The weekend before last there was a Hollywood Orchard pick of cactus. Wild prickly pear cactus picking is kind of like wild blackberry picking. The cactus is everywhere, they grow gorgeous (and yummy) fruit but pickers beware their prickly parts are plentiful that if you don’t use the right super protective gloves you feel days later. The secret is to burn those things off. So we picked, hiked, picked some more and then arrived at the top of the hill to bar-b-qua off the prickles.
That dripping red on the cactus is the mealy bug (cochineal insect) smushed. Fun fact Starbucks got in trouble for using them as dye.
A hillside of Agave and (a little) cactus.
