Photo by Dr. Michael Nicodemus.
Exceptional. Innovative. Real. That is ACU’s motto and here in the A&E Department we are contributing to that way of thinking. Most people would see a cactus and avoid it because of the pain that it could potentially cause them, but not the Exceptional, Innovative and Real professors and students in our department.
Several members of our department took the fruit from the cactus and used it to make prickly pear cactus jelly. That’s right, jelly from a cactus.
The ingredients are prickly pear cactus fruit, sugar, lemon juice and pectin. The group started by removing the fruit from the cactus using tongs and juicing it. Then the juice was mixed with sugar and pectin and heated on the stove. Then the jelly was put into sterile jars which were heated for ten minutes to make sure they were sterile.
The prickly pear cactus jelly has a unique taste that is most comparable to some sort of berry jelly. If you would like to try some jars are for sale at the ACU Farmer’s Market and in the A&E Department office. If you would like to be involved in making the next batch or would like to help out at the Farmer’s Market, contact Dr. Michael Nicodemus.