Prickly Pear Harvest

As I've mentioned before, I'm a bit obsessed about making stuff from whatever grows in our backyard.  Our neighbors have a giant cactus that is a foot or two taller than me and the top of it grows over into our yard.  My neighbors Dolores and Lorenzo are very sweet and sharing, and they also never go into their backyard, so I figured I could take some prickly pear fruit without them minding too much.

A few months ago, I harvested a few batches of fruit.  Did you know that prickly pear fruit is also referred to as tuna?  It makes me laugh every time, as a vegetarian, to think I'm eating tuna.  

I don't have a photo of our neighbors' tunas, but they looked like the yellow orange one in this photo.

First of all, it's pretty dangerous to harvest these fruits.  They have tiny hairlike spikes that hurt like &#^@ when they bore into your skin.  Gardening gloves were no match for the insidious spines.  My sweetheart got some heavy duty thick vinyl gloves from the hardware store so we could safely handle them.

I wanted to try making Prickly Pear Syrup to put in to my famous margaritas.  I experimented with different ratios of sugar and water, but I didn't like the taste of the pear with too much sugar.  I wanted to keep some tartness, and since I could add sugar later on when making the cocktails, I eventually bypassed sugar altogether.

My recipe for Tart Prickly Pear Syrup:

  1. I use 4-6 fruits per batch of syrup.
  2. Once the spines are rubbed off, I rinse the fruit, slice them in half (while still wearing the gloves) and scoop the pulp and seeds out with a spoon directly into a pot on the stove.  
  3. I turn the heat to medium-low, just enough to heat them so they start breaking down.  They don't need to bubble and simmer. 
  4. The key to bringing out the tartness and flavor is to squeeze in a half to a whole lemon or lime into the pot.  Either one worked well.
  5. Keep an eye on the pot so the contents don't burn.  You may need to add in some water, maybe 1/2 cup or a cup.  I like a thicker syrup so I only add water as needed so nothing burns.
  6. Periodically mash the pulp with a wooden spoon, to help it break down and liquefy.
  7. When the pulp is mostly broken down, taste the mixture and see if it needs some sugar or citrus juice.  Trust your tastebuds, you can't do this wrong.
  8. Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool.  Once it's cooled, pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a jar, and discard the seeds and pulp.

The jar of syrup kept in the fridge for a month or two.  I left one jar longer than that, and it started to mold.  Just keep an eye on it!

To use the prickly pear syrup, add about a tablespoon into your cocktail recipes, or add it to sparkling water, lemonade, whatever seems right to you.

Now that it's spring, I've noticed that the cactus is going crazy with new growth.  

Are these new paddles, or new tunas?  Anybody know?  I can't wait to find out!

Spring Cleaning

Lately I've been tackling my household and business clutter.  My problem is that I appreciate and see the beauty in so many things, especially vintage clothing!  As someone who likes to reuse and upcycle, I can fall into the trap of keeping something because I might use it someday.  

I've been working on being more realistic about what I might actually use or wear.  I feel like I've also developed a good discipline about not acquiring many new (or vintage) things, which is half the battle.

I still need to clear the clutter, so I've been donating and giving away a bunch of stuff.  Recently I donated some old Featherweight T-shirts to Ruby's Place in Hayward, CA, which provides services to women and children impacted by domestic violence, human trafficking and homelessness.  It felt good to give some unworn, good-looking (in my opinion) T-shirts to people who could use a little something nice in their lives. Plus I was able to clear some space in my studio.

It's still sometimes challenging to be honest with myself about whether or not I need to keep something.  After seeing it recommended by several people, I got a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and I'm going to start reading it this weekend.  I hope it takes me over the last humps into being organized and clutter-free!

Support Small Biz: Imperfect Concepts & ICB Consults

In August of 2013 I attended a blogger conference hoping to spread the word about my brand.  I chose the conference because the ticket was ridiculously cheap, I liked the speakers, and it was in my beloved Austin, Texas.

At the conference I met Tasha Robinson, who was giving a talk for small business owners.  The room was too small for the crowd, but Tasha quickly captured everyone's attention with her sharp style and no-nonsense delivery.  She was concise, funny and relatable, all while giving really helpful information.  She really impressed me, and I remember thinking that she was destined to do great things.  I made a point to say hello and spend some time with her before the conference ended.

Over the past year and a half I've watched Tasha's business evolve and grow.  She walks the walk and it's paying off for her and for the businesses she helps.  Tasha has inspired me to write my own e-book, and her latest e-book, Passive Income: Make Money In Your Sleep, is helping me figure out how to do it.

Tasha shares tons of helpful information on her Imperfect Concepts blog but my favorite way to keep up with her is on her Instagram accounts (Imperfect Concepts & ICB Consults) where she shares solid advice and motivation for small businesses.  Follow her & be inspired!

Rich in roses

When we moved in to our house late last summer, the entire backyard was overgrown and neglected.  My sweetheart is industrious and loves getting outside, fixing things and nurturing greenery.  He hacked away everything that was dead and dying in the yard, probably half the overall volume, and I waited over winter and wondered who might want to come back in the spring.

Well it's spring now, and we have an old-fashioned rose bush that's taller than me.  

So far, all the plants have come back with gusto.  They all seem delighted to have gotten some much-needed attention.  Sometimes I can feel fearful of getting rid of old stuff, but when I watch how these plants respond to being pruned, it inspires me.  Clip away whatever isn't growing, so there's more room to bloom.

Our old-fashioned rose bush is blooming like mad!  I can see her from my bedroom window, and every time I see the small pink blooms, my heart sings.  I feel rich in roses.  

The witchy part of me always wants to utilize the beautiful growing things in our yard.  We never use pesticides and only fertilize with the compost we make ourselves, and I always research what's safe to consume.  Lately I've been googling what I can do with these phenomenal roses.  

I've made two batches of rose water.  Here's a great video showing the method I used.

I'm drinking some rose petal tea as I type this.  Here's the simple method that inspired me.

I'm going to make some rose simple syrup this evening.  Here's the recipe I plan to use.

There are so many blooms, and just as many buds waiting to break open.  I feel like I want to capture what the roses are saying, and make room for more blooms.

Have you made anything from rose petals?  Any other recipes I should check out?