From Pasture to Kitchen – Candy Making
Recently, while my husband was scouting a new hunting area, he came across ripe prickly pear fruit and decided to bring home a bundle of it for me to make something. He wasn’t sure what I should make, but he handed it over anyway.
A Variety of Options
In doing a little research, I found multiple recipes for prickly pear candy, jelly, syrup and even drinks. Considering my family… I determined that the candy making was the best option for a first run.
Prepping the Prickly Pear Fruit
This was the first time I had ever dealt with prickly pear and I will tell you that it is quite a hassle… at least the first time! (Chocolate Candy Making is typically my go-to!)
- Here’s a note, use a torch to burn off all of the spines BEFORE handling them! I will definitely remember that one next time!
Harvesting the Pulp
I found that quartering the fruit and using a spoon to scrape the pulp out was the easiest method to use. Once the pulp is removed, you pour it all into a blender to be pureed. There are very hard seeds (lots of them) inside these fruits and they must be removed. I used an old fashioned jelly sieve and let it run through and drain.
After that, it’s mostly a matter of combining the ingredients and boiling. Super easy and fairly quick.
Prickly Pear – From Puree to Candy
When the mixture has come to a full 225 degrees, you can pour it into a greased 9×13 pan. You will want to allow it to cool and begin setting up. After an hour, sprinkle sugar all over the top. From this point, allow them to set up at least overnight, a full day is even better. At that point, you can cut them into little squares and coat them fully in sugar.
After you get passed the initial shock of harvesting and scraping out a cactus… this really is an easy recipe with a very tasty result!
Prickly Pear Candy Recipe
A sweet, fruity, gummy candy that is fairly simple to make.
Ingredients
1 cup of pureed prickly pear cactus fruit (deseeded)
3 cups of applesauce (I used sweetened)
6 tsp powdered pectin
5 cups of sugar, plus additional for coating
Directions
- The first and most difficult step of this process is scooping the insides from the prickly pear fruit. Once all of it is removed, puree in a blender and put through a sieve to remove all seeds.
- Add applesauce to the puree in a saucepan.
- Separately combine pectin with 1 cup of the sugar and add to puree mixture.
Bring this mixture to a boil. - Add the remaining sugar and bring back to a boil. Continue stirring, bringing your mixture to 225 degrees.
- Pour into a greased 13×9 pan.
- Let the mixture cool for about an hour, then sprinkle sugar all over the top.
- Let the set up and dry overnight. (I went for about 24 hours.)
- Cut into small squares and coat in sugar. (I feel like a bowl is the best way to do this process.)
- Place on parchment paper and let dry for at least 6 more hours. (I went another day.) You can turn them over to assist the process.
Notes
- These can be stored for about 2 weeks…if they last that long!
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