Fruit and thorns, prickly pear edition. {1 pic}

[Ptah]

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear Ptah!

Ouch, I can almost feel those thorns!

Great pic....

Thank you!

:hi:

[oneshooter]

2. Good to eat raw, and makes great jam and preserves. n/t

[Denninmi]

3. Well, how I've dealt with them is....

Use barbecue tongs or kitchen tongs to pick the prickly pears, and when ready to use them, take a propane torch and singe off the glochids (the little, fine spines that REALLY get in your skin, and are found on those little round, brown spots on the fruit).

The torch has a good side benefit, actually, makes the skin separate easily from the flesh, kind of like blanching a tomato or peach in boiling water.

Yes, they make great jelly or are good just fresh. The flavor kind of reminds me of watermelon.

Unfortunately, the kind that grows here in Michigan is very tiny, fruits are only about the size of an extra large grocery store grape, so it takes a LOT of them to make a batch of jelly. They taste pretty much identical to the kind found in grocery stores, though.

[Kali]

4. Nice!

Great color.