Anyone who as traveled to the Southwest has seen the strange and unique cactus that is known as the prickly pear. At certain times of year, this plant sprouts brilliant magenta berries which are used to make everything from jelly, to flavored teas to prickly pear margaritas.

The jelly is the focus of this particular post. This is a recipe that was given to me before we left Arizona.

What you need: 2 ½ cups of prickly pear juice, 3 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice, 1 package powdered pectin, 3 ½ cups sugar.

What you do: You’ll need about a full quart of the berries to make the 2 ½ cups of juice. Pluck them from the cactus plants using tongs. Wash the berries underwater using a brush. Steam in a pan until fruit is tender and soft, then run through a manually operated food mill. For extra clear jelly, run the liquid through a cheese cloth, jelly bag or fine sieve to remove all sediment. In a saucepan, add juice and pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add lemon or lime juice and sugar. Bring to a hard  boil that cannot be stirred down, and continue to boil for another three minutes. Remove from heat, skim and pour into half-pint jars leaving a quarter inch of head space in each jar. Wipe jar rims and seal lids. Process for ten minutes in a boiling water bath.  You should have six of the half-pint jars of jelly.

Enjoy with cream cheese on crackers, or in any other way you would enjoy a regular type of jelly.  

Photo Credit: Kretyen