Tuna

back blip #2

The red things on the cactus are called tuna in Spanish, or fruit in English.
Here's how they become fruit:
*The cactus grows buds.
*Flowers bloom.
*The flowers wither and fall off
*The space where the flowers fell from are green and show a cup on top
*Those green fruit seeds turn red.
*Now they are ready to produce prickly pear jelly, candy, tea, and other foodstuffs.

...and no, I do not harvest them. They will eventually dry up and fall off, usually in winter. I have them cleaned from the yard in the spring.