Pepper Jelly

From: johnt@wv.mentorg.com (John Thienes)

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 93 08:28:47 -0700

	Yield:7 cups

  	1/4 cup peppers (I use half hot and half bell)
        1/4 cup hot peppers
	2/3 cup sweet non-hot peppers
	6 c sugar
	2 1/2 c apple juice from a bottle--for
	really pretty jelly use clear yellow juice
	1 package jelly pectin (use the amount the
		package recommends).

	Sometimes this will jell without pectin, sometimes
not; depends on the apple juice I think.  You may just use
1/2 cup hot peppers instead of the 1/4 and 1/4
above.  (1 U.S. cup here means a volume unit of 8 oz.)
	The original recipe recommended:
	1/4 cup "hottish" yellow peppers such as waxes
	1/4 cup red hot peppers
	2/3 cup mild bells

	But I have had success using:
	1/8 cup hot green peppers
	1/8 cup green bells
	1/4 cup hot red peppers
	2/3 cup golden-orange bells

	Since I couldnt find yellow "hottish" peppers.

PROCESS:   Mince peppers in a food processor; don't mush them.
Or, if you really want to, mince by hand wearing gloves.
Put juice into an enameled or stainless steel or otherwise
non-acid reacting pan.  Simmer juice uncovered until warm.
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Put on a mask or cloth
bandanna around breathing orifices to protect vs. pepper gas.
Add peppers and cook until color intensifies and they look done.
Add gelatin and stir until it dissolves.  Begin testing jelly
with a spoon; when syrup falls off spoon in a single mass,
or "sheet" instead of droplets when dripped slowly off a spoon
held sideways, jelly is ready for canning.

	This recipe can be divided into a smaller batch, but 
I do not suggest dividing it by more than half.
	While this is cooking your partner or neighbor should
be preparing your jars so you dont wind up with jelly that
jells in the pot before your jars are ready (I had this
happen once.) If you are good with kitchen juggling you
_can_ do this yourself--but I call anyone who accomplishes
this feat by the title of Chef.
	P.S. Your tolerance for hotness may vary so this
may come out "too hot"; if so reduce peppers next recipe and
give this as a gift to a friend with an asbestos tongue.
My brother has said tongue type and i give him all my
too hot kitchen oopses.  He loves them!
	This goes well with roasts, esp. pork, cold
leftover meats, and has no fat in it!  About 40
calories per Tablespoon and high in vitamins.  Also
a conversation maker as an hors d' oeuvre:  Put a
bit of cream cheese on good crackers, spoon jelly over
cheese, voila!  Looks neat too, esp. if your jelly is
clear and has 3 colors.  Red and green only makes a
nice Xmas gift.  Some folks add just a bit of cranberry
juice to the recipe to tint the clear base pink, but I
like it clear.
	I hear you can make this almost white-based if
you use white vinegar instead of juice and use more pectin.
	Enjoy!

-- 

mara

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