"las tunas" ( Prickly Pear)

[sklittyu]

we try to pick wild plants on Sundays and incorporate them into our dinner, this Sunday we did something a little different... Instead of going to the woods we went to the side of the road, you see we live in TX and you cant go a mile without passing a patch of prickly pear cactus and this time of year the tops are showered in red fruit* that I was going to make into juice (somewhat concentrated) and find good uses for it. *Prickly Pear Cactus has been a staple food of Native Americans for many centuries. Records indicate that as far back as the 1500's Native Americans had their own version of a festival where they celebrated the prickly pear harvest. The fruits of prickly pears, called "las tunas," are sold in the markets of Mexico and in parts of the Southwest (U.S.A.). They are eaten fresh or dried, or are processed into juice and syrup

 

Good tongs work well when picking these berries and you will want to store them in a bucket, bowl, or paper bag to protect yourself from spreading the tiny fine spines that are on these berries. I PROMISE ITS WORTH IT!

(we picked 3-5 GAL in about 15 minutes in one spot)

Some of the fruit we picked

When you clean and prepare them you will need heavy rubber gloves ( yellow dish washing gloves will work), a sponge with scrubber on one side that you use only for this. Wiping the berries with a wet sponge and rinsing removes most of the spikes. You now need to cut off the ends.

Put fruit in a large stock pot and cover with water, bring to rolling boil, mash with potato masher or use food processor and bring to boil again for 30 Minuets.

OK you are now going to strain this through cheese cloth to remove seeds and any spikes that may have got passed the sponge. I strained mine several times.

Now you have your juice that you can make jelly, margaritas, pancake syrup, and more. I am making jelly and have a lot of juice left over so we will see what else I find too. Will let you know how jelly went soon (my first time and there really wasn't one good recipe for this, so.....)

[DonsCountryGal]

Sweet! We have a lot of prickly pear in AZ as well! Glad to see I'm not alone on this yummy 'wild food'!

 

Just as an add-on, here's another way to remove the needles and skin:

 

We have a small firepit area in our back yard that I build a nice fire in. Using those rubber gloves, we skewered the pears onto one of those long-tined hotdog forks - two on each side with space in between. Place them over the open flame, similar to the way one roasts marshmallows, only closer into the flames. Once you're pretty sure the needles have burned off (this is especially good for those teeny-tiny ones) drop the fruit into a big bowl of water to let it cool. You'll notice that the skin may have started to split. After a few cooling minutes in the water, use a paring knife to remove the skin and the ends. The fruit peels similar to the way a tomato does after a short hot water bath. After all the fruit has been peeled, we cut them in half and scoop the seeds out with a spoon. This is a nice family project that all can have a part in.

 

Process as sklittyu has indicated. We used some of the juice to mix with Knox unflavored gelatin for a real cool treat. Sweeten with honey if needed. Even the seeds you scooped out will have a bit of 'meat' attached that can be boiled with a little water and squeezed through the cheesecloth for a little extra juice.

 

Here's a great site for a lot of recipes: http://www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_pear.html

Also for the nopales (the pads of the prickly pear): http://www.desertusa.com/magdec97/eating/nopales.html

 

Thanks sklittyu, for this great reminder of what's just right outside our door, or a short drive away!! You Rock!

[sklittyu]

Pleae remember to check your local state laws, I have heard you need a permit to pick them in AZ and you are not to pick them off the road.

[sklittyu]

Here is the jelly recipe:

2 1/2 cups prickly pear cactus juice

1/2 cup lemon juice ( I used lime)

5 cups sugar

1 box of powdered pectin

Hard boil cactus fruit juice, pectin and lemon juice for 3 minutes. Hard boil means the point at which the brew still bubbles even when you stir it. Add sugar and bring back to a hard boil for 2 minutes or until the jell point is reached.

 

Put in sterile canning jars, seal and heat process for 10 minutes.

 

 

[DonsCountryGal]

Pleae remember to check your local state laws, I have heard you need a permit to pick them in AZ and you are not to pick them off the road.

 

Yup...We usually go to some friends house, our 'out in the boonies' 10 acres, or the house in San Simon to pick. Not so sure I'd want to pick by a roadside...too much chance of pollutants, etc. If you ask a for private homeowner's permission, they're usually quite happy to have them taken away before they fall off and rot.

 

That jelly looks great! Gotta work some of that up before I find employment again when I probably won't have the time! (I've been reading that 'challenge' post about getting rid of clutter...I have a dining room table I have no clue when the last time we really used it was!)

[GirlNextDoor]

Nopales can go into any food that green bell peppers can go in or green beans. I especially like them in fajitas and with scrambled eggs.

 

You can also blanche them in boiling water about a minute then dip in iced water:

 

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cu..._prickly_pears/

 

Tunas can replace any red fruit or vegetable (tomatoes, strawberries, beets). They are great in a spinach salad, dessert or anything that needs anti-oxidants. I have peeled them and cooked them with a bit of apple juice and some pork chops with the lid on and it was WONDERFUL!

