How to Make a Cactus Pouch

1. Select large fresh prickly pear pads.  If collecting in the wild choose pads that are not old and tough.

2. Remove large spines and glocci (tiny, clustered hairlike spines) from pads by scraping or singeing.  (This step can be avoided by collecting or purchasing pads that are ‘thornless’.)

3. Split pads open into two large halves.  A fillet knife works well here.

4.  Gently scrape away most of the muscilagenous material inside the pads, taking care not to cut through to the outside of the pads.

5.  Place the two halves together again and punch regular holes around the edge of the pad: approximately ¼ inch away from the edges and ¾ inch apart.  A large nail is a good punching tool for this step.

6.  Using long strips of split yucca leaves or other natural cordage, ‘sew’ the two halves together with an ‘overhand’ stitch.  Yucca leaves have a pointed tip that works well as a needle.  Other materials will need tweezers or a needle to get them through the holes.

The ends of yucca strips can be left a bit long and then tucked into the stitching.

7.  An additional strip of cordage can be used to make a handle for the pouch.

8.  Let the pouch dry for several days.  It is important to use something like a stick to spread the two halves apart while they are drying.  If not, the pouches will not have much space inside for objects to be placed and they may rot.

9.  There can be many variations of this technique, including not completely cutting the pads apart, leaving one portion intact and then sewing the cut side together. 

Cactus pouches had many uses.  A local ethnobotanist says that cactus pouches were filled with crushed acorns and submerged in running water to leach the tannins from the acorns and make them more palatable.  Various objects could be stored in the pouches and they were often stuffed with foods and baked in earth ovens (sewing not necessary).

T.E.K.S. Addressed by this activity

Science:1.9 (B) Compare and give examples of the ways living organisms depend on each other for their basic needs.

2.9 (B) Compare and give examples of the ways living organisms depend on each other and on their environments.

3.8 (D) Describe how living organisms modify their physical environment to meet their needs such as beavers building a dam or humans building a home.

4.5 (A) Identify and describe the roles of some organisms in living systems such as plants in a schoolyard.

5.5 (B) Describe some interactions that occur in a simple system.

6.12 (A) Identify responses in organisms to internal stimuli such as hunger or thirst.

Social Studies:4.9(A) Describe ways people have adapted to and modified their environment in Texas, past and present

4.9(B)  Identify reasons why people have adapted to and modified their environment in Texas, past and present, such as the use of natural resources to meet basic needs.

This article is part of the "Teacher's Resource" section of San Antonio Natural Areas' Education programming.

Contact Peggy Spring for more information.