Pepper Jelly
The best pepper jelly is made with an assortment of peppers. Feel free to throw in whatever varieties you have fresh from your garden.
A great recipe for gift giving. Enjoy with crackers, creamy cheeses such as brie or cream cheese. Makes a great addition to a chacuterie board.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of sweet/hot peppers of 3 colors, finely chopped (seeds & all)
3 cups of sugar
3/4 cups apple cider vinegar
1 pack of liquid pectin (Certo)
Jars, lids & bands
In a large pot, combine diced peppers, sugar & vinegar together.
Turn to high heat, bring to a boil & boil for 1 minute (stirring constantly).
Stir in the pectin, bring back to boil & boil hard for 1 minute.
Remove pot from heat & place into hot sterilized jars.
Place lids and bands on jar. Tighten securely with fingers but do not over-tighten.
Process the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Remove jars from water & place on towel-covered counter undisturbed for 24 hours. You will hear the pop of the jars sealing within a few hours & the jelly will also thicken.
Helpful reminders:
Prior to canning, wash jars in hot, soapy water, rinse well & then place jars in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes to sterilize.
Once you complete sterilizing jars for 10 minutes, remove jars from the water & set them on counter. Keep all jars at least half full of hot water to keep them hot prior to filling with jelly. Simply dump the water in jars back into the pot right before you fill the jar with jelly.
Keep the water that you sterilized your jars in boiling so you can use it to process your jars once they are filled with jelly.
Lids & bands need to sit in separate pot of hot water for 10 minutes to sterilize. Keep them warm throughout the process to help secure a seal to your jars.
