Prickly Pear Jelly

Late every summer, the prickly pears in south Texas turn a deep purple. And every summer since I was a little kid, I've tried to eat them. Usually I would just peel back a corner and lick the juice. They're sweet, gooey, but not quite palatable. And just about every summer I would ask my grandma if we could do something with all those pears, fat and inviting like purple balloons. And she always, always says, "One summer we made prickly pear jelly, but you don't want to do that. It's too much trouble." This summer, all of these things happened, but, being a big girl now, I decided that the trouble was worth taking. And this morning, in far-off NC with the rain pouring down, I had a bit of bread with my prickly pear jelly on it. It is so worth the trouble. If you live in prickly pear country, I cannot recommend it too highly. And it isn't much trouble. It only took me a few hours. The recipe follows.

First, collect about a gallon of the pears. They must be almost black.
Burn the prickles off. I used a pear-burner, but any flame will do.
Rubber gloves are kind of important, but I guess not utterly necessary if you're careful. At this point, scrub the remaining prickles off in water, wearing gloves, and peel. If you've burned 'em good, the skin comes off pretty easily.
Quarter and throw in a pot. Add some water... enough that you can see it through the pears, but not enough to cover them.
Simmer for an hour.
Strain through cheesecloth or thick papertowel to get 3 1/2 cups of juice.
Put juice back in the pot. Add a package of no sugar needed gelatin. Not just any gelatin, no sugar needed gelatin. If you add the regular kind, you have to use too much sugar.
Add one cup of sugar. Raw sugar is best because it doesn't leave that bleach taste.
Dissolve.
Taste it; if it's too sour for you, add some stevia powder or leaves.
Add half a cup of lemon juice. This is important. Don't leave it out.
Stir it all up.
Put in it hot jars, seal, and leave to congeal.

Prickly pear regulates blood sugar. Whether this holds true when it's combined with a cup of sugar is anyone's guess. Nonetheless, I'm sure there are health benefits. The natives used to eat tons of them, I'm told. The flavor is... unique, something like cranberry sauce.