How to Pick and Eat Prickly Pear Fruit

[@reececrump8483]

texins will find any excuse to use propane

[@taski1]

and propane accessories

[@brittanyb1rd]

Texans*

[@jaysal3518]

brittany andrade try eating alot of these fruits including seeds and let me know what happens in 24 hrs? Lmao

[@MrJgrima]

Should only eat a Maximum of eighth. The seeds COULD plug you.

[@Mr.SparkleOG]

Reece Crump YUP!! YEEEE YEEEE!!!!

[@magipoke]

This is how you eat prickly fruit in a survival situation... *Pulls out flamethrower*

[@Joss22]

😂😂😂😂

[@wtfr3nch]

I've eaten them right off the cactus, it's pretty good actually you just have to scrape off the spines with your fingernail or a rock or something

[@richcampoverde]

Poke Lev yeah cause we all carry weed burners and bottles of gas round with us just incase we want to eat a cactus

[@magipoke]

richcampoverde But Something as large as that is a bit much in my opinion xD I guess its a usual thing to have around in situations like this... as I've never went out in areas with cactus fruits.

[@magipoke]

It could totally be used as a weapon of mass destruction though...

[@hectorcastillo1239]

nice ill remember to bring my propane torch next time i get lost in the desert

[@angelbanuelos3767]

Lmfao

[@OscarGonzalezTheRealOne]

LMAO

[@jaychust7368]

"How to"

[@jaychust7368]

dc y L

[@Pahrabai39]

hahahaha

[@katedunno1230]

I've always got a flame thower in my back pocket. Now I know why I carried it all these years

[@BobHansler]

It is good to be prepared.

[@LearnLightAnimations]

+bob shut the fuck up

[@Erik-yt8qb]

HeavenHammer chill

[@christianmccauley7340]

@@LearnLightAnimations Jesus Christ, chill dawg

[@LearnLightAnimations]

@@christianmccauley7340 lol hi

[@victoriamatamoros9828]

In Mexico, we eat these too. We just peel them and they're usually served chilled.

[@OscarGonzalezTheRealOne]

Tunas!

[@heliogonzalez2663]

Victoria Matamoros tunas are ok but pitallas are much better and has little seeds

[@damionmascoe2251]

we eat those in Jamaica as well too.

[@ch1ll1add.25]

Victoria Matamoros I have 6 prickly pear cactuses in my backyard. I keep them since I love tuna. I once made tuna juice from my backyard tuna cactus.

[@theamansour]

Victoria Matamoros we eat them in Israel too...they are the yellow ones though. We cook them, eat them chilled, or make syrup and juice

[@BenBarrage]

Survival?! Bring a flamethrower.

[@jaychust7368]

Ben Barrage "How to"

[@maxtheleopard]

Ben Barrage You never know when you have to use it to cook a entire cow in under an hour

[@javierphua5205]

BEN, WATCHA DOIN HERE?!? YOU'RE A GROWTOPIA KZbinR

[@2005wsoxfan]

There's one on my Swiss Army knife.

[@archyvarasramunas6972]

Aren't you supposed to be playing gt?

[@Jonathan-cn1nv]

Did nobody listen to him in the beginning when he said “I brought my propane torch, but in survival you can just make a stick torch”

[@Thriving_in_Exile]

No, we heard, alright. It's just funnier to address the former. My hands went _right_ up to my head when I saw that.

[@ShellyAnn1a]

Had my first tastes of the tunas back in the early 1970's in SoCal where I was stationed. My boy friend and I went out and decided to pick a bunch of them. He was from the East Tennessee Hill country and I am from the great PNW. We had no idea what we were doing and I ended up destroying a good pair of hog hide gloves. Later we used kitchen tongs to pick them and then stuck them on a sharp stick, holding them over a fire for a minute or two to burn the spines off. Took a batch to my apartment and stored them in the refrigerator. They are great chilled. During survival training Jess and I actually gained a few pounds from what we found to eat. Big lizards, rattlers, jackrabbits and the odd bird or two that we were able to knock off their roost at night. The instructors accused us of stashing food before the exercise. More survival videos, I love them.

[@hms267]

Thanks a lot. Few days back I happen to see them on cactus and grabbed it bare hand. It was really bad with so many spikes. Took me hours to get rid of them.

[@Thriving_in_Exile]

Sounds about right. The desert always provides, if you know where to look. Thanks for the story.

