Thursday, July 31, 2008

Skywatch Friday: Pickly Pear Sky


(Prickly Pear Cactus and Fruit against a Monsoon Sky: Photo by kathie 7-23-08)

(Shooting data: Lens: 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5 G,Focal Length: 70mm, 1/200 sec - F/10)

Click on photos to enlarge for best view.

Today I am out picking prickly pears to turn into yet another batch of Prickly Pear Jelly. Liz and I did this last year and, though it was hot, it was so much fun to eat The Fruit of the Land. Here in Sycamore Canyon the cactus fruit is ripening and the birds are eating it, turning their normally white droppings raspberry and garnet. Not something you want to think about when you are eating jelly!


(Prickly Pear Jelly; Photo by kathie 7-24-08)

Shooting data Lens: 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5 G,Focal Length: 60mm,1/60 sec - F/4.5



32 comments:

kjpweb said...

I have to admit to have never eaten anything Prickly Pear related in my life. Despite it being fruit of the land here in Florida as well. But hey - eating citrus has to count for something! :)
Cheers, Klaus

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

I had iced tea with prickly pear juice when we were at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix two yeas ago. It tasted a bit like bananas to me.

Your Skywatch photo is unbelievable!!

TR Ryan said...

That photo looks like a painting! And in your photo with Doug at Gossamer Tapestry -- you look like a goddess! Beauty everywhere!!!

Anonymous said...

Great Photos!!!

Anne-Berit said...

Beautiful photo,and the jelly lookes good!

bobbie said...

The Prickly Pear and its fruit is really beautiful, and the jars of jelly are every bit as pretty. Hope they taste as good. I never had that kind of jelly.

Gemma Wiseman said...

What an interesting sky pic! Love your comment about birds eating prickly pear!

rachel said...

this is so cute! i love how colorful the image is!!

Pat - Arkansas said...

I very much enjoy the flavor of cactus. In NM, we used to eat cactus candy frequently; it has a unique flavor. Your photo of the plant in bloom brings back memories, and the jelly looks delicious.

Anonymous said...

HAHA!! Prickly Pear is a nasty pest in Australia with quite a history! Originally from Mexico, then introduced. It sure looks pretty when fruits (which the ones here never get a chance to do). LOVE jam making! I think we call your 'jelly', jam ;)

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Kathie: I love the cactus Sky shot and never realized you could make Jelly from Cacti.

abb said...

That prickly pear against that sky is just lovely.

I'd love to try that jelly!

Fish Whisperer said...

Super photo. Just lovely. The jelly makes me want to eat toast.
Have a great weekend.
Cheers

Lilli & Nevada said...

Oh i had some jelly from that and it was so good

Pappy said...

I had already formulated a question about making tuna jelly before I scrolled down to see the finished product. You'll have to do a post on the procedure in the future. We have loads of tunas here, but Bebe has not tried to make tuna jelly yet. Great SWF entry. Pappy

Kahshe Cottager said...

I have heard about prickly pears but have never seen them before. I didn't know you could make anything from them. Your jelly looks good and such a pretty colour as well!

Thanks for a pretty and interesting sky watch post!

Shelley said...

Never heard of prickly pear - it certainly makes for a nice photo. How does it taste?!

Deborah Godin said...

Love both your photos! The cactus sky is so serene, and the bright jelly is a good candidate for a Ruby Tuesday post! Where I live now is a huge fruit and produce area, and some U-Pick places, but it's always more fun I think to pick in the wild. In my former place in Alberta, we had wild Saskatoon berries plus "feral" raspberries and strawbs. Never enough for jam/jelly though. Great post!

me ann my camera said...

What a stunning skywatch frame this is. It would look stunning on canvas also!

Rune Eide said...

That looked like sharp stuff...

jalynn01 said...

Your finished jelly in the jars looks devine!! It's hard work to start from scratch and make jelly or jam. My hat is off to you. It always tastes better than store bought, but with the costs of sugar, surejell, etc. probably costs more to make it. Great post. Thanks for sharing. Your picture (skywatch) is so beautiful it doesn't look real.

Mike said...

Kathie, I don't know what looks better - your skywatch photo or that jelly!

Anonymous said...

Hey Kathie, after watching 'The Jungle Book' a few years ago now?, I often wondered what prickly pears looked like.!!

esnorway said...

great shoots have nice weekend

Anonymous said...

Great photo, looks like the say was painted in:)

Tom said...

Ha! your Sky Watch post as took me back many years nd for the rest of the day I will be reliving my childhood. ... why.. well it reminded me of a certain song from Jungle Book


Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw

Marie said...

Beautiful, interesting and so different from anything in Norway! The jelly looks tasty!

(I hope you understand my english :)

Texas Travelers said...

Thanks for the link in this post. I hadn't read it before. I'll take the jar on the left. Looks beautiful. I need to see if our local market has some available now.

I like the post below. Nice photos and I enjoyed the Sunday walk with you from the comfort of my chair. However, I really would have preferred to be there.

I have an unusual butterfly posted today that you might enjoy for some extra diversity.

Troy

Quiet Paths said...

The first time I had this jelly I was a child; I thought it was really exotic. I haven't seen any of this for some time. Thanks for bringing back a neat memory. I love your painting.

DeniseinVA said...

What a gorgeous photo and liked the one of the jars. Never tasted anything like that but next time I come out west I will keep a look out for it. That sky sure was a pretty backdrop for the cactus.

Catherine said...

Beautiful sky~watch capture~ I love the blue hues of the mountains & sky! And I had no idea you could make jelly from prickly pear cactus! Its a great shot of the jelly~looks yummy, a very pretty color! :)
We've been picking raspberries & blackberries & making jelly, & pies!
Great post!
Have a beautiful week & happy sky~watching!
Cat

Kathie Brown said...

I can see from reading everyone's comments that I shall have to publish the recipe for making prickly pear jelly. You already know there is a post in there somewhere! Our prickly pear picking has been moved to August 5, so hopefully we will be making jelly soon there after. I'll keep you posted!

Tom, thanks for the poem! I have never read that before! It's perfect!