pepper jelly

my mother in law introduced me to pepper jelly. it’s super good with scrambled eggs or scones for breakfast, or along with cheese and crackers.

this recipe is originally from matt’s sister’s husband’s mom. i keep a constant supply onhand, and at christmas i made a batch in 125 ml jars as stocking stuffers.

keep in mind that canning is basically chemistry. if you don’t follow the instructions properly, your jelly may not set. this recipe does require the use of a food processor. i wouldn’t recommend trying to chop everything supersmall by hand because i honestly don’t think the recipe would even work.

ingredients:

3 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 c white vinegar
6 1/2 c sugar
1 t cayenne pepper
1 3-4” jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 pouches certo liquid (6 oz)
jars - the recipe makes about 6 or 6 1/2 c

to make:

sterilize jars and lids. i do this by putting the jars on a tray, and throwing them in the oven at 350 degrees while i make the jelly. the lids, i put in water and boil (don’t boil them just yet)

chop your red peppers

and jalapeno

and throw in the food processor with 1 c vinegar.

process until everything is finely chopped

then, put pepper mixture in a large pot, and add remaining 1/2 c vinegar, sugar, and cayanne pepper.

bring to a boil, stirring constantly. this is a good time to boil your lids as well. while you are bringing the jelly to a boil, get your certo ready. it’s a bit like diffusing a bomb when the time comes to add it. you need to act QUICK!

you’ll want to have both pouches out and ready to go (the reason i suggest this is because the jelly can boil over easily and you don’t want to leave it unattended for even 30 seconds. your stove top will thank me!)

once the jelly is boiling, add certo, and boil for 1 minute.

skim any foam off the top, and discard.

before:

after foam has been removed:

foam:

pour into sterilized jars.

use tongs to remove the lids from the boiling water

and cap. (use oven mitts)

it may take up to 24 hours to gel up. the little poppers on the lid will suck in, as well. it will start out pretty much liquid, and by the end of 24 hours, it will be a jell-o like consistency. if you have done something wrong, and it doesn’t gel up, the certo should come with remake instructions, but it has to be done within about 48 hours!