a beautiful baking blog

JAMS, JELLIES

PRICKLY PEAR JELLY

Late summer in Arizona the prickly pear cactus are full of beautiful deep red fruit. When I see these in the desert it means only one thing—-jelly making time!

Making prickly pear jelly can be a tricky and sticky process (literally). No matter how careful I am when picking the fruit, inevitably I end up with some stickers in my fingers. Use tongs to twist the fruit off of the prickly pear plant and drop in a bucket. If you happen to get a sticker or two in your fingers just wrap it with tape and pull it out!

This recipe was given to me from a friend of my mother’s about 20 years ago. I use this basic recipe to experiment with different flavors for my Arizona State Fair entries every year. All of them have been successful, earning 1st and 2nd place. This batch is extra special this year, because we are making the jelly for Alex & Whitney’s wedding favors. This will be an extra special Arizona treat made with love!
The prickly pears in a pot with just enough water to cover. I boiled the pears for approximately 30-40 minutes to soften the pears. Occasionally I mash the fruit down with a potato masher to extract as much juice as possible.
The juice needs to be poured through several thicknesses of cheesecloth to get a nice clear juice that will make a pretty and clear jelly. The color is so vibrant!
This year I had some help harvesting the prickly pears. My daughter Whitney and her fiancé Alex Schwartz braved the Arizona heat to pick a basket of prickly pears to make some jelly!