Prickly Pear Jelly - Recipe

The Minnesota State Fair has just ended, but we didn't go this year.  Instead, we drove to Tucson to visit family!  It was a great trip, if a long one, especially considering we spent 28+ hours each way in the car with a large Golden Retriever.  But she got a bath before we left and loves to ride in the car.

We had multiple goals for this trip - visiting my mom, brothers, aunt and daughter, delivering goods to said daughter for the school year, and, lastly, getting peppers from Hatch, New Mexico.  I will have to explain the peppers in another post, but they are a really terrific accidental discovery. 

Filling jars with Prickly Pear Jelly

Combining the spirit of the state fair and Tucson, the last thing we did before we left Mom's house was pick what turned out to be 13 pounds of prickly pear fruit.  What?, you say.  And why?  To make Prickly Pear Jelly, of course!



Prickly Pear Jelly

Supplies:

• 8 pounds of ripe prickly pear fruits (also called tuna), for 8 cups of juice
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup unsweetened, unfiltered apple juice
• 2 boxes low-sugar pectin
• 4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup honey

Equipment:

• Boiling water bath canner with rack
• 13 pint jars, washed and kept hot in a 250 degree oven
• Lids and rings for jars, washed and kept in simmering water
• Jar lifter
• Tongs to get lids out of hot water
• Jelly bag or cheesecloth to strain jelly
• Foley food mill (helpful, but maybe not mandatory)
• Various measuring cups and large bowls
• 2 Large pots (not aluminum)
• 3 or 4 metal spoons (regular ones), kept in the freezer

Straining jelly

1. First, everyone says you must get rid of the spines, or glochids.  Burning them off on the gas grill is tedious, but a propane torch is quick and quite satisfying.  I'm not sure that this step is actually necessary if you strain juice through a jelly bag but am afraid to skip it.  Those glochids are nasty and sneaky.
2. Cut the fruits in half lengthwise and put in a large pot.  Cover and start heating.  You can add a little apple juice to get things going.  As the fruit softens, use a large spoon or potato masher to squish them up.  Cook until all the tuna are soft.
3. Working in batches, run the mash through the food mill to separate out the seeds (They are amazing!  Like gravel.) and skins from the juice.
4. Set up the jelly strainer over a large measuring cup or bowl.  Pour the juice from the last step into the strainer and let drip.  This is kind of a messy, boring step, so, unless you want sparklingly clear jelly for the fair, you can hurry it along by stirring the stuff in the jelly bag or tipping it or whatever works.
5. Pour the strained juice into another large pot.  It should measure out to be about 8 cups.  If short, make it with apple juice.  Add the lemon and apple juices.
6. Measure out the sugar into a bowl.  Take about 1/2 cup of that sugar and mix it with both boxes of pectin in yet another bowl.
7. Stir the pectin/sugar mixture into the juices and heat on high.  Stir, if not constantly, a lot until the mixture comes to a boil that can't be stirred down.  Boil one minute. 
8. Add the remaining sugar and the honey and return to a boil that can't be stirred down.  Boil one minute.
9. Remove from heat and test for jelling.   Drop a bit of the jelly onto a spoon from the freezer.  If it sets to your liking, go on to the next step.  Remember that it will likely set up a little firmer than what is on the spoon.  If it is too thin, mix a bit of sugar with a tablespoon of pectin powder (open another box, sigh) and add to the pot.  Return the mixture to boiling and boil for one more minute.  Test again.
10. Skim the foam, if there is any and you don't want it.  Ladle the jelly into the prepared jars, leaving 1/4" of headspace.  Clean the rims with a damp towel and put on the lids and rings. 
11. Process in a boiling water bath that covers the jars by at least 2 inches of water for 10 minutes.  You may have to run more than one batch through the canner, depending on the size of the canner.
12. Label and enjoy.

Unlabeled Prickly Pear Jelly

This seemed a little sweet when I was testing it, but I didn't want to risk it not setting because there wasn't enough sugar.  Jelly is supposed to be sweet, though, right?

There are about 5 cups of juice remaining and I'm not sure what to do with them.  More jelly would be nice, maybe, but what about some prickly pear lemonade?  For now, it will just go into the refrigerator.