I've always wanted to make jelly or jam from our prickly pears but the
various kinds of needles have always deterred me. (The yellow "hair"
on the pads feels like fire if you get it in your skin.) The great
minds here may have an answer.

Should I buy a propane torch and burn the pears on the plant? What
about if I want to make nopalitos from the new pads when they sprout?

On 1/3/2012 10:31 AM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
> I've always wanted to make jelly or jam from our prickly pears but the
> various kinds of needles have always deterred me. (The yellow "hair"
> on the pads feels like fire if you get it in your skin.) The great
> minds here may have an answer.
>
> Should I buy a propane torch and burn the pears on the plant? What
> about if I want to make nopalitos from the new pads when they sprout?

Wear gloves and peel the fruit, or, using tongs, burn them on top of a
gas stove. At the ranch, the needles on the entire plant were burned
with torches, so the cows could eat them. Let us know how this turns out.

Becca

On 01/03/2012 08:31 AM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
> I've always wanted to make jelly or jam from our prickly pears but the
> various kinds of needles have always deterred me. (The yellow "hair"
> on the pads feels like fire if you get it in your skin.) The great
> minds here may have an answer.
>
> Should I buy a propane torch and burn the pears on the plant? What
> about if I want to make nopalitos from the new pads when they sprout?

I've tried making Prickly Pear Jelly and couldn't get it to set. It made
fine pancake syrup, however. Gathering the fruit (AKA "tuna") is no
problem if certain precautions are taken. You will need 1) some thick
gloves. Inexpensive cotton ones are just fine. 2) some tongs. I used
those scissor-type ice tongs, but BBQ tongs would work too. 3) a supply
of paper grocery bags.

Here's the plan. You won't be using the gloves to pull the fruit off the
plants. The barbs will go right through almost any gloves and embed
themselves in your skin. They are just there is case you should
accidentally brush, even lightly, against the fine "hairs." Put on the
gloves, grab the tongs and clamp them around the entire fruit. Twist and
pull, and they should come right off. It they don't, maybe they aren't
ripe enough. Drop the fruit into the paper sack. Repeat until you have
all you need/want. Back in the house, using the gloves and tongs again,
burn the hairs off with a propane torch or the burner of a gas stove.
Once all the hairs are charred, you won't need the gloves any more.
Scrub the fruit with a scrub pad or even steel wool under running water
to get rid of the stubble and char.

Nopalitos - same thing: gloves, tongs, paper sack. You might bring along
some garden or kitchen shears to cut them off, just in case.

On Jan 3, 2:58*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Tue, 3 Jan 2012 16:53:23 -0600, Sqwertz wrote:
> > Here at the grocery stores they have part or full time Mexican ladies
> > who stand there and pare off each set of prickers with a small knife.
> > They they cut and bag them up for sale. *The nopalas I see them paring
> > are always the small groups of sturdy prickers type, usually about
> > 1/2-3/4" apart rather then the ones that grow small clusters of pointy
> > peach fuzz that impossible to see in your skin.
>
> I'm thinking napales rather than prickly pears. *Never mind <sigh>.
>

You're fine, I was thinking of both, but the pears are ripe now.

On Jan 3, 4:15*pm, Whirled Peas > wrote:
> On 01/03/2012 08:31 AM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
>
> > I've always wanted to make jelly or jam from our prickly pears but the
> > various kinds of needles have always deterred me. (The yellow "hair"
> > on the pads feels like fire if you get it in your skin.) *The great
> > minds here may have an answer.
>
> > Should I buy a propane torch and burn the pears on the plant? What
> > about if I want to make nopalitos from the new pads when they sprout?
>
> I've tried making Prickly Pear Jelly and couldn't get it to set. It made
> fine pancake syrup, however. Gathering the fruit (AKA "tuna") is no
> problem if certain precautions are taken. You will need 1) some thick
> gloves. Inexpensive cotton ones are just fine. 2) some tongs. I used
> those scissor-type ice tongs, but BBQ tongs would work too. 3) a supply
> of paper grocery bags.
>
> Here's the plan. You won't be using the gloves to pull the fruit off the
> plants. The barbs will go right through almost any gloves and embed
> themselves in your skin. They are just there is case you should
> accidentally brush, even lightly, against the fine "hairs." Put on the
> gloves, grab the tongs and clamp them around the entire fruit. Twist and
> pull, and they should come right off. It they don't, maybe they aren't
> ripe enough. Drop the fruit into the paper sack. Repeat until you have
> all you need/want. Back in the house, using the gloves and tongs again,
> burn the hairs off with a propane torch or the burner of a gas stove.
> Once all the hairs are charred, you won't need the gloves any more.
> Scrub the fruit with a scrub pad or even steel wool under running water
> to get rid of the stubble and char.
>
> Nopalitos - same thing: gloves, tongs, paper sack. You might bring along
> some garden or kitchen shears to cut them off, just in case.

About 12 years ago, I found some growing wild. I ended up with
needles in my hands. I wish I'd known about the charring method.
Funny, but I had originally typed "12 tears ago," obviously just a
typo, as the T is right next to the Y, but it was quite unpleasant.
The international foods store sells them already de-prickled. I don't
know if I'd even like them, but it was pretty cool that I found it
growing in the MO Ozarks:
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/habitats/glades
There are instructions on cleaning them he
http://rollybrook.com/nopales.htm

Thanks to Rolly. He is a volunteer, unofficial ambassador between the
USA and Mexico.

--Bryan

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...

> Here at the grocery stores they have part or full time Mexican ladies
> who stand there and pare off each set of prickers with a small knife.
> They they cut and bag them up for sale. The nopalas I see them paring
> are always the small groups of sturdy prickers type, usually about
> 1/2-3/4" apart rather then the ones that grow small clusters of pointy
> peach fuzz that impossible to see in your skin.

Many years ago I lived in Malta where a lot of prickly pears are grown.
They were always sold by some woman, who goes from house to house with her
cart. When you ordered some, she would lift them with her bare hands, cut
into them and turn them inside out for the customer to lift and put into her
bowl. Mind, the sellars hands must have been like leather and I would never
try it.
--
http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/