• thinkerbell
    +3

    Yeah, what do they smell like? I don't think I've ever smelled a cactus flower before.

    • rigel (edited 8 years ago)
      +1

      Can't speak to this particular one as I totally forgot to give it a sniff (well, and, still getting over a cold so I might not be able to smell much anyway), but some other cactus blossoms can smell really nice. We have a lot of prickly pear cacti around here. The fragrance from the blooms isn't particularly strong, but it's nice. Also the fruits taste really sweet; we make lemonade out of them.

      Saguaros have nice blossoms too but I'm afraid I've never been up high enough on one to smell it. :)

      • thinkerbell
        +3

        Wow, prickly pear lemonade? That sounds amazing- I will definitely have to put that on the bucket list. Do you have a recipe for that? It might make a nice snap. (if you do end up doing that tag me so I can get the recipe!)

        • rigel (edited 8 years ago)
          +2

          I don't have my own recipe as I haven't done it for quite a while, but this pdf looks to be about the right procedure. I'll see if there's a good tribe for it tomorrow when I have some more energy.

          edit: also found this more extensive overview

          But yeah, basically you just harvest the fruits with gloves and tongs, rinse, cut open and take out pulpy stuff, blend, strain, refrigerate. Then you can make lemonade with it. If you're ever down in the Tucson area be sure to hit up Tohono Chul Park as they always have great prickly pear lemonade there. You can also buy jams and syrups from local artsy folk usually, as well as from gift shop type places.

          I think you can buy the prickly pear concentrate online if you're interested in giving it a shot!

          • thinkerbell
            +1

            Thanks for all the cool info! I guess having never lived around cacti, it hadn't dawned on me that you could make so many things from the fruit. I'm gonna look into it!