Hot Pepper Jelly

I am having lot of fun with peppers this summer. Our neighbors were gracious enough to let us plant some pepper plants in their garden, and Oh my...so many peppers are coming out that I don't know what to do with them... Fortunately our neighbors are not that pepper crazy, so I decided to experiment some of the my long lost recipes for my blog.. And here it is, another one of my favorite recipe, which is modified from what I learned in a Food preservation class that I took for fun during one of the summers when I was in High school...I wish my mom could see this blog....

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
• 3 cups chopped Red Cherry peppers
• 3 cups finely chopped jalapeno peppers
• 2 cups Red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup Orange Juice
• 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
• 1 tbl spoon citric acid (optional)
• 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 (6 oz ) package of liquid pectin
• 8 cups white sugar

Method:

• In a large, stainless steel saucepan combine peppers, vinegar, sugar, Orange Juice, lemon juice, citric acid and crushed pepper. Cook over medium high heat. Stir frequently until mixture begins to boil. Cook for 15-20 min.
• Stir in pectin; boil 5 minutes longer, stirring constantly, Skim off foam, and remove from heat.
• Quickly ladle into hot sterile jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Refrigerate.

Tips: If you don't like crushed pepper, you may use cayenne pepper. I did not put pepper in this recipe this time, because I used lots of Jalapenos. If you don't care for pepper seeds in the jelly, you may want to take them out while chopping peppers. Be sure to wear gloves while doing this job.

You can substitute Apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar. You can use any peppers you like based on desired heat. You may use green bell peppers instead of Jalapenos.

Recipe: Modified by Surekha from a recipe taught in Food Preservation course that she took in India long time ago.

Photos by Surekha.