Prickly Pear season

[CouesWhitetail]

This time of year my husband and I harvest prickly pear fruits and juice them. Ppear juice is a gorgeous magenta color and super healthy with lots of vitamins, especially vitamin C. The juice is great for just a nice cool drink or to mix with margaritas or other drinks. I will be making ppear margaritas for about 100 women this weekend in Prescott at the Becoming an Outdoors woman workshop. They love 'em.

 

We juice lots and put the juice in empty gatorade bottles and freeze them so we can have juice throughout the year. You can also boil it down to make a syrup that you can use for lots of things, lately we use it as a glaze to add to grilled meat or bbq sauces. It doesn't have a real strong flavor, but it adds great color and is good for you.

 

here is a document with "how to" directions and nutritional info that we made up since people always ask us about it.

Prickly_Pear_Juice.doc

 

 

Those of you who might be interested in hearing more about it, or are looking for an event to do with your kids, there is a good class at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior (my hubby works there) coming up soon. here is the press release about it in case anyone wants to go:

 

"Opuntia Punch" Class… or How-to-Juice-Prickly-Pear-Cactus-Fruit

Aug. 26 and again Sept. 1 at 10:30 a.m.

Have you ever sipped a prickly pear fruit margarita or nibbled candy made from cactus fruit? If so, you're already aware that nothing compares to the subtle flavor and outrageous magenta color of juice from the prickly pear cacti that can be harvested throughout Arizona. Our popular one-hour class is offered to visitors towards the end of each summer when prickly pear fruit ripen. Come learn how to harvest opuntia cactus fruits and extract their juice without turning your hands into a "porcupine" of painful glochids and cactus spines. Apache Junction author Jean Groen ("Foods of the Superstitions") is our harvest season guest on Sunday, August 26, at 10:30 a.m. This same class repeats on Saturday, Sept. 1.

See Prickly Pear Harvest Photos

[mattys281]

My girlfriend & one of her gal-pals went out last summer & did that. They made a bunch of jams & jellies that were really good. I ate peanut butter & prickly pear jelly sandwichs for months. Been trying to get her to do it again this year, but we've been too busy so far.

[Noel Arnold]

Some of my best memories are of my Grandmas home made prickley pear syrup on pancakes made from scratch.Boil them up and strain them in cheesecloth for the needles.I forgot the recipe,but I do remember adding lemon juice.

Noel

[DesertBull]

Sounds like there will a bunch of drunk women in Precott this weekend.

 

[Kilimanjaro]

I can remember picking pear apples with my Granny as a kid and watching her make preserves with them.. I can't see ripe pear apples this time of year and not think of her.

We did it with algerita berries here in TX as well..

[Coues79]

I went out last weekend and picked about 50 or so, brought them home, rinsed them off and singed the spiney's off with the stove burners. They have a great flavor but a ton of seeds. Took some to school and showed the students that beautiful color they have. There are very few food items that have such a brilliant color to them.

[Couestracker]

I used your idea Amanda-picked about 50 or so last weekend on the way back from Tucson. I only got about 2 1/4 cups of juice though. You didn't include your margarita recipe, so my wife Julie and I experimented. Half marg mix, half prickly pear juice and appropiate amount of tequila: they we ok, but was a little disapointed for all that work. Then we made our "beer" margaritas; frozen lime juice, equal amount of pear juice, equal amount of beer, right amount of tequila, blended with ice-they were fantastic! And what a good looking drink too. Also figured out they're better with sugar on rim instead of salt!

Thanks for the idea, going to juice some more and freeze for later. BTY, learned that the darker the better, some were still kind of green around the base and through the rind, those were'nt ripe enough.

Tom

[corkin it]

Made some jelly for the first time out of the fruits this year. Had a hard time getting it the jelly like consistancy of store bought brands. Any advice out there???? I did boil it down for a second time and it became a little thicker. my kids love it. i also made a marmalade. A little bitter but very good. Jake

[CouesWhitetail]

I have never tried "beer" margaritas! Sounds good.

 

For my margaritas, I just do a blender full of ice, then pour in margarita mix to fill about 3/4 of the blender and then top it off with tequila and ppear juice.

 

Just a reminder that there will be a prickly pear juicing class at Boyce Thompson Arboretum this Sunday and also the following Saturday.

 

http://cals.arizona.edu/BTA/

 

 

Amanda

[NRS]

Made some jelly for the first time out of the fruits this year. Had a hard time getting it the jelly like consistancy of store bought brands. Any advice out there???? I did boil it down for a second time and it became a little thicker. my kids love it. i also made a marmalade. A little bitter but very good. Jake

we made Jam when I was a kid, but we never knew if we would end up with jam or syrup. I think my mother would put in extra sugar and pectin to get it to set up into jam.

[muskrat]

Do you need a permit just to pick the fruit?? I didn't think you did, but found this article while searching for recipes...

 

http://www.azcentral.com/health/diet/artic...rickly0531.html

 

Like all wild plants in Arizona, the prickly pear cactus is protected by law, and its fruit and pads cannot be picked without a permit.

[CouesWhitetail]

Yes, I think you do need a permit. BUT, when I have called the USFS about it, they generally say something to the effect of "we don't have a permit specifically for that, but I don't see that it would be a problem, so go ahead"

 

Better safe then sorry though, call your local USFS office and ask. Or find some private property that has a bunch (like a ranch or land slated for development and ask permission from them. We have a bunch in our yard and then also a bunch of neighbors that have them.

 

Amanda

[muskrat]

Who do I call if it is State Trust Land?

[CouesWhitetail]

I would guess the state land dept. Let me know what you find out.

 

The Arizona State Land Department is located at:

 

1616 W Adams St

Phoenix, AZ 85007

 

For General Information Call:

(602)542-4631

 

http://www.land.state.az.us/index.html

 

 

I am guessing they may be less likely to allow harvest of ppear fruit, but I don't really know.

 

Amanda

[muskrat]

Thanks - I was looking up their number at the same time you were :-)

 

I'll let you know what they say.