Although the pictures don't show, this jelly making process was a family, fun filled day. The kids got to run around the ranch, mooing at cows, stomping on ants, gagging on the smell of natural gas, and generally soaking in what God has given us here on earth. I, on the other hand, got to fill my hands with the needles of many a ripe cactus pear! My wife helped get it all together after we got home, and the ensuing pictures we all took document the progress. Here is the recipe, to the best of my recollection:
1 bucket full ripe prickly pear tuna (40 or 50, I guess)
(should get you 4 cups of juice)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 cups sugar
1 package of Sure-Jell
I held each pear with a fork and scrubbed most of the needles off under running water in the sink. Wearing gloves, I then trimmed off the top and bottom of each one, then quartered them, slicing from top to bottom.
Place your trimmed and quartered tuna in a dutch oven, then fill with water to just cover. Bring that to a boil, stirring and mashing, for about 20 minutes. This extracts all the juice and softens any remaining needles. You will need to double strain to make sure you have pure juice. I first strained through a large colander to remove the large pulp, then through a smaller mesh style to make sure no seeds or needles made it into the juice.
Pour the pear juice, lemon juice, and powdered Sure-Jell into a dutch oven and bring to a boil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Next, add your sugar, continuing to stir. It may foam up! I tried adding butter to reduce foaming to no avail. I ended up lifting the pot off the stove to let it cool enough for the foam to settle, then set it back down and reduced the heat. It only took another 2 or 3 minutes before it was ready for canning.
Those jars get hot when you fill them with boiling jelly, so take care when handling these molten filled glass containers! I came out of that with just under 7 8 oz jars. Screw the lids down and immediately refrigerate. The next morning, enjoy the fruits of your labor, literally!
Todd
1 bucket full ripe prickly pear tuna (40 or 50, I guess)
(should get you 4 cups of juice)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 cups sugar
1 package of Sure-Jell
I held each pear with a fork and scrubbed most of the needles off under running water in the sink. Wearing gloves, I then trimmed off the top and bottom of each one, then quartered them, slicing from top to bottom.
Place your trimmed and quartered tuna in a dutch oven, then fill with water to just cover. Bring that to a boil, stirring and mashing, for about 20 minutes. This extracts all the juice and softens any remaining needles. You will need to double strain to make sure you have pure juice. I first strained through a large colander to remove the large pulp, then through a smaller mesh style to make sure no seeds or needles made it into the juice.
Pour the pear juice, lemon juice, and powdered Sure-Jell into a dutch oven and bring to a boil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Next, add your sugar, continuing to stir. It may foam up! I tried adding butter to reduce foaming to no avail. I ended up lifting the pot off the stove to let it cool enough for the foam to settle, then set it back down and reduced the heat. It only took another 2 or 3 minutes before it was ready for canning.
Those jars get hot when you fill them with boiling jelly, so take care when handling these molten filled glass containers! I came out of that with just under 7 8 oz jars. Screw the lids down and immediately refrigerate. The next morning, enjoy the fruits of your labor, literally!
Todd
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