Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Of Prickly Pears. . .



Winter in the desert is beautiful.  Although it is the season of rest, the first of February is when life again takes hold and signs of fresh, new life can be seen.  This year, abundant water has left washes and creeks flowing with water.  Water, mixed with the sunshine's warmth has caused signs of life that are not as visible in drier years.  Cacti are plump and enticing because of the moisture available to them.  The teddy bear cacti is especially appealing.  Dry ocatilla  is starting to leaf out, creating long sticks of green leaves.  The prickly pear cactus, so common, is beautiful in large clumps and clusters in the desert.  The desert rain has brought everything to life!

The prickly pear cactus in this picture reminds me of cousin Della, who harvests its inexpensive and abundant fruit from the desert around her ranch-house kitchen.  The prickly pears range are the fruit of the plant, appearing in colors of yellow and red.  When cooked, the prickly pear fruit makes a beautiful, rosy juice that Della cooks into delicious jelly that she shares with those she loves.  I always love it when she shares with our family!  Prickly pear juice also makes wonderful candy, soft and chewy.

Have you ever made prickly pear jelly?  Or eaten candy made from its rosy juice?

5 comments:

  1. I bet it's all quite beautiful...amazing what a drink of water can do!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You made me homesick for AZ! I love prickly pear jelly as well...oh well I'm back to shoveling snow....thanks for the post

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello La Tea Dah...As a matter of fact I have eaten prickly pear jelly. It's quite tasty. We lived in Arizona for 12 years. Wouldn't mind some authentic Mexican food. yum yum Sure miss that in the east. Take care and thanks for your nice post today. Sincerely, Susan from writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. We see a lot of prickly pear cactus on our beach walks here in Southern California and on the coast mountain ranges. I always think it's a little out of place next to the ocean...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Growing up in California we had a neighbor that has alot of prickly pear. He loved making things with the fruit too, but unfortunately I don't remember him sharing. They had the most incredible garden and one time they took us to a small creek in the country to collect watercress fresh from the creek.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on my blog post. I am always happy to hear from blog readers. Your words encourage and inspire me. I am glad you stopped by to share conversation, recipes, ideas, and thoughts on creating a welcoming home.