gearsnagger Report post Posted August 29, 2011 We figured out how to harvest and juice the Prickly Pear - We use grabber tongs to pick them , chop them up a bit in a big pot then use a "new" mop squeezer & bucket to squeeze and collecet a few gallons. Strain the juice with a collander first to remove the seeds and chunks of husks that make it through the mop squeezer. Then we used a fry pan splatter screen to do a final filter/strain.... We picked and juiced 3 gallons in about 4 hour's. This juice makes great jelly, marinate or it can be mixed with other juices. Prickly Pear is known as the Nopal Cactus the fruits are called Nopalea. Nopalea juice sells on the internet $40 for a small 20 ounce bottle! I tried it as a marinate on a mule deer backstrap. It was xcelent! The juice can also be used for drink mix - Prickly Pear Margaritas! It can also be fermented and distilled to make Pink Lightening Cactus Whikey! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted August 29, 2011 Awesome! I am been drinking prickly pear juice mixed with orange juice every day this week! I love it. My husband boils it down to make more of a syrup and then adds that and a bunch of spices to some generic bbq sauce. It turns out GREAT! I have also boiled it down and used it on roast lamb. That was amazingly good. Of course, most of you know I love to make Margaritas with it too!! They turn out beautiful. Attached is the method we use for harvest and juicing. My husband leads juicing classes at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and hands this out there. Has some nutrition info on it that I found online. This stuff is good for you! Prickly Pear Juice.doc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted August 29, 2011 we use a jack lalane juicer. works great, no seeds or stickers in the juice. i noticed there are lot of pears between florence and oracle junction this year. couple weeks and they should be ready. try making jelly out of it. nothing better on a hot biscuit or pancakes. some of it usually doesn't set and makes great syrup. Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted August 29, 2011 we use a jack lalane juicer. works great, no seeds or stickers in the juice. i noticed there are lot of pears between florence and oracle junction this year. couple weeks and they should be ready. try making jelly out of it. nothing better on a hot biscuit or pancakes. some of it usually doesn't set and makes great syrup. Lark. we had a lot of trouble getting jelly to set so we just go with syrup and don't bother with the jellies... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbiewer Report post Posted August 29, 2011 Friends of ours brang over a bottle of PRICKLY PEAR VODKA. stuff had a mild and unique flavor (as far as vodkas go). Could definitly taste the prickly pear infusion. Mix it with some cranberry juice for an awesome coctail Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gearsnagger Report post Posted August 30, 2011 Awesome! I am been drinking prickly pear juice mixed with orange juice every day this week! I love it. My husband boils it down to make more of a syrup and then adds that and a bunch of spices to some generic bbq sauce. It turns out GREAT! I have also boiled it down and used it on roast lamb. That was amazingly good. Of course, most of you know I love to make Margaritas with it too!! They turn out beautiful. Attached is the method we use for harvest and juicing. My husband leads juicing classes at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and hands this out there. Has some nutrition info on it that I found online. This stuff is good for you! Prickly Pear Juice.doc We juiced this way a couple of times and the Mop Squeezer method is way faster - Next year we hope to have a cider press! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gearsnagger Report post Posted August 30, 2011 Heating boiling or burning the spines off is not necessary a finer filter such as a splatter screen will filter out the spines, the fresh juice is the best because the naturally occurring enzyme's are killed by high temps! Frozen concentrate is second best... No need to boil it unless making syrup or jelly! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted August 30, 2011 i love to drink shots of it several times a day. it really gives me a pick me up. don't know for sure what all it has but it sure does make a guy feel good and it has to be real good for you. look at what the animals do when the pears are ripe. they travel many miles to get into them. i think it might be one of the those superfoods they talk about. Lark. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kphunter Report post Posted August 31, 2011 Is now a good time to find prickly pear fruit in southern AZ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Younghunter Report post Posted August 31, 2011 I have tried the fruits before and I love them. If the juice tastes anything like the fruit it should be great. I might try these ideas this fall. Thanks for posting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gearsnagger Report post Posted September 5, 2011 I have tried the fruits before and I love them. If the juice tastes anything like the fruit it should be great. I might try these ideas this fall. Thanks for posting. I went out this morning and picked two 5gallon buckets of Cactus Pears - Back home and juiced them into 2.5 gallon's of freshness! Done by 10:30am... I have built up quite a store of frozen juice this year! I think the season is getting towards the end - I picked around Superior today I may have to move up higher next week! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
