Last bits of Summer

A little bit of summer trapped in a jar to welcome in the Autumn!

What is it? It's Prickly Pear Jelly! Made by a friend down in Tucson, and gifted to me. Yum! While my favorite season is autumn, summer in the southwest does have its delights - and prickly pear fruit is one of them. Unfortunately, none of my personal prickly pear seem to bear large fruit - I suspect part of the problem is they are cultivated for their appearance rather than their fruit - and I'm sure the fact that I don't supplement their watering doesn't help matters.

In any case, if you happen to have prickly pears on hand, and wish to make jelly, I hear the trick to making it gel is to throw in a couple unripe ones - as fully ripened prickly pears don't have much pectin.