Here are a few prickly little fellows lining up around the edge of the cactus, apparently for a better view.
Usually, the cacti do not produce as many fruits, or tunos, as this per hand, so this little lot really are quite a handful. In another month or so they will start to ripen, turning through shades of orange, pink and red. Then you can eat them.
Make sure you don't touch them though, even with a glove. When they are ripe enough the tuno will break off easily - either use a device such as super-long chopsticks that you can buy or make, or if you can get close enough use a pair of tongs and twist them off. If you do it right, the 'neck' should not be torn or broken.
It's vitally important to get all the anchor shaped needles off them. Once the needles go into your skin (and I swear they do even if you just look at them!), they are hard to get out. The needles are deceptively fine but will cause you grief for days.
One of our neighbours puts hers in an old bath filled with pine needles collected from the forests. Then she spends around five minutes literally brushing them and rolling then around so that the cacti needles break off.
Another neighbour lays his on the ground and then brushes over them continually with the broken off branch of a broom bush.
Now they are ready to eat. Simply slice each end off, or even just partly off, then make a cut from top to bottom. Now you have got access to the inside of the fruit, open out the skin and munch away. They are even better when they are straight from the fridge and are incredibly refreshing on hot, sticky days.
Hopefully, I will remember to take another photo of them as time goes on. I am just wondering though, if the tunos near the bottom are conferring to see if they should march up to the top, push the others over and claim the view for their own.
