I will start with the recipe
Recipe:
4 cups Prickly Pear Juice (appx 60 pears)
5 cups sugar
1 Pkg Pectin
Yield 6/7 8OZ Jelly jars
NB this is for using O. engelmannii fruits. They are in the mid range for size of the fruits. you man have to change this slightly if you are using other varieties, however you still will be able to follow the recipe!
Here's how to make the jelly
1. Burn off the glochids. (use a gas stove top, or a propane torch. You can tell when they are gone)
2. Boil the fruits- Covered with water-20 minutes once the boiling starts.
3. cut W/knife. (just to bleed the juices) Mash with a potato masher until mashed.
4. stretch nylon stocking over 2 or 4 cup measuring container. Scoop mashed pears into center of nylon (2-3 scoops at a time)
5. Squeeze juice into cup. Turn nylon inside out. Empty of seeds and skins of fruits. Turn it back right side out and continue until done with all the pieces. You need to make 4 cups of juice.
6. Wash with hot soapy water...Jars, caps, lids.
7. Sterilize jars in boiling water for 10 mins. Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep them hot.
8. Sterilize lids+caps in a sauce pan. Boil and reduce heat to simmer and keep them hot.
9. Mix 1/4 cup sugar with 1pkg of pectin. Pour 4 cups of juice into 2 qt heavy sauce pan. Boil to rapid boil while stirring constantly. / add half a teaspoon of margarine.
10. Once juice is at rapid boil ADD 4 4/5 cups of sugar all at once. Disolve sugar by stirring quickly. Return to rapid boil. Boil exactly 1 minute.
11. Pour immeadiately into sterilized jars. Wipe top with damp cloth. Place on lid. Screw on cap slightly.
WORK VERY QUICKLY
go back and holding jar with towel screw lids on tight.
* Disclaimer and some things to remember. This recipe calls for working with extremely hot pans, pots and jars/lids. You can get burned easily if you spill the jelly mixture. The pan that you boil the jelly in must be able to withstand a high temperature. Boiling sugar takes an intense amount of heat. The jars are hot after you poor the jelly mixture into them. And lastly you will be dealing with Opuntia fruits that have glochids on them. Take care to remove them all. I made this recipe last year and the jelly is delicious and it's worth the time and effort. So far I do not believe that I have come across a single glochid. I did get ONE seed from the mixture!
Take care and enjoy the recipe. IF there are any questions feel free to ask them, I will try and answer them. Or I could ask the lady that gave me the recipe.
