Prickly pear cactus

My prickly pear gets a green bud at the bottom and at the top of the bud it is red, about 1½ inches high then turns into a leaf later. Do you know is this an edible prickly pear? It has prickers and oval shaped about 8″- 10″ pads. It is all about 10 feet tall.

Don

I don’t know of a prickly pear that isn’t edible. You can eat the young, tender pads with the fat, new prickers, or the red fruit that forms after the blossoms fade. — Jackie

Canning eggs

For canning hard-boiled eggs, can I use some honey in the vinegar for a sweet and sour taste? If so, may I add honey to taste or is there a specific proportion of honey to vinegar to maintain the proper acidity for the canning?

Kathy
Elizabeth, Arkansas

I wouldn’t add honey to your canned hard-boiled eggs. If you want, once the jar is opened, you could pour out the brine and add honey to taste, then pour the brine back on the eggs and keep the jar in the refrigerator until eaten. — Jackie

4 COMMENTS

  1. Sherry,

    Good thinking! ANY deeper plastic containers, especially with clear covers make great mini-greenhouses! Why spend money to buy ones in seed catalogs?

  2. Shirley,

    Complete directions are in my book, GROWING AND CANNING YOUR OWN FOOD available through the magazine. (Click above link.) but basically, all you do is to boil and peel your eggs then make a brine of 1 1/2 quarts white vinegar, 2 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp whole allspice and 1 Tbsp mixed pickling spices to 18 medium eggs. Bring the brine to a boil. Pack the whole eggs into hot, sterilized wide mouthed jars, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Ladle boiling pickling solution over eggs, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Make sure the eggs are covered. Remove air bubbles. Process in a boiling water bath canner (quarts) for 25 minutes. Never leave unsealed or opened pickled eggs out at room temperature. You risk danger from botulism and other bacterial diseases if you do.

  4. Jackie,

    Regarding starting seeds. I saved those plastic zip boxes/covers that bed sheets sometimes come in. Thinking,
    “some day I might find a use for these” and
    years later BINGO They make wonderful mini greenhouses
    for starting seed. Unfortunately I threw out some before
    IT dawned on me.

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