[@utdutd8336]

How do you catch these reptiles? And the birds too?

[@ShellyAnn1a]

@@utdutd8336 To catch a big rattler I used a long forked branch to pin down their heads with. If I wanted it alive for later, I would grab them behind the head, flush with the back of the jaws, so it cannot twist around and bite, then bagged it. Or I would just decapitated them them on the spot for immediate use. When you do decapitate and dress them, you need to remember to bury the head, so the yellow jackets do not feed on it and the venom glands. Either way bury the head a few inches deep, so the yellow jackets cannot get to it. To catch a big lizard, you need to be fast or catch them first thing in the AM while they are still sulggish and before they warm up. Or get lucky and hit one with a thrown rock, my aim was never very good. I never tried to catch birds during survivle training. You expend too much energy trying to catch one, unless you got lucky and found them roosting somewhere for the night.

[@marissabohk7929]

i just went on a hike and found this species cactus fruiting, bare-handed took one, opened it up and it tasted soooo good. As an avid forager and high carb i am soooo excited to go back and have a bushel of free fruits. Def worth the spines in my fingers. Very informative video thank you

[@dianeibsen5994]

🤔

[@TaigiTWeseFormosanDiplomat]

Your hand alright

[@nolesdire5353]

Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw, when you pick a pear try to use the claw.

[@andreastanley4342]

+Noles Dire lol ok baloo

[@lilsophia79]

Noles Dire 😂

[@coberrycheesesnek4769]

Danmmit I thought I was safe from Jungle Book references!

[@cooltrey5002]

That's just the bear necessities!

[@himeme3908]

Thank you for your wisdom.

[@xxkillerklownxx3462]

“So that’s pretty much done” Turns flamethrower to max

[@frankv7152]

Hi Bob, I am from Australia. Prickly pears here are a staple especially amongst the Italian community. They were brought over from southern Italy and cultivated here. Red ones are best!

[@kumarapatch1234]

Iv seen them in Australia out west Queensland desert

[@thegreatoutdoors1000]

They are actually only native to the americas and then brought to Sicily where I'm from a few hundred years ago. And became an Italian favorite. All cactus comes from the Americas. Look it up blew my mind!

[@HecticNova]

you have propane but do you have propane accessories?

[@JakeyMeisty]

I don't understand all the hate. He used a torch to burn off the microscopic thorns. He's using his resources to be most efficient. He didn't say that the torch was a necessity. It's called efficiency, people. Using this method he can get the most calories for less time and energy.

[@kraniumdranium1364]

Noones hating tho

[@dominickbosson1107]

I think they’re just Joshin, but it isn’t really funny.

[@UniverseOmega]

Them survival situations. Let me bust out my propane torch real quick.

[@dragonlord5665]

"And if you're in a survival situation, use a torch."

[@bounchofbeaners6627]

obviously he ment aa wooden torch ......atleast thats what i thought he ment but a wooden torch still has fire so i dont see why it wouldnt work..

[@lilyanderson7853]

Issac Lugo YOU DONT NEED A TOUCH!

[@stevetaylor8446]

You could also sell the seeds here in England...we find it hard to get cactus seeds from the deserts over there and there are plenty of us searching all rhe time for desert plant seeds. Those fruits look real nice and yes I've had those spines in my hand before...not nice hehe. Great video

[@cainalbertson327]

i remember getting a bunch of zip lock bags of these because i love them and some people drove by me laughing at us. ill never know why but i definitely enjoyed myself.

[@cactusfiesta]

Great video! Greetings from Mexico!

[@TvshkaHumma]

I lived with my friends family for a few months, they were mexican, they turned me onto eating cactus and its really good right off a grill.

[@olliedoesgames]

Was lost in the desert with only a propane torch and this video helped me survive

[@goodrich06]

😂 🌵

[@P-R-O-M-E-T-H-E-U-S]

I used to eat these in mexico all the time, some of the best tasting fruit I've ever had!

[@samwilliams5283]

You convinced me to try a campfire and tongs for glochid removal.

[@JessAlynnMac]

Hey, leave the guy alone, we Texans always use the unconventional! For those looking for a less propane-y option... Use metal tongs to grip the fruit and pop it off the pad (or hack them off with a machete), stab the brown end with a knife, then use a handy pocket butane lighter to torch the needles off. When not in a survival situation, I also use long handled pruning shears, then pick them up with metal tongs off the ground and put them in a box to cart home and use my gas stove burner and quickly toast the spiny suckers.

