I have 12 (1/2 pint) jars of Prickly Pear jelly cooling on my counter now. The easiest way to extract the juice is to freeze them for a week, then defrost them in a cheesecloth lined strainer in a warm kitchen overnight. The freezing splits the skins, and as they thaw they drain and look like giant raisins in the morning. Just empty strainer into trash and you are done!

Freezing is the first method I came up with to process the prickly pears in my yard. I pick them with tongs, put them in a bowl and place in the freezer for several days. Freezing causes ice crystals to grow, rupturing cell membranes and releasing juices. Upon removal from freezer, place in a cheesecloth lined colander and let thaw overnight. When thawed, don't touch. Just slice at them with a knife and attack with a potato masher to extract the juice. Never any need to deal with spines. Once the mess is done dripping, make jelly in the usual way. Be sure to scatter the seeds and skins outside so the birds and other critters can propagate them to make more cacti.

The best strainer I have found is paint strainer bags that you can buy at Lowe's and Home Depot. They have elastic bands on the opening which makes it good to hold the bag in a pot or bucket.
I just picked 10 gallons of fruit yesterday to make wine out of. Very good stuff.

I used my handy stainless steel juice extractor/steamer. Picked the tunas with gloves put them in "Wal-Mart bags" put a layer of cheese cloth in the top of my steamer and dumped in enough to fill to fill 3/4 way full. Now I have about 1/2 gallon of beautifulf juice! Easy peasy!

Excellent recipe... beautiful color and taste. I finally got tired of picking spines from my fingers after using leather gloves to roll the pears in my gloved hands. This year I got a towel that was ready for the trash, loaded it with enough pears, with tongs, to shake in a tightly closed towel basket, shook for a while, and all spines were caught in the towel. I handled without any trouble cutting each end off, splitting and mashing to make juice for drinking fresh, jelly, wine and beer. Throw the towel away or burn it afterwards... it cannot be washed or reused!!!

I pick them with thongs burn with torch skin put whole in juicer seeds an pulp out the back good juice out the front then boil add sugar lemon peck put in jars boil in water done. I made 40 pints, all good.

Remove spines by rolling around in a colander...

Followed this recipe and I instructions and it worked like a charm. Got all the little stickers off by swishing the fruit in the sink. Thank you all for the great recipe and advice.

I harvest the fruit with tongs. To get the fruit out, I tried all the methods mentioned. When ready to harvest the pulp, I used a fork and put the fruit on the cutting board (no prep at all.) I took a knife and took off the top and bottom. I took the knife and cut where the fork was - in half. I kept the fork in it and used a spoon to scoop out the center. ...pushed the discarded skin into a bag on the back of the cutting board. It was really easy. I did use disposable vinyl gloves on my hands just in case. The fruit was easy to extract and fairly quick.

Thanks for the recipe but I fig. out my own way. I tried everything to get the spines off of the fruit. I finally put my kitchen gloves took the fruit cut the ends off of each apple and when it is good and ripe you can take your knife and skin it real easy and a lot faster then I stem them had the prettiest red juice. I strained it real good to make sure I didn't have any seeds. It is nice red juice.
This isn't the way everyone said to do but I found it easier for me this way I knew I wasn't going to get those spines in my juice. I have made about everykind of jelly their easy and always try the easy way out.

Thanks
Bessie Baker

I make prickly pear wine. I picked 50 lbs, placed them in boiling water for 3 min, swished it around, that removed about 95 percent of thorns then I pealed each tuna w knife holding the tops. I only got 1 or 2 thorns on my hands I LOVE IT. A worth it.

I find it easy to hold prickly pear with tongs make a slit on outer skin and separate with two forks. The fruit will separate from outer skin.

OK, here's how you do it.... On a cutting board, using tongs with your weak hand, just cut each pear in half, lengthwise. Then holding each half, with tongs, cut side up, scoop out all the flesh with a soup spoon. I work from the soft end and work the spoon like an ice cream scooper, toward the rough (attached to cactus) end. Then, put the flesh into a Food Mill !
Through out the skin along with the pesky thorns. Then do the same to the other half, and a million more half if you want. Mill the flesh in batches over a collecting bowl (duh!). The mill will be filled with the seeds and the bowl will be full of the rich prickly pear nectar with no signs of the seed or thorns.
If you're worried just heat the nectar to boiling and let it sit. Thorns will dissolve or soften. Next make your jam, or Prickly Pear Margaritas (or Mimosas)

I live in Tempe AZ and would love to try this recipe!!! Any suggestions on where to pick?

Simple method to get the prickly pear juice. First, freeze the tunas for a few days. Then put a colander in a big pot, and put cheese cloth over the colander. Put the tunas in the colander and let them defrost. After they have defrosted, mash them with a pair of tongs or a potato masher. Voila - all of the juice is in the pot, and you've never even touched the tunas.

I have tried all methods over the years, and the one with the very best TASTE and ease is to freeze them in double plastic bags, remove when ready to make, and allow to thaw in a colander, then mash to a pulp, and strain the juice through cloth. When I used to boil the tunas in their skins, the resulting juice tasted "earthy" and not "fresh". The freezing method gives the best tasting juice and brightest, tastiest jelly.