A ramble on Prickly Pears!
Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 tells
us there is a “Time for Everything”…and without sounding flippant, in the
Eastern Cape, now is the ‘Time for Prickly Pears’. And this many thorned fruit
is important to hundreds of people who wake up early every morning in January,
February and into March each year to harvest the fruit, wipe on the grass to
remove the thorns from the fruit, and heap them into containers of all sorts.
The day is then spent on the side of the road…holding up the fruit to passing
motorists in the hope that they will stop and buy some of the fruits of their
labours. For all…this is an important source of income.
Prickly Pears flower in late Spring
Wire hooks are used to harvest the fruit
A morning snack
Harvesting
Picking the bush which is used to rub the thorns off the fruit
Rubbing the thorns off
Hoping to make some sales
The fruit is full of tiny thorns which detach very easily from the fruit....but not human hands!! The white powdery substance is Cochineal referred to below.
Preparing for consumption...avoid the thorns!
“Like all true cactus species, prickly pears are native only to the
Western hemisphere; however, they have been introduced to other parts of the
globe. Prickly pear species are found in abundance in Mexico, especially in the
central and western regions. They are also found in the Western United States,
in arid regions in the Northwest, throughout the mid and lower elevations of
the Rocky Mountains such as in Colorado, where species such as Opuntia
phaeacantha, Opuntia polyacantha and others become dominant, and especially in
the desert Southwest. Prickly pears are also the only types of cactus found to
grow natively far east of the Great Plains states”.
Thorns...fruit...and Cochineal
“The first introduction of prickly-pear into Australia
can be definitely ascribed to Governor Philip and the earliest colonists in the
year 1788. Brought from Brazil to Sydney, they remained in Sydney for 50 years,
until they were brought to New South Wales to a farmer's garden in 1839. The
farmer's wife gave cuttings to neighbours and friends, who planted it not only
in their gardens but also as hedgerows. So began the Australian invasion that
caused major ecological damage in the eastern states. They are also found in
the Mediterranean region of Northern Africa, especially in the most northern
nation of Africa, Tunisia, where they grow all over the countryside, and
southern Europe, especially on the island nation of Malta, where they grow all
over the islands, and can be found in
enormous numbers in parts of South Africa, where it was introduced from South
America.”
Prickly Pears belong to the
Family Cactaceae Genus Opuntia. The spread of the plant to
Australia was a result of the insect Cochineal which hosts on the plant and is
an important part of the dye industry.
“The cochineal (/kɒtʃɨˈniːl/ koch-i-neel or /ˈkɒtʃɨniːl/ koch-i-neel;
Dactylopius coccus) is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which
the crimson-coloured dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite
native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives
on cacti in the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and nutrients.
The insect produces carminic acid that deters
predation by other insects. Carminic acid, typically 17–24% of dried insects'
weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs then mixed with aluminum or
calcium salts to make carmine dye (also known as cochineal). Carmine is
today primarily used as a food colouring and for cosmetics.”
Cochineal...showing where the dye is derived from.
Traditionally cochineal was used for colouring
fabrics. During the colonial period, with the introduction of sheep to Latin
America, the use of cochineal increased, as it provided the most intense colour
and it set more firmly on woolen garments than on clothes made of materials of
pre-Hispanic origin such as cotton, agave fibers and yucca fibers. In general,
cochineal is more successful on protein-based animal fibres (including silk)
than plant-based material. Once the European market discovered the qualities of
this product, the demand for it increased dramatically. By the beginning of the
seventeenth century it was traded internationally. Carmine became strong
competition for other colourants such as madder root, kermes, Polish cochineal,
brazilwood, and Tyrian purple, as they were used for dyeing the clothes of
kings, nobles and the clergy. For the past several centuries it was the most
important insect dye used in the production of hand-woven oriental rugs, almost
completely displacing lac.It was also used for painting, handicrafts, and
tapestries. Cochineal-coloured wool and cotton are still important materials
for Mexican folk art and crafts.
The
Dye Industry in the late 1700’s was controlled by Spain and Portugal and, according to some sources, the
the reason that Governor Philip took it from Brazil to Australia was to create
a supply of the source of this dye for England.
There are many theories as to
how and why and when Prickly Pears arrived in South Africa. What we do know
though, is that they have thrived in South Africa and are prevalent in most
Provinces…not least the Eastern Cape.
There is no trace of Prickly Pears on Wolwekop....controlled by Elephants!
What is really interesting is
how they have been completely eliminated in the Nyathi Concession (where River
Bend Lodge is situated) by the Elephants. Anyone who has been to River Bend
Lodge will recognize the photograph of the area around Wolwekop which was (until the introduction of Elephants) covered with Prickly Pears…..all eaten by the Elephants which ate the leaves
and fruit whole!!! Thorns and all!!
Parma Ham and Prickly Pear
