We finally succeeded in growing bell peppers this year which, when combined with the jalapenos that we always have good luck with, gives us everything we need to make pepper jelly! We always get lots of requests for pepper jelly from friends and family and we like to keep some around for ourselves (its great on chevre!) but it takes a LOT of peppers. Next year I really need to make sure that we plant more especially since I’ve discovered that it works just fine to pop them in the freezer until I have enough ripe peppers – and enough time- to make a batch of jelly.
Pepper Jelly
1.5 cups of finely chopped bell peppers plus one pepper set aside for garnishing
1.25 cups of finely chopped jalapenos plus eight peppers set aside for garnishing
5 cups sugar
1.25cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 pack liquid pectin
Chop all of your peppers, removing seeds, except for the ones set aside for garnishing.
Combine chopped peppers, sugar and vinegar in a pot and cook until the peppers look like this photo.
While your jelly is cooking, chop your garnishing peppers.
Bring to a rolling boil and add pectin, stir while boiling for a minute and then remove from heat.
Pour through a sieve into glass jars, removing all the cooked bits of pepper.
Add a couple of spoon fulls of garnishing peppers to each jar.
Process using waterbath canning method.
As your jars are cooling on the counter, flip them over or shake them occasionally to redistribute the garnish peppers. If you don’t do this, they will all float to the top where you can’t see them. For an attractive jar and an even distribution of pepper chunks in your jelly you need to catch the jars when they are still fluid enough for the pepper chunks to move around, but thick enough that they won’t rise back to the top!
Square Peg Farm 