[kklibrarian]

Today, when I get home from work, I'm going to harvest cactus pears to make jam. I have never done this before and will report back on how it goes. The jelly I have seen is this amazing purple color and has a delicate floral taste I've been told.

I made 3 jars of beautyberry jelly with local honey and low sugar pectin. I don't really the texture of low sugar pectin (it's a bit slimy, IMO ). However, this jelly was something that I was doing on a wild-crafting/foraging kick that I've been on lately, and I picked the berries largely because they are supposed to be good for you (high in anti-oxidants, good for rheumatism, building up your immune system, etc.) but they have a very insipid flavor raw. So, I picked them specifically to make jelly with them and wanted to use minimal sugars and combine them with local honey both for the health benefits and to mask some of the less pleasing flavors of the berries themselves.

Using honey at a reduced amount meant that I had to use the low-sugar pectin. It's pretty good and the color is nice if I do say so myself. I just wish the jars didn't have sediment in the bottoms. I know it is nothing to worry about if I was eating them myself, but I like for everything we sell at market to be perfect. I'm thinking of calling it Bee Healthy Jelly..... get it?