It ain’t over….till the prickly pear ripens.

Ahhhh! September….the time of year when gardens are blooming but the humans are not. Bad combination. Our community garden group is going through that phase right now: back to school for the kids, end of summer and last minute vacations, starting new jobs. There is always something to deter us in these hot days from what is right in front of us: our garden.

In the too-privileged yards of the technologically advanced countries on the planet, it’s unfortunately still too darn easy to turn our backs on the sweaty work outside our window and head to the local big box grocery store…in our air-conditioned mini-vans. One visitor to our garden in early August for the Albuquerque Coop and Garden Tour  (which was an amazingly successful event) said, “I grow tomatoes but it doesn’t save me any money to grow my own, what with the cost of the seeds, soil and my labor. I just love doing it, that’s all.”

Well, that may be true, especially in those early years of creating beds, building the soil fertility and having to buy seeds and transplants. HOWEVER! In subsequent years, a real miracle can happen when it comes to your garden finances called sustainability. I call it by another name: Freedom!

Another way to taste freedom is by enjoying the “free” fruits all around us. As a co-coordinator of the Bernalillo County, NM, Plant A Row for the Hungry initiative, we have benefited from some amazing free publicity on sharing surplus. It’s also my hope that civic or church-sponsored groups, scouts, etc., will become interested in creating “gleaning groups” based upon the experience of folks in various locations, like Neighborhood Fruit! in San Francisco. Their website details all the components of fruit gleaning, mapping of fruit trees and harvesting dates.  Fruit is falling, people! Let’s get gleaning!

Here in Albuquerque, there is one fruit that most people pass right on by, even if it grows in their front yard, never knowing the delightful taste that awaits them! Check out this video by my dear friend and videographer, Katya Miller (www.culturalimages.net):

She wrote this morning:  “The Tunas and Nopales are showing their colors all around town! Here are some recipes or buy this book. The Prickly Pear Cookbook by Carolyn Niethammer. My short Documentary has just been accepted to the October – Duke City DocFest and has been selected for award consideration.” Way to go, Katya!

So if you’ve got these beauties growing near you, don’t let them all flower and fall. Here’s some ideas on how to enjoy this amazing, sweet fruit–a gift from the goddess!

[WARNING: You should wear gloves or use tongs to remove the pears from the plants. If you try to use your bare hands (!) you'll just wind up with some very irritated appendages.]

According to this still-timely article from a 1976 Mother Earth News: “Mature prickly pears are tawny green to blackish purple, depending on the species. There’s only one sure way to tell if a fruit is ripe without tasting it, though … and that’s to pick it off the cactus and examine the pear’s damaged end (where it was torn from the parent plant). If the pulp is red at the rupture, you can be certain it’s ripe.”

Try one of the following recipes and then rejoice that we live in a location where opuntia thrive!

(The following recipes were taken from the Eating Wild cookbook prepared by the Otero County Chapter ot the Native Plant society of New Mexico 1999.)

Prickly Pear Pads

Nopales or pads should be harvested when the pads are young and tender. To prepare, scrape with large kitchen knife or peel off spines with vegetable peeler. Trim any dry of fibrous areas. Rise throughly removing any tiny spines or sticky fluid seeping from the pads. Slice into thin strips or chop into small pieces. Steam, sautee’, or boil. Nopales may be eaten raw, but it is not the preferred way. The prepared pieces may be added to any dish for a southwestern flavor. Nopales can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Freezing is not recommended.
 ~Nancy Hutto

Prickly pears grow in a number of places around the world. The nopales are also available in many grocery stores.

Prickly Pear Tunas

Tunas or prickly pear fruit should be picked using tong or a piece of heavy paper. To prepare tunas, rub with a heavy cloth or peel with a paring knife. To make juice, unpeeled whole fruit can be cooked with just enough water to cover in a sauce pan. Mash with potato masher and let cook 30 minutes. Strain through several layers of cheese cloth or cotton muslin dish towel.
~Nancy Hutto

Southwest Cactus Salad

2 cups Nopalitos, diced 1/2″ pieces
4 green onions
1/2 lbs. tomatoes peeled
1/4 C. lime juice
2T. minced cilantro
salt
1 bell pepper, chopped.

Combine nopalitos, onions, lime juice and cilantro. Mix and season with salt. Server or cover and chill.

Makes 8 servings
~Nancy Hutto

Desert Dream Delight

1. Crust: 1 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix together and press in 9″ x 13″ pan.Bake at 350 degrees F until brown. Let cool and add second layer.

2. Mix: 8 oz cream cheese
1 cup poudered sugar
1 cup Cool Whip (large carton)
Spread evenly over cooled crust.

3. Boil: 1-1/2 cup prickly pear juice
1-1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix 1/2 cup corn starch and 1/2 cup water to make a smooth paste, add to boiling mixture gradually, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and remove from the heat. Combine 4 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup lemon juice. Stir into mixture. Return to heat and cook stirring constantly until it bubbles. stir in 4 tablespoons butter. Remove from heat, cover, and cool until lukewarm. Pour over cream cheese layer. Spread evenly. Top with remaining Cool Whip.~
Nancy Hutto

Prickly Pear Cookies

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in sour cream, egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and blend in sour cream mixture. Add prickly pear juice, fruit, cherries and nuts. Drop from teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Makes 2-1/2 dozen cookies.
Nancy Weinert developed these cookies in her University of Arizona experimental foods class. They are pink and pretty.
~Nancy Hutto

Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly

Juice: With tongs and a bucket, gather tunas when they have turned a dark burgandy color. Cut in half (no need to remove the prickles). Suggestion: Hold with a fork and cut in half. Place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 30 minutes. Strain through muslin or wet guaze four times.

Jelly 2 cups Prickly Pear Juice
1 cup apple juice
2-3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar mixed with package Sure-Jell Light

Follow direction for jellies on Sure-Jell package.

Makes 6 to 8 cups or 3 to 4 pints.
~Pat Hendzel

September 2010
2nd-3rd Seeds Planted Now Tend To Rot In Ground.
4th-5th Fine Planting Days For Fall Potatoes, Turnips, Onions, Carrots, Beets, And Other Root Crops. Also Plant Seedbeds And Flower Gardens.
6th-9th A Most Barren Period, Best For Killing Plant Pests Or Doing Chores Around The Farm.
10th-11th Good Days For Planting Peas, Beans, Tomatoes, Peppers, And Other Above Ground Crops In Southern Florida, Texas, And California. Excellent For Sowing Grains, Hay, And Forage Crops. Plant Flowers.
12th-14th Excellent Time For Planting Above Ground Crops That Can Be Planted Now, Including Leafy Vegetables, Which Will Do Well. Start Seedbeds.
15th-16th Clear Fence Rows, Woodlots, And Fields, But Do No Planting.
17th-19th Any Above Ground Crops That Can Be Planted Now Will Do Well.
20th-21st Poor Planting Day. Kill Plant Pests.
22nd-23rd First Day Favorable For Planting Above Ground Crops. Second Day Favorable For Planting Root Crops. Both Days Are Good For Vine Crops.
24th-26th Seeds Planted Now Will Grow Poorly And Yield Little.
27th-28th Good Day For Planting Root Crops.
29th-30th Seeds Planted Now Tend To Rot In Ground.

Enjoy! Grow more! Share your surplus!