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I'm a Canadian now residing in Sunny Arizona since 2002. Although I've been a city girl all of my life, I've always loved the country and the laid back life it offers. My love of the Outdoors, Animals,and Gardening comes from my mom Cecile, who loved her home in the country, but sadly passed away in 2005. I promised her I would grow a garden in her name, And I finally did, five years later. One of my best memories of her is how much she loved her garden. The glow on her face when she would show me something new, always creating a life with things she loved. She loved all animals. She taught me simplicity, to enjoy the small things, and see beauty in everything. Today I find myself doing the same things she did in her garden and in life. This blog was created to keep track of my projects and adventures. They may not all be successes, but my goal is to remain unintimidated by whatever engages my curiosity. I want to share this adventure with those who can appreciate the small things, the trial and errors, the simplicity in it all, but mostly,what my mom knew how to do best,just have FUN! *This blog is dedicated to her*

Aug 17, 2010

Prickly Pear Jelly


Making Jelly this week, this time with a special fruit called Cactus Fig, or the Prickly Pear. This time of year you can see them everywhere even along the highways. They grow wild throughout the southwest. A really pretty sight.

This is new to me, I was excited about trying a new type of jelly, so off I went with a bucket and some tongs and kindly asked a neighbor if I can grab some of that really bright red fruit. His front yard is full of that cactus.

Good thing I read about handling and processing them or else I would have ended up with really sore fingers. There's a reason it's called prickly pear cactus!

This was labor intensive, but luckily with my juice extractor I saved some time.
And I am pretty proud of the results! The taste resembles really sweet kiwi fruit.
I think I will be taking my bucket and tongs again this weekend and see if I can make lots more so I can enjoy this jelly when the fruit isn't available. What a waste to let the fruit die off the cactus.

And I will definately bring my neighbor a jar filled with the yummy stuff he kindly let me have.

2 comments:

  1. BudAugust 19, 2010 at 7:08 AM

    I've heard of prickly pears, but didn't know what they were. I don't think I would be messing around with them. : )

    I like your new blog background.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cecile's Country GardenAugust 19, 2010 at 8:27 AM

    Thanks Bud, I had to hold the fruit above a burner with the tongs in order to burn off the thorns, after that it was easy :)

    ReplyDelete

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