Ok. So, harvesting cactus? Actually, harvesting the fruit of the cactus known as "pears." Usually I limit my cactus exposure to drinking prickly pear margaritas at El Charro.
But, if you have this in your front yard...
Whatchagonnado?
Well, first you get some gloves. Then some metal tongs. And then a torch. I'm not kidding. These are prickly little guys. They may look all pink and innocent but they have tiny, almost invisible thorns that will drive you nuts.The pears are easily removed with tongs by a little tug and turn. Wear gloves and DO NOT TOUCH THEM, really.
Collect about 50 pears in a double paper bag. That may sound like a lot, but collecting them is easy and goes quickly. DO NOT TAKE THEM IN YOUR HOUSE YET, seriously.
Pour the pears from the bag into a large colander and rinse them with a hose for several minutes.
So pretty. Let them drain for a little while, then...
Use a small torch to burn off the little thorns. Do this in a fire-safe, outside area with a garden hose at the ready.
NOW YOU CAN TAKE THEM TO YOUR KITCHEN!
Some people skip the torch step, but I found that once I burned the prickles off, I could handle the pears with my bare hands. This made the next step much easier. I was able to hold the pears and slice them into quarters without using the tongs. I decided to put my gloves back on, just in case, but once we used the torch we did not encounter any more thorns.
Once they are quartered, put them in a large pot with enough water to cover the pears.
Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. While the pears are cooking, line a colander with four layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl.
After simmering for 20 minutes, gently pour pears and water into the cheesecloth and let drain several hours or overnight.
This recipe results in about 8 cups of prickly pear juice. I used one cup of juice to make prickly pear simple syrup and I froze the rest in individual 8oz portions to use later.
Prickly Pear Simple Syrup
1 cup prickly pear juice
1 cup sugar
Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool syrup, keep refrigerated and use the same day.
Upcoming posts will highlight some fun prickly pear syrup recipes. No worries if there are no prickly pears in your yard. I will tell you where to buy prepared prickly pear syrup.
Oh yum!
The final step...
Burn that bag that held the pears! It's full of thorns!
For more information and recipes, click here.
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