Friday, July 25, 2025

"Fruity"

 

The prickly pear cacti are simply overflowing with fruit right now.  Just look at all that ruby-red fruit on this plant.

Each of the nopals (pads) have about a dozen tunas (fruit bulbs) on them.  It looks like all that fruit might weigh those nopals down but it doesn't .

This type of prickly pear with its short, brown thorns is sometimes called a cowboy whiskers prickly pear.  

The fruit are used to make jams and syrups.  I've had both and they taste fruity and sweet.  Every gift shop in the desert southwest will have jars of prickly pear jelly for sale.  

10 comments:

roentare said...

These look so fantastic

Travel said...

I have had it.

RedPat said...

They look so healthy, Sharon.

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Beautiful ❤️

Steve Reed said...

Delicious!

Thérèse said...

Such a good picture: I have never seen so many prickly pears at one time.

Bill said...

They look tasty.

Diaday said...

I love to buy local jelly when I travel.

MELODY JACOB said...

Those prickly pear cacti are indeed bursting with color. It's impressive how the nopals support so much fruit. It's interesting to learn about the "cowboy whiskers" variety and how versatile the tunas are for jams and syrups.

Gemel said...

Wow, I have never seen so many fruits on a prickly pear.