[@RonPaulBot1234]

The traditional way to remove the spikes , is to cut the fruit and rub the fruit on the ground or on shrubs for a few minutes, the process would be done with a broom, then carefully with some hand protection cut it open. if you have gloves or a thick protection between you and the fruit, can you carefully open them and with you knife scoop the entire edible fruit from the spiked skin.

[@captivesojourner]

This man has or had an awesome father. Am I correct?

[@brucecoulda1596]

I can hardly stay alive but I can make a torch to eat cactus balls

[@billder999]

Bob, lot's of couch potato experts on tunas (and a few real experts down below... some great comments), lot's of criticism... don't people get the humor in the propane torch? I laughed so hard I spit beer out my nose... that is not pleasant. Go Bob!

[@quietguy2407]

The is the most American way of survival i've ever seen.

[@GM-xk1nw]

Yeah, the most stupid way, using a flamethrower and killing the tree.

[@AusNav09]

Eat it like a Kiwi? I'm a kiwi! Ya damn cannibal!

[@spiderace7994]

No you're a stalker! 🙄

[@terryqueen3233]

Well I hope you read this. I was subscribed to you at one point and I knew about your medical problem I had even offered, I think it was a kidney. But it doesn't matter you got better for a while and I didn't hear from you I finally found this and decided to look and see if I was subscribed and KZbin has taken a lot of my subscription off, they have unsubscribe me to a lot of people and that really makes me mad but I found you again. I found some of those prickly pear fruit and took some to the house. My wife was so picky about things that she ate and I really didn't think she would try but once I got the pricklies off of them she finally decided she would taste it. Now you say to you it tastes like raspberries I think you said but to us it tasted like plums no matter the taste they were good they were sweet and she like them. Up until the time she passed away she's kept wanting me to get her some prickly pear fruit, bless her heart that was one of the very few wild animals that she would eat. I'm glad I found you again, I hope you're putting more out I'm going to check your list and see when the latest one you put out. I prayed really hard for you and you came through with the help of someone else but I was very willing to help you if I could. My blood type is the universal type I can give blood to anyone that's why I offered to help. That doesn't really matter I'm glad you're doing better at least the last I saw of you and I hope that I can find more recent videos that you put out. I prayed really hard for you my friend and I certainly am glad I did because the last time I saw you you got better. I so look forward to more videos. Be well Bob Hassler, sorry but that's the way my phone printed it out.

[@rudra3763]

I am supposed to be writing a paper, what am I doing with my life

[@tonynapoli5549]

Prickly pears delicious fruit, I make sure I eat some when on holiday, easy picking in an non survival situation, empty bean can puncture a hole straight through with a knife at the base of the can apply a stick through it, scoop can over the prickly pear and pull towards you, easy picking, place the pears in a bucket of water for two hrs let’s say and all those little sharp needle will fall off. Peel and eat delicious, that’s how my grandma did it. That’s for sharing Bob. 🇬🇧

[@CarlMarvin]

It's a good thing I carry around a blowtorch and a big propane tank in all my survival situations! ;)

[@BobHansler]

It's multifunctional... Having a B.O.B. test every now and then I dig deep and make a bit of creme brulee. Survival just isn't the same without that torched glaze on top.

[@myopiniondoesntmatter8958]

Good video! Texas born and raised here. a torch is fun and all but a good stiff pair of grill tongs works if you don't want to tote that propane. Chunk em in a bucket and head to the campfire. I love prickly pear jelly on hot biscuits. These are also fun to shoot with a .22 as they explode and make a mess.

[@vanessativa2418]

in nexico we call them TUNAS the white ones are my favorite

[@issacovid1270]

+Sicily not ripe , they are still sweet but not as when they are purple

[@vanessativa2418]

they are actually a different type. we call them white but they are actually green. they are ripe and very sweet. Ther is also some orange looking ones also ripe and very sweet. Back in my hometown you can also find xoconostles, its another kind of prickly pear fruit but they are bitter, those you can heat up and eat them with lime and salt, very delicious.

[@vanessativa2418]

try them when you see them again. make sure you eat them cold, they are very refreshing

[@vanessativa2418]

haha no i had never seen anybody do this

[@coberrycheesesnek4769]

So that explains why everyone is saying that rather than prickly pear fruit... But god danmmit! I have no knowledge of Spanish... And good spelling on your part! Help me clean up KZbin!

