Cholla-Bud Flower Power

Tis the season — for desert harvesting. Recently Mateo and I ventured into our backyard to collect cholla flower buds just before they bloom. 

The experience’s rewards went far beyond the gathered food. 

This tradition, gifted by the indigenous people of this region, can bring magical connections:to the land; to your food; to Native tradition; to the warming season; and to those you harvest with. 

While it’s no secret I am a proponent for sustainable living, far too often I will succumb to “quick and easy” and tear open a bag of something store-bought and processed to eat. While it might curb my hunger, it doesn't satisfy my soul. It is a very different experience to collect wild, abundant food from the area in which I live. Throughout the cholla harvest I was engaged on a mental, physical, and even spiritual level. From carefully choosing buds and being mindful not to take too many from any one plant; to feeling the weight of the bucket I carried grow heavy under the warm sun; to building a screen to de-spine the buds; to vigorously shaking the buds over the screen and watching the spines rain down; to carefully cleaning and admiring the unique beauty of each bud; to learning how best to preserve our bounty; and to finally cooking and eating them with my Sweetie. Effort, awe, and gratitude were ever present. 

I also found myself considering the differences between grown foods and wild foods: plants and animals nourishing themselves for survival, as opposed to being cared for. Could all the energy, wisdom, and fighting spirit it takes to survive and thrive as a wild plant be transmitted through the buds we collected? I believe so! Cholla bud flower-power provides a rich amount of calcium and lysine. And the mucilaginous nature of this cacti helps slow the absorption of sugar into the blood making them an effective slow-carb source of energy.  

The overall experience was a bit of a reality check as well.  What if our daily routine included the necessity of harvesting our foods in order to have the gift and luxury of getting to cook? This thought and our experience has left me more mindful of the resources that have gone into a food before it makes it to my mouth. I’m inspired to continue to reduce my consumption of foods that place an unnecessary burden on our planet for my benefit. I recognize I can’t live on the bucket of cholla buds we collected, but I can incorporate them into my diet and choose wisely the foods I purchase that are grown and processed by others. I encourage you to do the same! 

To learn more about how exactly to harvest and process cholla buds check out @aztmateo’s April 27 post on Instagram.