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Homemade Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly

 

 

Harvesting, Making & Canning It!

Have you checked out the ingredients lately on jelly in the store? Wow, there can be so many yet so few I can pronounce. One way to know what ingredients are in jelly is make it ourselves. It's organic with no preservatives or additives!

 

Watch as friends come over and help teach us how to harvest, make and can homemade jelly :)

 

 

 

Native Desert Plant

It’s amazing what the desert can produce. This is one plant that doesn’t require tending. Knowing how to eat and process the natives plants has been something we have wanted to learn for a long time (not to mention learning to can). Thanks to Margie, we now have video documentation of how to do it!

 

Recipe

Margie and her Mom, Elaine, have spent a few years perfecting the recipe. She has graciously agreed to let us share it on the internet. Here is her recipe:

 

Prepare Juice

  • Pick Prickly Pears using tongs & leather gloves
  • Rince in large outdoor tub, pot or kiddie pool
  • Simmer on low heat for 2 to 3 hours
  • Strain through large colander
  • Strain through small colander
  • Strain through wire strainer
  • Strain through layered cheesecloth
  • Store in containers in refrigerator until ready to make jelly (we stored for 2 days)

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups Prickly Pear Cactus Juice
  • 1/2 Cup Lime Juice (brings out flavor better than lemon juice)
  • 1/4 Cup Pectin Powder (1 Package)
  • 4 Cups Organic Sugar

Directions

  • Mix Juice and Pectin
  • Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantl.
  • Add sugar
  • Boil hard for 15 minutes. Keep stirring
  • Remove from heat, skim
  • Makes 5 half pint jar

 

Water Bath Canning

  • Pour into prepared jars (cleaned and warm)
  • Run a rubber spatula around the edge to remove any bubbles (where bacteria can form)
  • Warm canning tops to soften rubber edge
  • Wipe canning top and top of jar
  • Loosely screw on lid to hold top in place
  • Put in Water Bath Canning Pot and process for 10-15 minutes
  • Remove and set for 24 hours

 

Shelly

September 25, 2015