[@DaZebraffe]

2:13 Him: And the way in which I do that...is... Me: ...... *Villain laugh.*

[@yankale17]

Use a can on top of a stick + a knife on top of another one. Cut the fruit and put it into a bucket. Rinse strongly with water 3-4 times and they are ready to be peeled off. Enjoy!

[@KohavEsh]

This method removes the spines?

[@kyrieclutchirving3348]

@@KohavEsh nah

[@MandoEmmm]

I remember my grandma used to bring these from the market, delicious!

[@bpdsweetheart8074]

I never knew they were called prickly pears. I grew up thinking they were called cactus apples. I also grew up having to use my bare hands to harvest them. That sucked. But they are so yummy. I taught my kids how to do it. Their dad thinks I'm insane but he has an abundance of beavertail cacti and they are ripe in august so why not? #HowBoutThemApples

[@pacoramon9468]

They are tunos.

[@moonlitet]

One of my favorite channels on youtube! So educational! It is relaxing as f*** :)

[@alejanzar]

I always carry on my propane torch with me, in case some day I will be in a survival situation MacGyver.

[@axelvanegas9623]

In Mexico you just grab them with your bare hands, cut and peeling them, the spines can't go through skin unless u got girl's skin (meaning not working hard with your hands) you can grab hot cups of coffee, plants with torns, etc, but yeah in suvirval mode? hmm a torch would be more neccesary for other things, buy u can always use leather gloves.

[@CrystalAnthonyAKC]

"Eat it like a kiwi" Me: I eat Kiwi skin..

[@Godisnotjesus1967]

In south africa it's common and popular to those who have access to it. Not a commercial product yet. The prickly pear syrup is heavenly poured over white sorbet ice cream. I ate it once long ago.....still stuck in my head.....THAT TASTE!

[@kekoajk05]

Cool vid, but I mean looks a little sketchy using a propane torch in the middle of a dry desert... Looks like one good gust of wind away from a brush fire? Not to antagonize, you definite know more about this whole desert survival thing. We have used our campfire in the past, just need to be careful in harvesting the fruit (I get stuck at least a little every time..)

[@BobHansler]

Getting a fire to burn uncontrollably in that marsh would take a good bit of effort. Know your srea and act accordingly. If we are talking survival, especially with this specific cultivar of prickly pear, the thorns will embed and fester some causing infection. It is best to eliminate all riskes no matter how seemingly insignificant when out in the wilds. They tend to accumulate and without modern medicines and lack of day to day sanitation a nusiance these days can mean death on another.

[@kekoajk05]

+Bob Hansler alright well you've obviously put some thought into it, fair enough. Enjoyed the video regardless just a fleeting thought. Thanks for the reply

[@ericnguyen4124]

Hi

[@kekoajk05]

Eric Nguyen........ KZbin is such an interesting place... oh and hi

[@gouie480]

you are correct it's also a well-known fact it makes it taste like shit when you heat it up like that first thing you need to know is that you peel off the outer layer with all the thorns on it so I burned them anyway it's a wasted step we just grab a razor blade cut a line around it peel it back and get to Cookin we've been making jelly from this fruit my whole life never went through some of the crazy steps this guy did

[@justdoingit.43]

Hey Bob haven't seen one of your videos in a long time. Hope all is well with your eyes and everything. My dad used to go pick them up in the Ocala national forest and he would use a thick pair of rubber gloves to pick them then take them home, put them on a skewer and hit them with a propane torch.

[@rafaelzkm]

a little trick that Mexican use is getting a branch with lots of leaves and and rub it on the tuna it would remove the spines. also when getting the catus pads you can use your knife to cut the thorns so you don't have to cook it and you could store them to eat them later.

[@brazosforager1239]

Hey Bob! I don't use a torch when I eat them but it does look like more fun the way you do it!

[@corthew]

Why are you burning the prickles off? Just rub them all off with a cloth. Like polishing an apple. I've never had a problem.

[@tomcatt998]

Too easy !!😂..

[@corthew]

@@tomcatt998 Of course this does eliminate the possibility of using the wrong rag to blow your nose. ;)

[@baghaei90]

We have them in Colorado, but at high altitude the cactus never get that large. Delicious none the less. Can't wait to harvest some.

