Prickly pear fruit or "tunas" are turning red and ripe and are very abundant this year from last summer's rains. To harvest use gloves and tongs to twist the fruit without getting stickered with tiny spines. Before harvesting from a particular plant, make a slit in the fruit with a knife and sample. Some prickly pears are bland, some are bitter and some are sweet. Pick a white 5 gallon bucket or more of tunas. To prepare nectar, put tunas in a large pot with lid with an inch of water in the bottom. Cook them until they are soft and easily mashed. Mash well and dump pulp into a colander over a large bowl. To ensure no spines or debris pour liquid through a strainer.

Prickly pear is a low acid fruit, so in order to can you must add lemon juice or something acidic to lower the ph to prevent food poisoning. The easiest way to preserve the nectar is to freeze it in glass or plastic bottles, leaving a couple of inches to allow for expansion. My husband Dave and I recently turned 3 flats of large tunas into 23 pints in our freezer. By harvesting yourself you can economically make a year's worth of the health promoting nectar, good for lowering cholesterol and stabilizing blood sugar.

Bisbee Farmers Market

Find out how to eat and cook with prickly pear pads and how to process the fruit for nectar at the Cooking with Cactus demo at the market starting at 10 a.m. with chef Emma Montoya. Relax under the big tree and enjoy music by market favorite Amy Ross of Willcox with her delightful singing and keyboard playing accompanied by husband Derek.

Produce in Season: Peaches, plums, watermelon & other melons, cantaloupe, winter squash, summer squash, onions, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, sweet corn. green chile, carrots, bell peppers, eggplant and basil.

Prepared Food Products: Meat, Fish & Chicken Rubs, chutney, honey & hive products, honey mustard, relishes, jams & jellies, fair-trade chocolate, chili sauce, BBQ sauce, pistachios, macadamia nuts, cakes, pies, breads & cookies.

Order a tasty holiday turkey raised without growth hormones and antibiotics outdoors on fresh green pasture by rancher Joshua Koehn (Willcox) who also raises pastured poultry (eggs & whole chickens) sold at the San Ysidro Farm's meat market at both farmers markets. Great on the grill try the farm's Polish lamb sausage links. (The meat market has a full selection of grass-fed and naturally raised meats, processed meats (bacon and sausage) and farm eggs.

Select drought tolerant and native trees by tree expert Gary Foss and flowering shrubs and trees and herbs by the Brandts. If you don't see the plant you are looking for ask either grower as each only brings to market a small selection of what they raise.

Only a few more weeks to get some of Bobby Gowins' (Elfrida) large Texas Super Sweet onions.

Judy Carter of Planet Earth Remedies offers nice smelling and effective Bugs Away bug spray as well as a healing and pain-relieving balm for bites and other skin problems.

Fiore di Capra, the Grade A Goat Dairy & Creamery in Pomerene will do their best to be at both markets with all their gourmet goat cheese products and raw milk. Stop by for samples of their new products (Basil-Roasted Walnut Spread, Marinated Artichoke cheese, and Roasted Red Pepper Torte) and old favorites.

Sierra Vista Farmers Market

The farmers market is not moving and has launched a fund raising campaign to raise money to improve the marketplace with leveling, gravel and a temporary shade structure in the middle. You can help make this happen with fully tax deductible donations or by buying reusable recycled fabric shopping bags. Consign extra produce to the market's information booth and the market will sell it for half what it fetches. Volunteers are needed to help staff the market's busy information booth.

Get hot (Big Jim) or mild (New Mexico 6-4) meaty and easily peeled roasted green chiles from Jane Wyatt (San Simon Chile Company) who plans to be at the market through August and at the Chile Festival at the Bisbee Farmers Market on August 25. Ask her about her new product, Senor Salsa, which is the official salsa for the Salsa Trail promotion in Graham County. Besides the jalapeno relish and jellies she makes, Jane also produces chipotle powder by roasting the red jalapeños Aztec-style over mesquite wood in a pit. "Our chipotle sauce is made from the chipotles we produce and is the real thing, not made from green jalapenos and flavored with artificial smoke flavoring like so many products on the market," she says.

Heirloom melons, including very refreshing yellow-meated watermelon and Crane melon that tastes and smells like peaches, and the first winter squash (Kabocha & Big Cheese) are available from the Montoya Family (Palominas) along with onions, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, peppers and more.

Apple season is starting with Gala, Early Gold and Gravenstein apples brought to market by Edith Beatty from her family's organic apple orchard at the end of Miller Canyon south of Sierra Vista.

Concord grapes will be brought to market this week by small Elfrida grower, Bob Berry, along with produce, basil plants and colorful flower bouquets and the honey he raises.

Attention all crafters, rancher Stewart Loew of Agua Linda Farm will bring gourds galore in all shapes and sizes as well as baby summer squash.

Leo Dunaetz, small grower from Cochise, will bring red okra, tomatoes, pickling and lemon cucumbers.

Take home some BBQ roast beef or meatloaf, Amish or zucchini bread and snack on oatmeal raisin, peanut butter or snicker doodle cookies from Sue Thatcher's Next Door Kitchen.

Wild Alaska Salmon and other ocean fish will be brought to market by retired fisherman, Max McCarty who will share his booth with Mama Llama who will bring all her frozen "take & bake" empanadas as well as chocolate, peach and pumpkin dessert turnovers.

Remember to check the market's information booth's Backyard Growers table for unusual produce and bargains.

Gray's Garden of Eat'n will offer specials on its produce to military customers in uniform from 5 to 6 p.m. Certified organic Gala apples and Alberta peaches from Briggs & Eggers Orchard north of Willcox and Buzz Breads.

Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

1/2 cup honey (A light honey like mesquite or catclaw)

1/2 cup lime juice

A pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)

4 cups of fresh assorted fruit (berries, cherries, sliced apples, chunked pears, watermelon & honey dew melon cubed or balls, sliced plums or peaches, quartered kiwi, etc.)

In a blender or food processor, combine honey, juice and seasoning. Blend until smooth. In a medium bowl, toss fruit with dressing and chill until ready to serve. Makes 4 servings.