Wobblyboot wrote:http://www.hillcountrytxdistillers.com/texas-prickly-pear-cactus-moonshine.html
I flicked them an email asking how they do it.
"We add sugar and yeast to get the cactus pads to ferment. As you know, there are LOTS of different kinds of yeast so you will need to experiment to find the one that appeals to your taste. For a 5 gallon mash setup, we would put in 5 gallons of water about 18 lbs of chopped cactus pads and 90 lbs of sugar. Then your yeast according to the directions on the yeast. You can stir the mash the first few days but then don’t stir it anymore and definitely don’t stir it before you pump the liquid into the still. You want the solids to settle to the bottom and if you stir them up, we find it adds more yeast taste which we did not want."
I think they meant ounces and not pounds. That's 500g cactus pads and 2.5kg sugar to 20lt. I used 1.7kg pads and 3kg fruit, i might get a second fermenter going with their recipe