[@valentinmontiel1734]

back where i come from you would look pretty bad using a torch and being afraid of the spikes...my mom used to pick them up bare hand

[@pulquedelmejor]

valentin montiel y si

[@miguel-wc5cb]

valentin montiel and if you didnt want the spikes you would whack it with a branch for a while

[@GameChanger597]

You can pick them by hand no problem if they are super ripe. Most people pick the ones that aren't ripe enough.

[@davidjohnston1971]

While living in Mexico I learned how to also use the tunas to make colonche, a mildly alcoholic beverage. So many uses for the tunas and the taste is wonderful. Good video, thanks for sharing.

[@BobHansler]

Could I bother you for that process?

[@davidjohnston1971]

Don't know if you saw it. Posted the process above. Enjoy.

[@BobHansler]

It got lost in the comments. Copying it now and plan on running this next spring or perhaps this fall. Greatly appreciate it and look forward to making a few batches.

[@bradfin12]

could you perhaps use a leather patch to gram them then kabob them and singe over a fire?

[@myopiniondoesntmatter8958]

thick leather. two stiff sticks used as pinchers works good too.

[@adriansandoval1877]

I’m sure in survival mode everyone just carries a torch in there back pocket 🤣

[@morganfreeman9031]

I use a new type of technology its called a knife used to cut off the spikes only takes like 1 minute to take them off

[@JavierFernandez01]

hahhahahahha, yea. I still Wana try it. the tiny needles are the worst ones. :)

[@schoolboy405]

EXACTLY what i was gonna say.

[@allancarroll1645]

Eduardo Vargas man that's true it only takes a minute or two to to cut the spine nodes off of one,,,but imagine doing that to three or four hundred of them or thousands! that's three or 4 hundred minutes... * and god, everyone is so critical of the TORCH (not a flame thrower BTW.!!!) but I doubt most of you've ever actually even picked any or maybe you watched "momma" rub a few clean or skin a couple in the comfort of you're own fully equipped kitchen with clean running water and plenty of utensils but if you're in the DEEP THICKET and need to clean a few hundred or thousand in just a few minutes THATS THE BEST FREAKIN' WAY TO DO IT. And *NO* it doesn't ruin the fruit or *HURT* the( poor 😰) plant at all. Flora like this flourish best in areas with natural forest and prairie fires and can withstand much much hotter temps for much longer than this mans torch is producing. if you've never observed the world around u during your life on this planet, the O2 rich flame isn't really so hot, as it just catching on the hair like spines and burning them off. you could run your hand through that flame without even burning it, ( well a TEXAN could! lol) . but seriously, in texas we've cleared our property with controlled burns since the beginning of time. native Americans showed us how for god sakes and its never caused a real problem (here) ever. we know what we are doing and have situational awareness enough to be responsible with things like FIRE AND GUNS and FREEDOM unlike most of this country's population now days. and Edwardo sir, I'm not trying to be disrespectful in anyway to you or your comment and I apologize for writing all this on your comment where I should have started my own post. I originally wanted to just respond to your comment. in interest of saving TONS of time is why the torch and no harm to either fruit or plant if done intelligently and kept moving fast over the plant and just burn off the prickly hairs. I think he was just demonstrating for the camera how the torch would completely burn the spines off on the few leaves that he let get a little too hot, but that still didn't hurt anything due to the tough skin and large water content of the cactus. *watch and observe the world around you in the way it actually is, and not through the lens of your favorite sitcoms' movie camera... and you'll learn something that's true and real. * "remember son, there's only two kinda people in the world, people from Texas and people that wanna be." A.D.C.

[@dankerine]

Never thought I’d be able to use this video, but low and behold I was walking a path to a closed beach down here in Georgia (Jekyll Island to be exact!) and I found some with fruit on them! A little on the unripe side but I couldn’t resist! I’m taking one home back to mainland Georgia and I can’t wait to try it!

[@Scottydye]

Hey Bob, I work as a rod man (land surveyor assistant) and I run into persimmon, desert hackberry, and prickly pear catcus almost everyday and love snacking on them while working. But I also see a lot of other berries that seem to be edible but I don't want to eat them without knowing for sure. So my question is, there is a tree/shrub that grows black, red and yellow berries and looks just like a desert hackberry, is that a sugar hackberry? and are the fruits edible? Also today I saw a vine that was growing on a tree and the berries looked like ripe persimmons, same color and size. But when I squeezed it like a persimmon a clear gel capsule popped out with seeds in it and I have no idea what it is, any help? Thanks! (sorry for the long comment)

[@BobHansler]

Those do sound interesting. Ive a ffew ideas, but there are more than a few characteristics that need to be confirmed before confirming ID. My first stop when trying to figure out what I am looking at is a website called Foraging Texas. Take some pictures of the stalk, leaves, berries, flowers, ets... Wold be interested in seeing what youve got if you could shoot me some pics on my FB page.

