Cholla catus are impressive. They can make a real tangle of spines! When I lived in Arizona, I ate Cholla buds regularly. They take some processing, but are good vegetables. The first time, I made a giant mistake.
I boiled the buds to remove the spines (instead of burning them off on coals from a fire, which works better). The boiling did get the spines off the cholla buds and the spines were all soft. I cleaned up my kitchen with a dishrag and towels that I put into my regular laundry. Those spines got into all my laundry, including my underwear, and they got hard and sharp again when they were dry. It was a painful experience! :O
I've also crashed my bicycle into a few of them, riding at night. I'm not the brightest or the most coordinated Cholla in the cactus patch, I guess. Thanks for the chance to reminisce!
It is so wonderful to hear from you! I check in every once in a while to see if you have posted something new and I'm always disappointed.
I will never look at Cholla cactus without remembering your laundry story! They are certainly tenacious. I have eaten prickly pair, and I'm sure the preparation is much simpler with them.
Oh yeah, Prickly Pear pads or the red fruit are so much simpler. I'll be posting again pretty soon. I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, especially to see what everyone else is doing. It's nice to see your shadow photo contest series is going well!
It will be good to have you back! The Shadow Contest is a lot of fun. Let me know if I can help in any way.
Thanks!