Cactus Jelly - cooking recipe

Ingredients

underripe cactus (prickly pears)
a few ripe cactus
powdered pectin
3 to 4 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
sugar

Preparation

Use underripe cactus, except for a few ripe ones to give color to the jelly.
Brush with vegetable brush under running cold water. Quarter and place in saucepan with enough water to cover.
Boil until very tender.
Mash with a potato masher and pour both liquid and pulp into a jelly bag to drip.
Measure juice and, for each two and one-half cups of juice add one (3 ounce) package of powdered pectin.
Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.
Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice and about one and a half times the volume of sugar as your measured juice.
Bring again to a full boil and keep boiling for 3 minutes, or until it tests done.
Pour into warm jars and cover tightly.
It is done when it drips 2 drips separately off of spoon.