Prickly Pear Syrup
Cactus fruit boiled down to a jar of magenta syrup you can carry to camp.
- calories
- 180
- weight
- 2.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 82
- protein
- 0 g
- serves
- 12, scales
- prep
- 30 min
- cook
- 60 min
- total time
- 90 min
- water
- 500 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Prickly pear fruit | 4 lb | ripe, deep magenta ones give the best color |
|---|---|---|
| Granulated white sugar | 4 cups | |
| Water | 2 cups | |
| Powdered citric acid | 1 tsp |
Method
- Handle the fruit with gloves and tongs. The fine hair-like spines are worse than the big ones. Burn them off over a campfire or stove flame, rolling each fruit until the surface stops bristling, then rinse.
- Trim both ends, quarter the fruit, and drop it into a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then hold it at a simmer for about 20 minutes until the flesh collapses.
- Mash the pulp against the side of the pot. Pour the whole mess through a fine strainer or a doubled bandana into a second pot. Press, then discard the seeds and skins.
- Return the juice to the heat with the sugar and citric acid. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then boil steadily for 30 to 40 minutes until it coats a spoon.
- Pour hot into clean jars or squeeze bottles and seal. Let it cool before it goes in the food bin.
This is a foraging recipe, not a camp recipe, and it works best where you have a full-size pot and a burner you can hold steady for an hour. Prickly pear fruit is nearly all water and seeds. Boiling breaks the pulp down, straining takes the seeds out, and the long second boil drives off enough water that sugar and fruit thicken into syrup instead of juice.
The citric acid is not optional. Prickly pear is low in acid, so without it the syrup tastes flat and keeps badly. A teaspoon brightens the fruit and lowers the pH enough that a sealed jar holds up unrefrigerated. Once you have it, it goes on pancakes, into a mug of hot water, or over anything at camp that needs sugar.
Packing
Made at home or at a car-camp kitchen with real pots. Once cooled, decant into a small leakproof squeeze bottle for the trail and leave the glass at home.
Variations
- Cut the boil short by ten minutes for a thinner syrup that pours cold.
- A split vanilla bean or two crushed juniper berries in the second boil, fished out before jarring.
- Swap half the sugar for honey if you are not keeping it vegan.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/prickly-pear-syrup