Cactus Candy Yields: 6 servings 3 lg. Prickly Pear Cactus pads 3 c Granulated sugar 1 c Water 2 Tlb. Orange juice 1 Tlb. Lemon juice From: Arizona Cookbook Select prickly pear cactus (or small barrel cactus if you own this type of cactus, since it's illegal to remove it from the desert). Remove spines and outside layer with large knife. Cut pulp across in slices one-inch thick. Soak overnight in cold water. Remove from water, cut in one inch cubes and cook in boiling water till tender. Drain. Cook slowly in the following syrup until nearly all the syrup is absorbed. Do not scorch! SYRUP for 2 QUARTS of CACTUS CUBES Heat all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Then add cactus. Remover cactus from syrup, drain and roll in granulated or powdered sugar. For colored cactus candy, any vegetable food coloring may be added to the syrup.
I guess you'd need to wear rubber gloves to remove all those spines or else you'd be picking them out of your hands for ages.
Yes,You may never get them all out . Use thongs hold them over a flame and burn them off might be a way.I don't mess with them Eileen as they are more trouble than their worth.
Thank You very much.I thought yours was just so cute .I had to try one for mine.I had to ask for help from Frank.
Thanks for posting this Glendann! Could come in very handy in the summer when I am overun with prickly pear pads!