[@Scottydye]

ok cool man, when I run into them again I'll shoot you a pic.

[@BobHansler]

Sweet. The follow up replys do not come through my notifications. New comment threads appear to me in que though. Shoot me a message through youtube or FB request me at some point. Always interested in what people find out and about.

[@Notatdmoment]

I picked them already. I will made a video how to pick them my way. But now cleaning them is the challenge part. I like to combine your way! Thank for sharing

[@sallmonsal5106]

im taking it the fruit dont grow back after this method ;)

[@LadyWeasel]

It will. These cactus are very forgiving.

[@sallmonsal5106]

Awesomeness

[@ex35240sx]

That bite looked like it made you wicked happy

[@BobHansler]

+whisperingdeath308 In the middle of the county that is booming the most in Oil these days.

[@luiseno1918]

I have cactus around my yard it has the purple pairs I heard they are poisonous is that true

[@kekoajk05]

+SOBOBA NATIVE I've eaten a few prickly pears in my life and I have never encountered a purple variety that's poisonous but definitely not an expert

[@issacovid1270]

+SOBOBA NATIVE nope eat em all the time and the cactus, there are other types but they dont produce this fruit my people call it tuña

[@qualqui]

Not poisonous at all, but not only the red pears, there are also yellow and white(lookin' more orange the first and green the second), the spines are so microscopic but they're total HELL, i know, one way of getting the spines out is with a wad of chewing gum, but as practice makes perfect, you find the way to avoid 'em. In spanish they're called tunas, in nahuatl nochtli.

[@nottoosurethesedays5661]

+SOBOBA NATIVE I've eaten them several times they are so good but those tiny spines will get you if your not overly cautious

[@zemorph42]

My family always used salad tongs to harvest the fruits, but, in my experience, we just made jam out of them. AZ born and raised.

[@nagwagi2000]

Did u really have to burn the patch???

[@BobHansler]

+nagwagi2000 Yes, out of the thousands that I manage across my property, this one displeased me... It knows what it did. I later shredded all of its close relatives in order to end its line, salted the earth it grew in to send a message to the others.

[@fourtwozero]

+Bob Hansler lol

[@nagwagi2000]

Leave the wild cacti alone and stop tormenting those hapless succulents with your psychotic pyromaniac proclivities, BoB!

[@BobHansler]

They started this war.

[@coolghoul5033]

+Bob Hansler This comment made me love your channel even more.

[@potatoman2377]

I love how he addresses to the viewers

[@sahar9564]

poor tunas, you ruined the fruit dude.

[@dennisyoung4496]

I'll be trying them out this December as I travel through Texas. Think you for sharing your knowledge Bob, hope you're doing good. Always in my prayers.

[@yLeNiAaA]

this is so dumb, with a special glove and a knife, it's all you need.

[@xman870096]

I also ate these when I was a kid (12yrs. old) running the hills in New Mexico. During summer vacation from school, I'd wake up at the crack of dawn grab my .22 rifle and a pocket of rounds. I'd be gone all day exploring, hunting for arrow heads etc. These 'Tuna' kept me running all day long!! I'd get home in time for dinner. My mother never had to worry about me getting abducted, or getting into trouble; it was a great childhood......

[@xman870096]

iTheGeek Unfortunately that is all too true. What a sad state for the Country to be in.....

[@terrahorsesIsrael]

that is the worst way ever tock the fruit!!! you hurt the plant for norasnand can cause fires. just place a backet, use a knife and roll in the sand or brush off.

[@BobHansler]

terrahorsesIsrael Ignorance is no defense against blatantly spouting your lack of understanding in such a scornful manner... The torch is called a pear burner, because it is designed and marketed for the specific use of burning cactus pears. Tens of thousands of pears are burned here in Texas deliberately, especially on years that are in drought and thusly dry. The pears are burned so that the cattle have access to the pears as a food source. I clear hundreds of acres each year as my fields and roads are taken over. The plant that you have risen to the defense of has already grown prolifically and now towers over me. Welcome to the wider world and keep working on your English.

