If you know even a little bit about Erem, then you’ll understand that we’re crazy for cactus pear. If this is news to you, TLDR: cactus pear can save the world and that buying more cactus pear means we can plant more cactus pear which means more carbon sequestered and more water conserved. So when we came across the Sonoran Desert based company Cheri’s Desert Harvest we knew we had to share them with you.
Tucson native and company founder Cheri Romanoski was an educator teaching elementary school students about their local environment and about the resourceful methods indigenous peoples used to thrive in the Sonoran Desert for millennia. Cheri decided it would be a good idea to leverage this knowledge into something that could be appreciated and experienced by more people around the world. So, starting with her own small property near Tucson in 1985, Cheri began hand-harvesting and preparing small batches of delicious various cactus pear products including candies, preserves, and syrups.
25 years later and now with a thriving international following, Cheri’s Desert Harvest still does not use any artificial flavoring, coloring, or preservatives. To the Erem team, the fact that Cheri has won the Arizona award for Best Food & Beverage Entrepreneur and has been crowned one of the 10 top food artisans in Tucson (a remarkable feat given that Tuscon was the first US city honored as a Capital of Gastronomy) inspires and further validates our company’s deep conviction that “best” and “world positive” truly go hand-in-hand whether its in performance gear or treats for the trail.
While it’s hard to pick a favorite item from Cheri’s all-star cactus pear lineup, you’ve got to know that when we’re base camping, the Prickly Pear Cactus Honey is making an appearance. Created with mesquite honey and blushed with a touch of cactus pear juice, this brightly colored and lightly flavored honey is absolutely magnificent slathered on a biscuit before heading out for a sunrise Escalante trek. Another favorite use? Drizzled into a steamy mug of tea on a chilly fall camp evening while watching the sunset in Joshua Tree. Or even better, make yourself a PB and cactus pear honey sammie, toss it in your daypack, and look forward to eating it as you glide your way up to Observation Point in your Erem Xerocoles.
And seriously, if you haven’t yet, check out what Erem is doing with cactus pear here....Keep calm and cactus pear on!
Cheri’s is now available in the Erem Marketplace!
