Perhaps one of the most popular fruits to gather is that of the prickly pear cactus. Sneering with doubt, some of you may have already tried gathering this fruit and managed to get a palm full of thorns and stickers along the way. I too have used trial and error, ending with the agonizing pain of inflamed thorns. However, through research and experience, I believe there are effective ways of gathering the prickly pear tunas, as some call them, without the anguish of prickly pear barbs.

First, look at the fruit of the prickly pear. Is it a beautiful crimson color? Usually, the deep crimson color indicates the fruit is ripe and ready. But are you ready? While some believe that a pair of leather gloves is all that is necessary to remove the ripened pods, (Yep, some say just get your leather gloves on and start yanking the pods off.) due to previous experience, I take it one step further in recommending both leather gloves and long reaching metal tongs to remove the harvest fruit. If you look closely at the long thorns of the prickly pear -- and you have had to remove one because it found a weakness in your leather glove -- you may agree.

Which brings me to the next point of picking the prickly pear fruit. Are you wearing jeans or shorts? Weighing in on the side of caution, I urge the prickly pear fruit gatherer to wear pants of very durable and tough fabric so as to avert the penetration of cactus thorns into skin. Also, long sleeves will help protect the arms. Yes, I am speaking from experience. For me, being a bit on the clumsy side, it is very easy to become so intent on gathering that I get too, too close to the prickly pear cactus thus engaging in a battle of stickers and thorns which I cannot win.

If you are as brave as Cowboy Talltale, you may be smirking at my overly cautious advice. According to him, “Get in there and pull the fruit off. If you get a sticker or two, it won’t kill you! You’ll live! But, with all the commotion about garments, safety and not getting stickers, you’ve already wasted your fruit gathering time.”

Because we live in a very dry, arid climate, we may not be able to use the pear burner which essentially is a propane fed burner which burns the stickers off the fruit before picking. The fire risk is very, very high while using this technique and certainly not advised at this time because of our scant rainfall and fire danger.

Wow! Now we have gathered our prickly pear fruit in a container, what do we do with it?

Some believe soaking the fruit in water helps the thorns to lessen their grip and recommend using a scrubber to remove the remaining ones. Once the splinters are removed, the prickly pear fruit harvester should take a sharp knife, cutting both ends from the pod, and cutting down the middle. Then lift the flap of the outer pod skin, peeling it back until the skin is removed totally from the inside fruit. Thus, your prickly pear fruit is ready to consume. Because the prickly pear fruit has small hard seeds inside the pod, bearing on the side of caution again, one may want to bite down slowly so as not to break a tooth.

Or if you listen to Cowboy Talltale, “Those seeds won’t hurt you! If you chip a tooth, it will grow back!” What??? I don’t think so!!!!

If you are interested in prickly pear juice, another technique is to simply empty the fruit pods, stickers and all, into a large pan. Cover the fruit tunas with water and bring to boiling. Boil until the pods begin to crack open and the fruit is soft, producing a beautiful crimson juice. Pour the mixture through a strainer and then cheese cloth for removal of solids. Voila! Beautiful crimson prickly pear juice! 

There are many, many delicious recipes for using the prickly pear fruit…jellies, syrups, juices, candies. That being said, it is very important to note the medicinal qualities of the prickly pear fruit. Very high in antioxidants, the prickly pear fruit has natural ingredients for helping regulate blood sugar levels, aid with digestion and provide a supply of fiber and other important nutrients such as calcium and Vitamin C.

Besides the prickly pear tunas, another wonderful treat of desert harvesting are the acorns from the scrub oak bush. Acorns are usually gathered in the fall when the acorns are starting to ripen, falling from the plant. Because the edges of the scrub oak leaf feel prickly and sharp to the skin, the acorn gatherer may again want to wear leather gloves for the harvesting. Once gathered, the acorn must be soaked in water to remove the bitter taste of tannin -- or tannic acid -- part of the natural makeup of the acorn. Boiling the acorns in water before or after shelling helps remove the tannin. The boiling process should be repeated with clean water each time until the brownish color from the acorn nuts is removed and the boiling water is clear.

Again, the dried processed acorn nut may be made into a variety of delicious treats by grinding it into flour to make acorn pancakes and waffles or breads. Some simply flavor the acorn using a variety of spices for a healthy and tasty snack.

Best wishes for gathering the fruits of the desert! From our families to yours, may you have a very blessed harvest with few thorns -- yet rich with an abundance of blessings from nature.