Q. I remember that you had posted an article about making
jelly/jam from the flower pods of the Indian Cactus. I have several of these
cacti and would like to try making the jelly/jam. Would you please repost or
send me the procedure for doing this.
jelly/jam from the flower pods of the Indian Cactus. I have several of these
cacti and would like to try making the jelly/jam. Would you please repost or
send me the procedure for doing this.
A. There is a big variation in the quality of fruits
produced by cactus. There are selections of Indian Fig cactus or Opuntia or
Nopales that produce better quality fruit, better taste, than others.
produced by cactus. There are selections of Indian Fig cactus or Opuntia or
Nopales that produce better quality fruit, better taste, than others.
One way
you can measure this is by bird damage. If the birds are not annihilating your
cactus fruit then my guess will be the fruit is not that good. Typically, birds
ravage the good ones and seldom touch the ones that are not so good.
you can measure this is by bird damage. If the birds are not annihilating your
cactus fruit then my guess will be the fruit is not that good. Typically, birds
ravage the good ones and seldom touch the ones that are not so good.
 |
| Bird damage to the nopal fruit (tunas) indicating they are a sweet fruit good for eating and preserving. |
Sugar
content of these fruits or tunas as Mexicans call them can get to a similar
range as table grapes or apples. I have attached the book on it that I produced
and you can download it. I will also post it on my blog for people to download.
content of these fruits or tunas as Mexicans call them can get to a similar
range as table grapes or apples. I have attached the book on it that I produced
and you can download it. I will also post it on my blog for people to download.
Translated from Spanish so the English is a little awkward.
From M.V. Fernandez and J.C. Morales
University of Sonora-Hermosillo
Jam of Prickly Pear
Ingredients:
2.2 lbs (1kg) of prickly pear fruit (tunas) peeled (15
tunas approximately)
tunas approximately)
3 1/2 cups of sugar (840 g)
1 tablespoon of pectin
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Cut prickly pears in pieces and blend only half of them.
Keep the rest. (Because the seeds are very hard, I pureed all the fruit and
strained the pulp.) Put blended fruit into a pan and cook over medium heat; as
soon as it begins to boil, add the pectin, the sugar and the lemon juice. Keep
stirring the mixture constantly with the spoon. Once it starts the first boil,
while stirring, add the remaining fruit if you desire. Remove the jam from the
heat when it acquires a thick consistency and when shaking pan the bottom can
be seen (more or less after one hour). Put the hot jam into the sterilized
container immediately. (Our test jam cooked more quickly. Be careful not to overcook.)
Keep the rest. (Because the seeds are very hard, I pureed all the fruit and
strained the pulp.) Put blended fruit into a pan and cook over medium heat; as
soon as it begins to boil, add the pectin, the sugar and the lemon juice. Keep
stirring the mixture constantly with the spoon. Once it starts the first boil,
while stirring, add the remaining fruit if you desire. Remove the jam from the
heat when it acquires a thick consistency and when shaking pan the bottom can
be seen (more or less after one hour). Put the hot jam into the sterilized
container immediately. (Our test jam cooked more quickly. Be careful not to overcook.)
Packaging and Preservation for safety
On a dry cloth, place the sterilized bottles or jars.
Pour in the still hot jam, with help of a spoon, leaving a minimum space of a half inch
between the mouth of the bottle and the jam. Allow some steam to escape and
close it tightly to form vacuum. Let cool to room temperature and place a label
in the bottle with the product name and date.
Pour in the still hot jam, with help of a spoon, leaving a minimum space of a half inch
between the mouth of the bottle and the jam. Allow some steam to escape and
close it tightly to form vacuum. Let cool to room temperature and place a label
in the bottle with the product name and date.
Jam will be ready for its consumption in 12 hours after
it was prepared. This jam will keep for a year in a fresh and dry place. Once
opened, the jam must be refrigerated and consumed in a month.
it was prepared. This jam will keep for a year in a fresh and dry place. Once
opened, the jam must be refrigerated and consumed in a month.
Alternative ingredients:
The lemon juice can be replaced by ΒΌ tablespoon of
ascorbic acid or one crushed Vitamin C tablet of 500mg.
ascorbic acid or one crushed Vitamin C tablet of 500mg.
Recommendations:
To keep the jam in good condition, sterilize the bottles
and the cover in the following way: wash them thorougly, retire the labels and
put them to boil (with enough water so they keep cover all time) during 15
minutes counted from the first fervor or boiling. Taking off by far care, with
the aid of clamps or a knife in a hand and a dry rag in the other; place the
bottle and the cover on a totally dry and clean cloth (if no, the bottle can be
broken). Do not touch the jam with the hands when it is still hot, since it can
cause a serious burn.
and the cover in the following way: wash them thorougly, retire the labels and
put them to boil (with enough water so they keep cover all time) during 15
minutes counted from the first fervor or boiling. Taking off by far care, with
the aid of clamps or a knife in a hand and a dry rag in the other; place the
bottle and the cover on a totally dry and clean cloth (if no, the bottle can be
broken). Do not touch the jam with the hands when it is still hot, since it can
cause a serious burn.
To take a small taste of the jam before complete the heat
treatment, take a few with a spoon, drain it in a plate, and leave it to cool
completely.
treatment, take a few with a spoon, drain it in a plate, and leave it to cool
completely.
Can jam or jelly be made from the white ones?
I have never tried these recipes. They were given to me by the faculty from the University of Sonora in Hermosillo. I dont think the color of the fruit makes any difference to how the jelly sets up. Make sure the fruit tastes good first! The pictures I put on their were from pads planted from Sonora a long time ago and the selections they made at USON were very good. They plants just struggled in our cold winter temperatures compared to Sonora. The good ones always get bird damage to the fruit when they start to ripen.