extra find today

While traveling to a detecting site today I found something I've been looking for all summer.... Tunas!!

For anyone not familiar, tunas are the name of the edible fruits on the prickley pear cactus. They make an awesome jelly. The flavor is like a cross between peaches, strawberries, and orange.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia

See, all this started years ago on a trip to the grand canyon. We picked a box of cactus candy at one of the tourist traps and really liked it. I thought that since they were native to Oklahoma, I would try to make somethign with them. Then I found the jelly recipe (I already make jelly from my peach trees). Then the hard became actually finding the silly things. The first year, I found them for sale in the produce section of the grocery store, then they never had them again. Last time my wife found them on a prickely pear cactus in front of a restaurant in another city and brought me some.

Then today I found 3 HUGE plants and picked these giant beauties. I have already boiled them down into juice and after it settles out I will be set with cactus jelly for the next year!

There's a ton of those down in West Texas where I used to live. Good stuff, but sure sucks trying to detect in the big patches of that stuff. lol

There are millions of those in Arizona, I lived there for years and never made any jelly....It sure sounds tasty. RickO

Sounds delicious but I don;t think I;ll find many here in Maine... :twirlingeyes:

Sounds good. How about a recipe? :twirlingeyes:

Looks like an egg plant gone bad lol Never heard of those. I'm a bad eater. I never try any different foods. Can't seem to eat most vegetables. Is that a veggie or fruit? From the sounds of how it tastes, it's a fruit. The flavor mentioned doesn't seem to fit the color But it does sound tasty!!

yup those are yummy when made into a jam , use to have some when they were in season back in Phoenix .they are definately a unique flavor and do not taste anything like they look . i didn't think they had native cactus in Oklahoma , learn something new everyday.

That is an extra....Cool.....get some made and sent out to us....Got them biscuits ready..... :grin: :grin: