2010/11/15
2010/11/11
Tequila recipe
The Aztecs did not invent, Tequila, the one thing that held them back was the failure to discover
the secret of
distillation. The Aztecs did, however, drink an alcoholic beverage, called "pulque"
by the Spaniards. "Pulque" was made by cutting off the flower stalk of the Agave plant before it had a chance to bloom, then hollowing out the base of the plant and allowing the cavity to fill with sweet, milky plant sap. With no place to go, the juice would collect there and ferment into a somewhat murky, foul smelling wine.
The Spaniards tried bringing in grapes and grains to recreate alcoholic beverages popular in Europe but they wouldn't grow in the semi-arid areas where the Agave plant thrived. The Spaniards didn't like the taste of Pulque so they tried distilling it. After experimenting with different types of Agave, the finally produced a drinkable spirit, which they called "Mescal."
Tequila is not made from cactus. The confusion is common because Agave species are often confused with cacti. (Agave leaves are succulent, rather than the stems, as in cactus.) About 125 years ago, several distillers around the town of Tequila, in the central Mexican state of Jalisco, began making a superior form of Mescal; They used the whole heart of a specific variety of Agave indigenous to the region: the Blue Agave. Today only spirits made within the confines of this region can bear the name Tequila. If produced elsewhere, it must be called Mescal.
PRODUCTION
Blue Agave is no longer a wild plant but has become a carefully cultured species. On average, Agave plants are about ten years old before they can be harvested for production. The juicy core of the plant, which resembles a large pineapple, is harvested. Called the "pina" (Spanish for pineapple), the core, which sometimes weighs upward of 100 pounds, is trimmed, cut into chunks, then baked in huge steam ovens. A sweet juice (Aguamiel or honey juice) is extracted by steaming and compressing the pina. The juice is refermented for several days and then distilled at a low proof. It is then double distilled to a powerful 110 proof. Tequila is reduced to 80 proof with water before bottling. Some is aged in wood; Gold and "Anejo," and some is bottled clear; the White and Silver. The Gold Tequilas rests in large oak vats for about nine months to one year, where it acquires a pale gold color. By law, Tequila, designated "Anejo," must be aged a, minimum of one year in wood; however it is usually aged in smaller oak barrels for at least three years and sometimes up to seven. Some Mescal (produced outside the region), is produced with an Agave root worm in the bottle as a mark of authenticity.
2010/09/18
2010/09/17
2010/09/16
Pitahaya Agria (Stenocereus gummosus)
Stenocereus comes from the Greek for straight. This cactus with straight and very strong arms was photographed near Ensenada, Mexico. The fruit of pitahaya agria is very sweet and is said to have been eaten by the early Spanish explorers to prevent scurvy. Pitahaya agria is closely related to the much larger but similarly structured organ pipe cactus.
Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus)
I don't know what species of hedgehog cactus this is but it does appear to be in the genus Echinocereus. This photograph was taken in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson. Hedgehog cacti are small and spiny (like a hedgehog) and they grow in low clumps. It is thought that the clumping, low colonies of hedgehog cacti can grow at higher elevations, up to 7,000 feet, because less surface area is exposed to the cold. Like most cacti the fruit are edible.
Golden Torch, Velvet Cactus, or Goldenspined Cereus (Bergerocactus emoryi)
These Golden Torch or Velvet Cactus were photographed on the Baja Penninsula near the steep sandy slope of a gully, a few miles inland along the Baja off-road race route. This colony did look soft and velvety as the dense golden spines shined in the morning sunlight.
Golden torch used to be found in many places in San Diego County but are becoming rare due to habitat loss and private harvesting.
Golden torch used to be found in many places in San Diego County but are becoming rare due to habitat loss and private harvesting.
Coast Prickly Pear (Opuntia littoralis)
These prickly pear were photographed on the Baja Penninsula in Mexico. I believe they are the Coast prickly pear that grow in low, dense colonies. They are also know as Sprawling prickly pear for obvious reasons, and are found along the Southern California and Baja coast and up to dozens of miles inland.
Engelmann's Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii)
I think these are Engelmann's prickly pear based on the descriptions I've seen. These were photographed in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson. Prickly pear are in the same group of cacti as cholla (genus Opuntia) but prickly pear have the well known flat pads instead of the roundish branches of cholla.
The name "prickly pear" comes from the fruit. Pear-shaped fruit in various colors from yellow to red to dark purple are grown at the tips of the pads on various varieties of prickly pear. The most well known is the Indian fig cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) that originated in central Mexico. It has been cultivated all over the world for hundreds of hears to produce the prickly pear we can find in markets.
We read on the nature trail in Catalina State Park that the prickly pear in the Sonora Desert turn their paddles to avoid direct sunlight to the flat of the pad.
Native Americans of the Southwest cooked both the pads and the fruit. The pads, called nopalitos, have been shown to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar levels. The fruit appear to have similar properties. Native Americans have used tongs to gather the fruit which are rubbed down with straw to remove the little spines called glochids. The fruit are then peeled and eaten or dried and stored.
The name "prickly pear" comes from the fruit. Pear-shaped fruit in various colors from yellow to red to dark purple are grown at the tips of the pads on various varieties of prickly pear. The most well known is the Indian fig cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) that originated in central Mexico. It has been cultivated all over the world for hundreds of hears to produce the prickly pear we can find in markets.
We read on the nature trail in Catalina State Park that the prickly pear in the Sonora Desert turn their paddles to avoid direct sunlight to the flat of the pad.
Native Americans of the Southwest cooked both the pads and the fruit. The pads, called nopalitos, have been shown to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar levels. The fruit appear to have similar properties. Native Americans have used tongs to gather the fruit which are rubbed down with straw to remove the little spines called glochids. The fruit are then peeled and eaten or dried and stored.
Jumping or Chain-fruit Cholla (Opuntia fulgida)
Jumping cholla or chain fruit cholla get to be pretty big, a dozen or more feet tall, and the mature ones can grow long chains of fruit. The fruit is pear shaped and about an inch and a half long. The trunk-like base gets much darker as it ages and loses many of its spines. The fruit chain grows each year as the new flowers bud out at the end of last year's fruit.
Jumping cholla gets its name from the way it most often propogates, by letting pieces of itself break off easliy from animals or severe weather. The pieces root and grow clone plants. As a person walks past, one of the long barbed spines can snag clothing and a loose segment of the plant can pop or "jump" onto a surprised hiker. The spines are sharp and their barbed structure cause them to work their way into whatever they touch, often causing a painful extraction from the skin and continued penetration into shoes. (With similar propogation methods one can see why some folks use the name Jumping Cholla for Teddy Bear cholla, too.)
The tree-like jumping chollas create forests of cloned plants in the Sonoran Desert. They can also grow at altitudes of up to 4000 feet so animals like bighorn sheep will supplement their diet with the chain fruit to get through a drought.
We also noticed bird nests in many of taller chain-fruit chollas. Apparantly the cactus wren likes the safety of the high spiney branches.
Jumping cholla gets its name from the way it most often propogates, by letting pieces of itself break off easliy from animals or severe weather. The pieces root and grow clone plants. As a person walks past, one of the long barbed spines can snag clothing and a loose segment of the plant can pop or "jump" onto a surprised hiker. The spines are sharp and their barbed structure cause them to work their way into whatever they touch, often causing a painful extraction from the skin and continued penetration into shoes. (With similar propogation methods one can see why some folks use the name Jumping Cholla for Teddy Bear cholla, too.)
The tree-like jumping chollas create forests of cloned plants in the Sonoran Desert. They can also grow at altitudes of up to 4000 feet so animals like bighorn sheep will supplement their diet with the chain fruit to get through a drought.
We also noticed bird nests in many of taller chain-fruit chollas. Apparantly the cactus wren likes the safety of the high spiney branches.
Staghorn Cholla (Opuntia versicolor)
Staghorn cholla are tall, branchy, treelike cacti whose branches can look something like stags horns. The branch color varies from green to purple, tending more toward purple if it gets cold or has gone a long time without water. The base of the plant is solid and darker. The spines on the branches come out of raised bumps called tubercles that are about four times longer than they are wide.
Staghorn and buckhorn cholla look a lot alike and based on their descriptions I don't believe we saw any buckhorn cholla this trip. Staghorn cholla tends to grow a bit more treelike but the two distinguishing features are the spines and the fruit. Staghorn cholla have clusters of 5-7 spines that are under an inch long while buckhorn cholla have clusters of up to 20 or more spines containing a few long ones that are an inch or more in length. Staghorn cholla fruit look full and have few or no spines and they remain attached to the plant for most of the year. Buckhorn cholla fruit looks dry and is spiny and falls off after a few months.
There is a lot of staghorn cholla around Tucson, particularly in the Tohono O'odham reservation. The Tohono O'odham ate the flower buds of staghorn cholla and sometimes baked the fruit.
Staghorn and buckhorn cholla look a lot alike and based on their descriptions I don't believe we saw any buckhorn cholla this trip. Staghorn cholla tends to grow a bit more treelike but the two distinguishing features are the spines and the fruit. Staghorn cholla have clusters of 5-7 spines that are under an inch long while buckhorn cholla have clusters of up to 20 or more spines containing a few long ones that are an inch or more in length. Staghorn cholla fruit look full and have few or no spines and they remain attached to the plant for most of the year. Buckhorn cholla fruit looks dry and is spiny and falls off after a few months.
There is a lot of staghorn cholla around Tucson, particularly in the Tohono O'odham reservation. The Tohono O'odham ate the flower buds of staghorn cholla and sometimes baked the fruit.
Teddy Bear Cholla (Opuntia bigelovii)
Teddy Bear cholla are covered with so many fuzzy spines they look soft. I can attest from personal experience that they are not. These cholla have upturned arms that grow with loose joints and densely crossed spines, so any unsuspecting animal or tourist can easily snag and detach an arm. These detached arms take root and are the primary way the plant reproduces.
They can grow to six feet tall but are usually found to be much smaller, clinging to steep rocky slopes. The old arms at the base of the plant turn quite dark while the newer arms take on a striking slivery-gold shine in bright sun.
Native Americans cooked and ate the flower buds and the new arms were eaten after burning off the spines.
Crested Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
Some saguaro fail to grow lateral arms and instead grow a fan-like form known as crested saguaro. This condition is rare and the cause is debated. Some say a lightning strike alters the growth pattern and others say a genetic mutation determines the shape. Where one is found you are more likely to find others, lending weight to an environmental theory.
2010/09/15
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