Santa Cruz Farmer’s Market Desert Harvest Series: Barrel Cactus

Become familiar with barrel cactus and its uses at this Desert Harvest Series demonstration.  Learn to identify, harvest, process, and use barrel cactus flower buds, fruits, and seeds, available for harvest from November through January.  Bright yellow fruit pulp is tart and lemony, flower buds may be pickled like cholla buds, and seeds contain significant amounts of protein and oil, and are crunchy and delicious.  Seeds may also be ground into a beautiful, tasty flour.

Roll out the barrel, we’ll have a barrel of fun!  Roll out the barrel, we’ll have the blues on the run!  Fishhook and Compass, big yellow fruits bring good cheer!  Everybody roll out the barrel, ’cause the gang’s all here!