How to Make Prickly Pear Syrup
Published 2022-09-09
Recipe:
1 lb of Prickly Pear Fruit
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Citric Acid
1/2 cup water (add when cooking down the prickly pears)
I was using 10 pounds of prickly pears, so I used approximately 10 cups of sugar and approximately 4 tablespoons of citric acid. I recommend tasting your syrup as you add the sugar gradually. You want your syrup to be to your sweetness. Do the same with the citric acid and add it according to your tartness.
Make sure when you go to harvest your prickly pears that you are wearing heavy duty leather gloves because those little prickers, called Glochid, will be sure to get into your hands. Never try and grab them barehanded.
I will burn the glochids off of my prickly pears over my stove top flame. I stick a skewer through the prickly pair so I don’t have to touch it while I’m burning off the glochids. I recommend having a clean leather glove on hand for handling the prickly pear. Once the glochids are burned off be sure to rinse your pears before cutting them opened.
Cut them into quarters and put them in your pot. You want to smash them with a potato smasher as they cook down, pour in your half a cup of water and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes to release all of the juices.
Once the juices are released you want to strain all of the seeds, pulp and skins. You will then strain it a second time with cheese cloth lining your clean strainer to make sure you get out any stray sediment that you don’t want in your syrup.
Now you want to allow your prickly pear juice to lose some water content, gradually add your sugar, Tasting it to get it to your desired sweetness. Leave your burner on low and allow the Syrup to cook down - don’t let it burn. Shut off the burner when the syrup is your desired thickness. It will be thinner than maple syrup, because it is a simple syrup.
With the burner off, you can now add your citric acid. I used approximately 1 teaspoon of citric acid per 1 pound of fruit. I will add a little more or less depending upon how tart my syrup is. Basically, season it to taste, you are looking for the perfect tartness that you like.
Be sure to clean your mason jars and have them warm when you are ready to pour your Syrup in them. At this point you can go ahead and store it in your refrigerator. If you have a ton of fruit like I did and want to be able to store it on your pantry shelf, then you’re going to want to do a basic 10 minute water bath canning.
Here is a great How To from Old Farmer’s Almanac:
 www.almanac.com/water-bath-canning-beginners-guide
Blessings and thanks for watching💚
All Comments (11)
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Thank you. I have a prickly pear growing in my backyard. This year it has been crazy abundant and i don't want to waste it.
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Yum! When I went to Old Town San Diego. I had Prickly Pear tea. Now I want to make some!!
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This is so delicious with a little bit in my water for my agua frescas
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Thanks great video instruction you have done.
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I need to try this. You always make things look so less difficult. :)
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Fun i said it before she margerita are good
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Where did you get tuna from looking looking a fish? If anything the word is some old Spanish that some how got lost from the original, nochtli.
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Margeritas
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Great video tutorial! Thank you! Do you think citric acid is necessary if you were to water bath can it as you did? I’m curious to try the taste of the prickly pear without the citric acid since you described a change in flavor. Also, I might like to not buy citric acid!
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I dont see tuna anywhere
