by Elizabeth Smith

This time of year, I always get asked how to use prickly pear juice. Prickly pear lemonade and prickly pear jelly are two great ways of enjoying this desert juice. Did you know that the pure juice from the prickly pear tuna lowers blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure? Because of this it is recommended that you consume no more than 2 oz of the pure juice per day.

Prickly Pear Lemonade

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ cup (4 oz) prickly pear juice
• 1 cup sugar (can substitute agave syrup)
• 6 cups water
• Mix all the ingredients together and chill before serving. Makes 1 gallon.

Lower-Sugar Prickly Pear Jelly Recipe

• 4 cups prickly pear juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 5 level Tablespoons low-sugar/no-sugar pectin
• 3 cups sugar
• Mix pectin with 1/4 cup of the sugar and whisk into the prickly pear and lemon juices.  Bring mixture to a full boil (stirring constantly) and immediately add the sugar. Bring to a full boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Process in water bath canner for 10 minutes. Or cool jars and keep in the refrigerator if not canning them. Makes 7 half pint jelly jars.