Desert harvest: Unsweetened prickly pear juice tastes like a cross between cranberries and watermelon rind

A free class on prickly pear harvesting is set for 9 a.m. Saturday at Civano Nursery, 5301 S. Houghton Road, 546-9200.

» Resourceful guide

"The Prickly Pear Cookbook" (Rio Nuevo Books, $14.95) by Carolyn Niethammer

This fine guide will teach you how to cook with both the fruit and the pads of the prickly pear. From prickly pear gelato to prickly pear salsa, it's an essential addition to the cactus lover's library.

• Scott Calhoun

» Prickly pear lemonade

Makes 5 servings

• 4 cups water

• Juice of 6 lemons

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup prickly pear juice (or 3 to 4 frozen prickly pear ice cubes)

• 1 sliced lemon

Combine water, lemon juice, sugar and prickly pear juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon slices. Serve over ice or chill until cold.

• Scott Calhoun

» How to process the fruit

When prickly pear fruit is ripe, it will separate easily from the pad. On Engelmann's prickly pears - a type of the cactus favored for recipes - the fruits will turn deep red when ripe. Don't try to pick the fruit or handle it with your fingers - use tongs and a 5-gallon bucket.

Wash the fruit and blend it in a sturdy food processor. Strain the juice through a colander lined with four layers of cheesecloth. The cheesecloth will strain out any of the remaining stickers left in the pulp and juice mixture. Let the juice strain for 20 to 30 minutes.

Discard pulp seeds and cheesecloth, taking care not to drop pulp or seeds in the juice. Freeze the magenta-colored juice in ice cube trays for later use or use it fresh.

• Scott Calhoun