I would like to know when/how to harvest prickly pear cactus and recipes for them. DW djwallace@ctos.com

-- DW (djwallace@ctos.com), September 09, 2000

Answers

The fruits (tuna) are ready for hrvest when they are bright red. They have itty bitty barely visible spines. I suggest wearing gloves and rolling the tuna on duct tape to remove the spines. The green pads are harvestable at any time. You want the younger ones from the top of the plant and again, they have spines. After peeling and slicing, saute them in butter. I don't know how the pickled nopales in the stores are made, but basically they are slivered cactus pads. Did you know that prickly pear is found north pnto the Ontario Shield geological formation?

-- Mitzi Giles (Egiles2@Prodigy.net), September 10, 2000.

Start searching the internet for cactus recipes. I found a couple of good sites awhile back but lost them for now.

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), September 11, 2000.

Growing up in Western Okla. we made good use of prickly pears. We had a flame thrower that used gasoline & we would go around burning the stickers off of them so the cows would eat them. The flowers are good to make jelly, & we ate the pads sev. different ways.

-- tommy campbell (tjcamp6338@aol.com), September 15, 2000.

I don't know much about harvesting and using this cactus but I do know that the darn thing is dangerous! Those little bitty pickers practically jump off the cactus and plant themselves in your fingers or whatever part of your anatomy happens to be close by! My neighbor has cactus outside all year. I believe they are the yellow rose of Texas cactus. They sure are beautiful. Has anyone else grown or heard of growing cactus outdoors here in Wisconsin? I'd appreciate any advice! Thanks, Barb

-- BARB (WILDETMR@YAHOO.COM), September 16, 2000.

== Those little bitty pickers practically jump off the cactus and plant themselves in your fingers or whatever part of your anatomy happens to be close by! ==

It's not the Prickly Pear that jumps off onto you. Not sure of the scientific name; we've just always called it 'jumping cactus.'

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 16, 2000.