 

They do stain a lot, but, if anyone wanted to make T-shirt dye or something the juice might be an alternative. I never did it. I know it turns brown in soap. Don't use it to dye that.

 

They sorta kinda taste like a kiwi...but not all the way. I don't think they are as tart.

[sklittyu]

Today we went and picked two more buckets about 40lb and made syrup out of the juice we made last night. Here is the recipe:

(I put cornstarch in the ingredients, but I did not use it since we made it for margaritas)

about a cup of prickly pear juice

1 lemon, juiced ( we used lime )

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)

pour juice into a medium saucepan.

Add lemon juice and sugar, and slowly bring to a simmer. Cook until syrup begins to thicken. If you want a thicker syrup, stir in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in a little cold water and cook to thicken.

Stir with wire whisk if necessary to smooth consistency.

For diabetics: Use an amount of your favorite non-nutritive sweetener equivalent to 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Since sugar causes thickening, you'll have to compensate by using a little more cornstarch, or use another thickener such as guar gum or xanthan gum.

AND HERE IS YOUR SYRUP

I will probably make more that I process in a water bath for future use.

 

 

 

 

[DonsCountryGal]

For diabetics, and others, is it possible to use Agave Nectar instead of sugar?

 

Also, can guar gum still be purchased? In the 80's there were some 'diet aid' capsules on the market, but they got pulled when reports kept coming in that people were abusing it and getting big-time stomach problems. And last I knew, it wasn't available in any form. Where can it be purchased?

 

Thanks!

[sklittyu]

I dont see why you couldnt use Agave Nectar instead of sugar. About the thickener check this out http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EDG4V2 or google it

[Lavenderflowers]

Yes, there is an abundance of them in our part of Texas also. It is just too dang hot to go pick and then process them now. I usually wait until it starts to cool down when the need to heat the house more tolerable.

I have make countless jelly, juice, sangria, and pciking a few cochineal bugs for coloring later is on the list.

Putting them in salads is a great idea!

 

As a side note, cooking the seeds does not make them sterile. If you try to compost them, they will make lots and lots of baby cactus. I have to dispose of them in a deep hole and hope they eventually rot.

As a further side note, when the people in the interior of Mexico eat the fruits, they eat them whole, skin (cleaned) and seeds included, good for you they say. Yes, it does make for a crunchy and fibrous chew, one I didn't find all that easy to swallow.

 

Thanks for the recips and those who put the links on too. Off to go read for a while..

[Lavenderflowers]

Oh, DonsCountryGal, guar gum can be purchase on any bulk or wholesale food site. I have even found it on a few soap supply sites too.

[nmchick]

There's a no sugar jelly recipe on the Pomona's Pectin site, http://www.pomonapectin.com/pr2_b.gif

 

It's a pdf, so I can't cut and paste. It calls for honey, but agave nectar should work just as well. Ya'll are making me hungry. Hope our prickly pears get ripe this year.

[snapshotmiki]

nmchick-- or anyone--Do you know what the "calcium water" is in those recipes?

[nmchick]

Snapshotmiki, it comes in the pack of Pomona's pectin. If you're got a Natural Grocers (a.k.a. Vitamin Cottage) anywhere near you, you can find Pomona's there.

[sklittyu]

Here is the champagne of margaritas!

Here is the recipe:

 

Prickly Pear Margarita Using Prickly Pear Juice (I didn't use this one I used the second recipe making it out of syrup and it is very sweet this one is suppose to be drier)

Preparation time: 3 minutes. Serves 1.

Measurement Conversion Table

 

Ingredients:

 

2 ounces Tequila

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce prickly pear juice

1/2 ounce Cointreau

Lime slice for garnish

Ice

Kosher salt

 

 

Instructions:

 

Combine ingredients with ice in a martini shaker, shake and strain out ice before serving

Moisten glass rims with lime juice and dip in Kosher salt

Pour into margarita glass, garnish with lime slice and enjoy!

 

 

Prickly Pear Margarita Using Prickly Pear Syrup (use first recipe if you dont like really sweet stuff)

Preparation time: 3 minutes. Serves 1.

Measurement Conversion Table

 

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 ounces Tequila

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce Prickly Pear Syrup

1/8 ounce Cointreau

Ice

Kosher salt

 

 

Instructions: Combine ingredients with ice in a martini shaker, shake and strain out ice before serving

Moisten glass rims with lime juice and dip in Kosher salt (I used sugar)

Pour into margarita glass, garnish with lime slice and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nmchick]

Absolutely beautiful, Sklittyu. I'm going to print all of these. Thank you.

[DonsCountryGal]

Its' harvest time again!

 

I came across a website today that sells desert preserves, mesquite bean products, etc., and it's right here in Tucson. So if anyone out there doesn't have 'the real thing' growing nearby, you can order from Cheri's Desert Harvest to see what all the rave is about!

 

http://www.cherisdesertharvest.com/recipes.html

 

There are also a few recipes on her site!

Enjoy!