NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Those growing and harvesting prickly pear fruit said 2024 is a banner year for the crop. One local company is trying to get people to stop overlooking the red fruit.

We are at the annual New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival with vendors selling mocktails, syrups, jams and more, all made from the ruby fruit clustered on cactus across the Southwest this time of year.

Sep. 26—Throw a rock in New Mexico and you will most likely hit a prickly pear cactus. The plentiful and beautiful cacti, also known as nopales, produce a sweet and bright ruby fruit that ...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Prickly Festival is back for it’s fourth year. This year’s event has moved locations from downtown to the Gutierrez Hubbell House. The festival will ...

In botanical terms, the small, plump prickly pear is, in fact, a berry, measuring 2 to 5 inches, and ranging in color from red to pale yellow, or green, with deep red flesh.

To a large pot, add the prickly pears and fill with cold water. Drain the water, pouring off any dirt or debris, then fill the pot again just to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and turn off the heat.

These are edible and can be eaten or used in beverages or jellies. The Santa Rita Prickly Pear is native to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Northern Mexico. It is hardy in USDA Zones 8-11.

Engelmann’s prickly pear, along with 17 other prickly pear species, is found in all of our southwest deserts — Mojave, Great Basin, Sonoran and Chihuahuan. It’s the state cactus of Texas and ...

However, this species is from a large family of over 150 species (Opuntia) that can adapt to weather from New Mexico to Florida and up into Massachusetts. Being a true cactus, these plants prosper ...

Farmers here are cooking up new menus for health-conscious Japanese, with dishes like quiche, pizza toast, skewers, tempura and cold ...

The Prickly Pear Festival celebrates the cactus and all of its incredible and edible parts. The event celebrates its sixth annual festival from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, and from 10 a.m. to ...

This weekend, cactus were cause for celebration in the New Mexico desert - a very specific, spiny succulent known as prickly pear. As KUNM's Alice Fordham reports, it's delicious.