Homestead Roots: The smell of Jalapeno Jelly is in the air!

One of my favs, Jalapeno Jelly!! I made a batch yesterday and cant wait to try it out!

SUPER EASY and you should definately ALL try this one!

Ive gone through quite a few Jalapeno Jelly recipes trying to find which one I like best and I finally started trying new things and I ended up with this recipe that is a combination of a few...and I must say I DO LIKE leaving ALL the Jalapeno seeds...if you like a little extra WOW to it :)

SO, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!! You dont need a fancy pressure canner for this one, just a stock pot big enough to cover your jars with water and boil for 20 minutes. You dont need any fancy canning equipment, just your regular kitchen pots and a blender. You can see Ive made a few modifications to my own recipe, so Im sure I will modify more and more as I go!

Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Pectin (just find the Ball liquid Pectin at Walmart), Canning jars with lids and bands (you can find those just about anywhere too!) Make sure to Sterilize all your jars and lids...if your dishwasher has a "sterilize" cycle, use that...otherwise put them in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes (you dont want all your hard work ruined because you didnt clean your jars!)

I had quite a few peppers (green bell and jalapeno) frozen from a friends harvest last years and Ive been slowly taking them out and defrosting them to blend them up for jelly, but this time I decided to just blend them all and freeze the extra so I would have to do the stemming and blending process again. SO if you have alot of extra peppers they will sure store alot better (SAVES SPACE) in the freezer if you blend them up! Then it makes it alot easier to make jelly!

(I marked what was in my jar and how much "Green Bell Peppers 1 Cup" because I knew when i looked back in the freezer a few months from now I would wonder what on earth I had put in that jar!!) MARK EVERYTHING ALWAYS!!

Once you have your Bell Peppers and Jalapeno Peppers blended, combine all your ingredients (NOT THE PECTIN), give it a good stirring, and bring it to a boil!

Be careful as your mixture starts to reach a boil because it WILL foam and it will FOAM OVER!! I have had this happen once and I had to pull out my entire stove and clean it all off to get that sticky sugary jelly mess off my stove and side of my cabinet! Therefore, constantly stir as you get close to the boiling point. And if it looks like it is getting too foamy then remove it from the heat and stir stir stir until you get that foam under control! Return it to the heat once you can see the green mixture again and most of the yellow foam is under control.

Once its boiled for 5 minutes, remove it from the heat and let it set 1 hour...this is a good time to get your jars all sterilized and ready for processing! (The photo to the right is after the mixture has set for 1 hour and you can see how clear it is, I also have my canning pot ready with boiling water in the back)

When the hour is almost up I like to get my canning pot (just a large enough pot to fit all the jars) filled with water and heating up...I usually put my jars in the boiling water to get them extra sterilized until right before Im ready to put the jelly in them.

Now you add your pectin to the mixture and stir it in real good while bringing it to a boil for 1 minute...then your ready for your jars! (A jar funnel is really handy right now so you dont get sticky jelly mess all over your jar)...Fill your jars, put on the lids and rings and place them in the boiling water (at least 2" over the top of your tallest jar). Let it come to a good rolling boil for 20 minutes and then pull the jars out onto a thick towel or wire rack and let them set overnight. You will hear the rings pop and that is good...they are sealing!