enjoy its offerings… (Note:  Unfortunately, this picture is not representative of the size of bucks we see in our valley.  For quite a while the only buck that showed itself was one that had only one antler.  The other had been broken off.  Not a deer hunters dream unless you’re my brother-in-law Jon. 🙂 )  (Forgive me, Jon.  I couldn’t resist.)

Not only do the deer find the prickly pear to their liking but javelina also enjoy nibbling on it.  If this lovely, good looking fellow enjoys it, then I’ve just got to try it, too!

So, with the encouragement of Wesley, who decided to introduce his parents to the delights of the prickly pear, we had our first taste of this surprisingly quite delicous fruit.

They are the most ripe when they have turned a deep purple.

He had read that you can burn the glochids (spines) off.  First, you put the fruit in a bowl of water which helps remove some of the glochids.  Then you burn the rest off. Caution! The glochids are small but they have a nasty way of attaching themselves to your body even when you don’t touch them.  (Note:  To really try eating prickly pear, please check other sources on how to do this.  We’ve only done this once and do not want to be the cause of anyone’s discomfort!)

What surprised us the most was the beautiful kiwi look they had on the inside.  The flavor was delicious.  It truly reminded us of kiwi except it had some slime to it (similar to okra).  There were also little black seeds in the middle that were very hard.

There are many different ways to use this fruit.  Jelly, drinks and salad dressing are a few or you can even grind the seeds for flour as the Indians did.

Early in Springtime you may have the opportunity to see beautiful blossoms…

but only in the Springtime.

He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. – Jeremiah 10:12