[@shelory]

Bob Hansler terra is right no need to burn the plant to get its fruit. if you want to destroy the plant do so and burn it there may be many uses for burning the plants but if all you want to do it to eat its fruit pick the fruit with a basket or a picking tool and brush off the thorns. iv been doing that for years. and no need to insult people with your oxford English degree... it just makes you look bad.

[@BobHansler]

shelory Terra is not correct. The primitive method of picking cactus fruit is to use fire. Furthermore, cactus management for a land owner here is a routine thing, akin to pulling weeds in a yard or garden. I would not expect you to transplant weeds in order to preserve their life. It is mch the same with the cactus here.

[@terrahorsesIsrael]

hey guys, no mean to offence. sorry for spelling badly. please be gentle with the earth and what grows on it. usually the less force the better in my opinion. kind regards

[@BobHansler]

terrahorsesIsrael As a Conservation Biologist I agree whole-heartedly.

[@omarkhamis5028]

perfect, and now more than ever with the COVID-19, we can try it on our hair and beard too.

[@jakepv1]

Dude... Pick them first... you don't need to burn the whole friggin plant... just pick them and throw them on an open fire for a few seconds.

[@BobHansler]

+jakepv1 Try broadening your perspective a bit... Might find that you've only considered a tiny part of what you think you know about this.

[@jakepv1]

Bob Hansler I've always just used tongs. Never needed a flamethrower. Lol But to each his own, I guess

[@BobHansler]

jakepv1 I burn a few hundred patches a year. The wildlife enjoys them once the spines are gone. This is cactus country, the torch I am using is called a pear burner, which folks out here use regularly to burn n the thorns off of prickly pear cactus pads that the cows then make use of.

[@jakepv1]

Bob Hansler thanks for the response. Learn something new everyday... sorry man. Just giving you a hard time. I actually like your vids.

[@jakepv1]

Bob Hansler I have a giant patch of these in my yard. They taste delicious for sure.

[@79causa]

you are the most smart person in a sarcastic way peeling this delicious fruit, watch other people in Mexico or south America. you might learn a thing or two.

[@elpzolero23]

just don't eat to many the seeds clog your ass up true story

[@dedfed321]

no, that only happened if that's the first thing you eat. prickly pears ar best served for dessert

[@elpzolero23]

dedfed321 no your wrong

[@dedfed321]

miguel meyers that's my personnal experience. and by the way, the seeds are not hard, you can crush them with your teeth and avoid the problem alltogether

[@elpzolero23]

dedfed321 lies on top of lies

[@dedfed321]

miguel meyers try it and you'll see for yourself

[@rodrigoaguileraolvera3524]

I've picked and peeled cactus pears by hand and a knife or even a sharp rock since I can remember going back to being 4 with my grandpa. First time I see this torch idea.

[@Robozombie100]

I really enjoyed watching this, thank you so very much sir, there is nothing like surviving in the heart of Texas, those who can't enjoy something so amazing like the cactus fruit just don't know what they are missing

[@BobHansler]

Knowledge is power. Enjoy being out here making thee videos. Always something to learn.

[@denisseavila9083]

Thanks. I just bought one in a grocery store here in Tucson, AZ and your video helped me learn how to eat it. 😊 They are very nutritious!

[@EricM-gm5wz]

The opuntia with smaller thorns are a great plant. Pads and fruit are very nutritious. Like desert spinach

[@omnipotentdwarf571]

I ate on of those a few minutes ago. There's a cactus with some ripe and juicy ones on it, delicious. I also put one in front of a Tortoise that lives on my land, and watched as he devoured it in a matter of minutes.

[@kushandy7796]

idk when imma need these skills but ty for teaching me, coach

[@raeallen2708]

tell me I'm not the only one thinking of the jungle book

[@insignificantfool8740]

bare necessities 😁

[@Neeneebee23]

Why so many hate? He just said the fruit can be eaten for survival situation but he never mentioned he's in a survival situation. And he said these days they use advance technology to get the fruit. 😐😐😐

[@bonganitshabalala3544]

I miss picking these...back in the days you'll make your own picking thingy..lol

[@salvatoreaversa1145]

The grocery store by me used to carry these. I LOVED them. I really miss them, too.

