Prickly Pear Cactus-Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Whenever I read the word forage the image that pops in my head is of woods and streams, fiddlehead ferns and wild mushrooms. In spite of living surrounded by the desert for over a decade, I am stuck conjuring pastoral images of nature’s bounty.

Yet, I live across the street from a majestically gnarled olive tree. My own yard boasts a messy mesquite filled with usable pods. Prickly Pear cactus dot the neighborhood with their jewel tone fruit attracting birds and insects. What I lack is the know how to put any of the food offered by the desert landscape to use.

A class at Boyce Thompson Arboretum about juicing the “tuna”, the fruit of the Prickly Pear cactus, appeared on my radar of local food news and a day trip to the arboretum later, I am juiced and over flowing with information.

First stop:…