Prickly Pear Marmalade

This marmalade is unusually delicious; however it will only keep about 9 months. If you give it away, let them know its storage life.

Yield: 2 to 3 (1/2 pint) jars

Ingredients

• 1 medium orange
• 3 prickly pears
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Remove peel from orange, reserve pulp and cut peel into thin strips. Cover peel with water, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Drain, cover with fresh water, and again simmer for 5 minutes. Drain a second time.
3. Add 1/2 cup fresh water, simmer for 5 minutes, do not drain.
4. Remove seeds and heavy membranes from orange pulp, and dice. Prepare prickly pears by peeling and removing seeds. (You can eat the seeds of the fresh fruit, but they are not good when cooked.)
5. Add diced orange pulp, 2 cups of the prickly pear pulp, orange juice, lemon juice and sugar to the orange peel. Boil until it thickens and the gel point is reached, about 30 minutes. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Seal.