Harvesting Cholla buds. 1. Wander the desert until you find cholla, buckhorn and staghorn are excell

Harvesting Cholla buds. 1. Wander the desert until you find cholla, buckhorn and staghorn are excellent varieties to harvest from. 2. Identify new buds which are on the verge of flowering. Open flowers are overripe (but beautiful), small buds are not quite ready. 3. Donate a strand of your hair to the cholla, perhaps it will become part of a birds nest. 4. Find some desert shrub nearby and grab a handful for your dethorning brush. 5. Brush the spines from the cholla bud. The splines should be just forming from the tubercles and dislodge easily. Be mindful of the breeze, so the spines don’t end up in you. 6. Gently grab the bud and lightly twist to free the bud from the cholla. 7. Place your harvested bud in your container of choice (we used a paper bag). 8. Continue to wander and harvest, enjoying the beauty and bounty of the desert. 9. When you return home, inspect your harvest and remove any spines that hitched a ride with you. Place the buds on a screen and go over again with a stiff brush. Blanch the buds in boiling water and they are ready to enjoy, freeze or dry to store for later.