A friend of mine gave me some prickly pears, but he must have had them in the back of his truck for a week first. When I opened the box, I found the fruit half-rotten and splitting.
I took the best of the bunch, and put them in a bucket of water to soak. The next day, I noticed them fizzing.
I got the bright idea to ferment them into a beverage. I mashed them, strained the juice, and put it in a growler. I didn't think it had enough sugar, so I added a healthy squeeze of honey. I topped it off with an airlock.
Afterwards, I did some Googling, and found there is a traditional fermented beverage, made from prickly pear, called colonche.
The method to make it involves juicing the fruit and cooking it way down into a thick syrup -- I imagine to concentrate the sugars. Tibicos (water kefir grains) or a splash from the last batch may be added as a starter.
After I read this, after setting a small amount aside, I poured the juice and honey back into the pot, and simmered it down. I didn't have enough time to let it get down to a syrup state.
Once it cooled, I added back the bit that I set aside, and put into a crock, covered with a grain bag.
Overnight, it developed a bubbly scum on top:
I scooped it off, and by the end of the day, it was back full force.
Is this mold or just the yeasts bubbling away? Should I leave it or just let it be?
Thanks!