I was out checking the garden and saw these giant purple things that had fallen to the ground. Being the curious person I am I broke it open and the dog jumped up to grab it. Thus, realizing, “Hey, I might be able to eat that.” It smells sweet and is super juicy and the bright, vivid color of a beet.
So, after a few minutes of research, “Mrs. Farmer Girl” as she asked me to call her and myself, “Mrs. Candy” set out on a prickly pear hunting adventure.
Of course, no outing would be acceptable without dressing up just a little! I always wear my hat in the sun but hers was a bit over sized. 🙂
Accessories are everything!
A new friend nearby encouraged us.
While taking this photo, Mrs. Farmer Girl decided now would be a good time to play with the cactus, so this picture was a bit rushed as I had to do extractions.
So we finished our search with a small load. We went to the kitchen and prepared our delightful goody for sorbet.
You do have to take precautions because they have little spines that are quite painful.
Mrs. Farmer Girl didn’t touch them, she just sprayed them 🙂
Cut them in half and scoop out the center with a spoon.
We whipped them in the blender, strained the seeds (at Mrs Farmer Girl’s request and poured what remained into our ice cream maker. The Recipe we used was from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-duran/prickly-pear-sorbet-recipe/index.html.
Out of pocket expense…
1/2 cup sugar 🙂
I did not save the skins for serving, I used a beautiful piece of my china instead:)
Mrs. Farmer Girl loved her portion. I am saving mine for later 🙂
Thus ended the exciting adventures of… Mrs. Farmer Girl and Mrs. Candy
Our next adventure may come sooner than I think!
ahumblevessel 
Really cute…maybe you and inara should write a children’s book?
Sent from my iPad
what a great idea! She was trying to tell me what to type as I was typing away, she truly thought I was writing what she said. I only realized it too late when I was done she said, “Ok mommy, go ahead and read it back to me.” LOL
Every child deserves a mom like you, time spent on the real stuff life is about and getting a real education…only those brave enough to face the stickers get the sweetest rewards!
Ah! Ms. Lee, you blessed my heart. Thank you soooo much!