[@BobHansler]

They're easy to grow. Might look into it :)

[@salvatoreaversa1145]

Bob Hansler Not so easy in Pittsburgh, PA lol

[@BobHansler]

Salvatore Aversa Probably right about that. hit me up next fall and I'll ship you a box of the sweet ones from the ranch.

[@IsaacNewton1966]

Bob Hansler Better not make that offer to readily. Everyone might want some, including me! You'll be awful busy picking all those fruits! Lol

[@BobHansler]

Issac Newton A few cactus pads will make a patch after a year or so. probably right though, I've no shortage of cactus in my area.

[@rubinephiljames]

Ha! I let out a chuckle when that flame torch came in ...sarcastic much

[@jp-zz7de]

I was taught to grab the fruits using a carefully wadded sheet of newspaper... It works.

[@Archangelsword]

Cut both ends make a slit and roll off the outside, eating figs with prickly pears counter acts constipation of seeds from prickly pears. This from a Greek-American OG on an Island in the Aegean. You can also use a fig leaf to handle them without getting stuck by the needles.😉 We also boil the pulp from the leaves add cornstarch and make a hard gelatin that lasts for months out of the freezer called miss-o-cofti. Very nutritious...

[@lanangbayup33]

you can also make juice of them, put them in a small bag, then squeze them

[@cybertiger8679]

Guy: YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME!!! Prickly Pear: HELL YEAH BRO *Takes out Thorns* Guy: Ok then. *Takes out Flamethrower* Prickly Pear: OH SHI- *Burns*

[@ryanpetty8843]

Small tip: if you get glochids (the tiny spines that are almost like fiberglass) in your fingers, instead of waiting days for them to fall out, simply remove them with duct tape. Put it over your finger and peel away, and they come right out.

[@CMZneu]

That's life, man needs food, cactus gives food, man takes food, cactus gets incinerated in return...nice, the circle of life.

[@peaceandlove544]

Super foods both the plant leaves and fruit. You can grill the plant leaves or make juice or it pulp after taking spines and spliting them.

[@GameChanger597]

You have to be careful though. Eating too many tunas of certain kinds can give you chills and a fever.

[@kicrocks]

Facts on the spines being in your hands for days lol

[@oxidize99]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Heading out to the ranch now to grab some to make jelly.

[@lankytor6396]

Lol! Mount Charleston Nevada, I grabbed one with my bare hands, took a bite. Delicious! But I got a lot of thorns lol!!

[@AhmadAboulFarag]

We have something like this in Egypt but yellow. It also grows on cactus and looks exactly the same. We use a different method to remove them...we use gloves to pluck them out, then we soak them in water for a couple of hours...the thorns turn mushy and become like hair instead. Then they just fall off after further soaking...we then cut the cactus fruit open by cutting the top of the cylinder and bottom of the cylinder shape. Then we cut the peel from top to bottom and strip it. It comes out whole. It is called Teen Shooky in Egypt. Very sweet and tasty

[@happymonk4206]

I'm going to have to get some from the grocery store here in Wisconsin now that I know how to eat them, thanks bro.

[@themonkeyhand]

Good informative video. I appreciate the additional info in the annotations.

[@stevenstadel8823]

I like Bob period. Good man.

[@a.r.3742]

Thank you for the video. This is the info I was seeking. A comment that is critical, but I'm making it as gently as I can, and without vitriol. This vid was 7 years ago, so hopefully you and others have become more conscious of the idea of ethical harvesting. When foraging for mushrooms, we try to only take a small percentage of each "patch" or cluster that we find. The rest is left for the animals, insects, and ecosystem that need the mushrooms as well. Using a torch on an entire pad or plant when you only want to eat the fruit seems disrespectful to the plant as a living organism. Non-human beings have value whether we, humans, find them useful, or not.You've created a "wound" in the plant that was unnecessary. Even cutting off the pads with the fruit; then torching the fruit, and not eating the pads would be an acknowledgement of the cactus as a living being. BTW, I am someone who is just learning/shifting my way of thinking too. Before this would never have occured to me. I just know that I had the same reaction here as with another video. A woman did a video on natural dyeing. I literally cringed as she showed the viewer how to get the dyestuff. She walked up to a tree and began stripping the bark from it. It was a living healthy tree then. A few months(?) later, it may not be. Bark is not ornamental. It's equivalent to skin as a protective layer. Anyway, I am off to try some prickly pear cactus fruit. Thanks again.

[@prettyoutside7464]

Nice tip, sir! Thanks for sharing.