Sampler Platter

I've never eaten (4.00 / 3)

the fruit from my prickly pear. I guess I should be more brave...I wonder should you eat them fresh? They stay on there a long time after the flowers fall off. They should be flowering soon though.

For the record, even spineless Opuntia isn't. Sneaky of it. Those little spines are still there.

What's an ornamental orange? You're not talking Osage orange, are you? People put those under houses to repel things as I recall. No, not good for eating!

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

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by: Miep @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 02:35:10 AM UTC

when I was in AZ (4.00 / 3)

several years ago I went for a walk and decided to "sneak" an orange off of someone's orange tree. And that thing tasted like ASS. When I asked a relative later (an AZ native) they told me it was an ornamental orange.

Re: cactus fruit - I buy 'em at the market or get prickly pear jam. I haven't picked any from the cactus myself. Not after an unfortunate incident touching a prickly pear cactus as a 12-year-old because it didn't look very prickly.  

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 03:32:49 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

well, after this year's flowers are done (4.00 / 3)

and the fruits grow out, I'll experiment then. Do you just eat them raw? After making sure there's nothing prickly left, that is?

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

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by: Miep @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 03:35:27 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

here's the info I just looked up (4.00 / 3)

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

Lots of seeds but damn they taste good. You can also make jam, or use the juice in a vinaigrette dressing (mmm).

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 03:38:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

glochids! (4.00 / 2)

I'd heard there was a word for those tiny spines but never knew what it was.

I'd think the sensible thing would be to rub them with something that would catch the spines, and then peel them. Grit, maybe; but little scraps of cotton cloth would work, I'd think. You could always compost them afterwards if you wanted to be OCD green about it.

Thanks!

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

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by: Miep @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 04:12:24 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Backyard poultry and the Chicken whisperer on the radio (4.00 / 1)

http://www.radiosandysprings.c...

too cool; Im eggstatic!

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by: zic @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 15:35:19 PM UTC

Hey, I just ordered some chicks yesterday. (4.00 / 2)

25 Buff Orpington females from McMurray Hatchery.  My first stab at raising chickens for meat and eggs.  My wife doesn't want anything to do with it, she thinks I'm crazy. [well, I've suspected that for a long time!] But I'm excited, it should be fun at least the first time around.

I've read a half-dozen books and got a bunch of blog sites bookmarked, so I have some idea of what I'm getting into.  But there is no substitute for experience: the best way to learn most anything.

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by: DennisP @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 16:19:41 PM UTC

[ Parent ]