ONE who is touched by the SUN ?

"I want to be one, One who is touched by the sun." (Carly Simon - from Letters Never Sent - 1994) Prickly Pear Cactus have been a staple food of Native Americans for many centuries. Their large, colorful blossoms appear in yellow, pink, red, or purple and grow from the tip of the cactus nodules, which later ripen into delicious RED fruit. The prickly pear fruit normally ripens and is ready for harvest during the late summer and early fall months. When gathering the fruit, wear leather or rubber gloves to avoid contact with the cactus needles. They are a nuisance, especially the tiny "soft-appearing" barbs of glochids on the fruit itself. The glochids are very difficult to remove once in your skin. After removing the glochids, you can eat the fruit fresh or prepare it in several ways. Prickly pear juice can be used to make jelly, marmalade or poured on salads. It can also be mixed with other juices to make smoothies, shakes and other refreshing beverages. Mixing the juice with 7-Up or ginger ale will give you a tasty drink similar to a Shirley Temple. (YES, that's a manzanita shrub growing behind the cactus !!) And, while eating your salad & guzzling your drink, REMEMBER that ACCIDENTS NEVER HAPPEN in a perfect world. : ))) March 11, 2009