Prickly Pear Preserve

     Wear gloves for protection ! Use prickly pears that are just ripe. Rub with a coarse cloth to remove the thorns and rinse well under running water.
    Skin thinly ( removing only the the green skin ) and then weigh the fruit.
    Prick the fruit with a hat pin or darning needle and leave overnight in a lime solution ( 25ml or 5tsp lime per 5 litres water ) or bicarbonate soda solution ( 45ml or 3 tbsp bicarbonate soda per 5 litre of water ).
    Next day, rinse the fruit well and boil in fresh water until soft.

    Prepare the syrup using : 375g Sugar,
                                          570ml water,
                                    and 1 tbsp lemon juice for every 500g of prickly pear.
    Simmer the liquid until all the sugar is dissolved and then bring to the boil. Add the prickly pears one at a time so that the syrup does not stop boiling. Boil covered for 15 minutes.
    Remove from the heat and leave the fruit in the syrup until the next day then lift it out. Strain the syrup through damp cheesecloth and bring to the boil again. Add the fruit and boil until clear and translucent.
    Bottle and seal the preserve.

   Delicious !