Written by Christine Morgan, N.D., PSc.D
President of Somervell County Master Gardeners
Prickly pear fruit, called “tunas” in Mexico, come in a variety of colors. My plants make a dark red fruit that matures in late August or September. Using them is a two-step process. First harvest and juice, then you can make jelly or jam.
How to make Prickly Pear Tuna Juice
1. Harvest with tongs! DO NOT touch them, even with gloves!Burn off the nasty spines by holding the fruit over a burner on the stove for a few seconds with tongs or pierce them on the end they were attached to the plant with a long BBQ fork. Scrape off what remains of the spines (technically called glochids) by rubbing them off under running water with a sudsy dish scrubber pad and then rinse. If you see a white mold on them, it will wash off too (does not hurt the tunas). Set on clean towel to dry thoroughly. After drying you can proceed to make juice or freeze the tunas for later.
2. Extracting the juice from frozen tunas: Using thawed tunas is easy. The skins slip right off. Thaw tunas in bag in sink until totally thawed. Dump in bowl and remove skins. Next strain juice and pulpfrom the seeds. I first strain just the juice through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Then start straining the pulp with a larger strainer to push more pulp through, then work pulp off seeds with your hand and strain again. I do strain the juice again through a “nut” bag. Getting out the small particles makes a cleaner jelly!
3. Extracting the juice from fresh tunas: Harvest, clean and dry first. The best way I have found is to slice the fruit (you need not skin it) into quarters and put in a pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Mash with a potato masher and strain the juice and water through a fine mesh colander. You can strain the juice again with a “nut” bag, be sure and squeeze it to get as much juice as possible out. Next, separate seeds and pulp as described above.
4. Storing the juice: You can store the juice and pulp in canning jars in the freezer with white plastic lids. Cool the juice or pulp overnight in the fridge first. Then move to freezer. This will stop glass breakage.
How to make prickly pear tuna pulp (for jam)
Raw process method for fresh tunas: If you heated the fresh fruit to remove thorns, do not skin the tunas. Cut the prickly pear in half, scoop out the seeds in one bowl, and scoop out the fruit in another. You can set the seed mush aside to make juice in order to not waste any of the plant. Once all your tunas are worked, you can put the pulp in a blender to blend smooth for 1-2 minutes. Strain through fine mesh strainer one more time and press any pulp through the strainer. Stop here for jam and go to jam # 1 recipe to make jam.
Cooked method for fresh tunas: Boil the tuna pulp (already de–seeded) and juice. Tunas are high in enzymes. Many jam makers think tunas need to be boiled for 10 minutes to deactivate those enzymes. Enzymes from fresh tunas will keep the jelly from setting. No one wants runny jelly, so be sure to boil the fruit. Strain the juice out. Now you have a bowl of fruit pulp and a bowl of juice. Use the pulp to make jam and the juice to make jelly. Allow to cool, then process the pulp in a blender to make puree. You can freeze the puree and juice to make jam later.
Notes: Use the Juice method on the seed pod mush. I use the raw method and freeze the pulp puree; it gets boiled when I make the jam.
DRYING THE SKINS
Place the clean skins in a food dehydrator and dry. Store them in an air tight container. They can be used as a tea or even ground into a spice. You can dry the seeds and grind them into flour also.
The prickly pear cactus pads and tunas are very healthy foods.
JELLY RECIPES
Note: FIRST…for all recipes clean canner equipment, assemble tongs, funnel, jar lifter tongs, jars and lids. Wash jars and lids in hot water with soap. Rinse thoroughly and let drain on clean towel. Fill canner with water and start to heat on stove. Have fresh or thawed juice or pulp puree ready to go; should be room temperature.
Christmas Tuna Jelly
2 1/2 cups prickly pear cactus juice
4 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 box of powdered pectin (18 teaspoons-note that not all pectin brands contain the same amount in a box, so measure it out to make sure)
Directions:
1. Hard boil cactus fruit juice, pectin and lemon juice for 3 minutes (hard boil means the point at which the brew still bubbles even when you stir it). Add sugar and bring back to a hard boil for 2 minutes or until the “jell point” is reached.
2. Put in 8 ounce canning jars, seal and hot water canning bathprocess for 10 minutes for high acid foods. Ball canning method.
Lower Sugar Tuna Jelly # 2
4 cups prickly pear juice (requires around four pounds of fruit)
3 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 package low sugar powdered pectin
Directions:
1. Pour four cups of the prickly pear juice into a pot and add a half cup of lemon juice.
2. Mix a quarter cup of the sugar and a box of low/no sugar pectinand add to the juice.
3. Bring the mixture to a full boil.
4. Add the remaining sugar and bring back to a hard boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
8. Pour into six 8 oz jars.
9. Process in a boiling water bath for ten minutes.
Tuna Jelly Recipe # 3
4 cups strained prickly pear tuna juice
5 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
Directions: same as above.
Prickly Pear Jalapeno Jelly
10 jalapenos, pureed
1 cup apple cider vinegar
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2 cups cactus fruit juice
¼ cup lemon juice
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5 cups sugar
2 packs liquid pectin (Certo)
Directions:
1. To puree peppers, cut or pull off stems, place in a blender with ¾ cup apple cider vinegar, blend. Pour contents of blender in large sauce pan, add the remaining ¼ cup vinegar to the blender and swirl around to capture the remaining pepper bits in the blender. Pour this into your sauce pan.
2. Add to the sauce pan…sugar, cactus juice, and lemon juice.
3. Bring this mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and boil for 10 minutes.
4. Add pectin, increase heat and bring to a full rolling, HARD boil. Boil hard for one minute.
5. Remove from heat. Skim any foam from the top of the jelly with a metal spoon.
6. Pour into jars and heat process in a water bath canner for 10-16 minutes.
JAM RECIPES
Christmas Tuna Jam # 1
Makes 10…8 oz. jars
5 cups of prickly pear pulp and juice (raw method)
7 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of lemon or lime juice
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 boxes of powdered pectin or 2/3 cup Ultra gel
Directions:
1. Heat prickly pear fruit and juice, lemon juice and sugar in a large heavy bottomed pot or enamel coated cast iron pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook for 10 minutes stirring constantly. Sprinkle pectin over fruit mixture. Stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil again and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Bring to a hard boil and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. This jam thickens as it cools, so it will seem pretty loose at this point. Skim foam if needed.
2. Ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4″ head space. Wipe rims thoroughly with clean paper toweling. Top with lids and rings. Tighten cap to finger tightness. Place jars in boiling water bath. Bring to a boil again and then start your timer. Boil for15 minutes.
3. Remove jars from canner and place on a clean dry towel. Cool forat least 12 hours undisturbed. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal.
Christmas Tuna Jam # 2
1 ½ cups tuna puree (cooked method)
7 cups sugar
3 ½ cups juice
2 T. fruit fresh
1 box Sure Jell (1.75oz.)
Directions:
1. Bring puree, juice, fruit fresh and Sure Jell to rolling, hard boil.
2. Add sugar and bring back to boil, stirring and boiling 1 minute more.
3. Remove from heat. Skim foam.
4. Ladle into jars and add lids. Process in water bath canner. Get water boiling first, then add jars. After all jars in, boil for 10 minutes.