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August 30, 2013

Jalapeño Pepper Jam

What do you do when a friend gives you a bunch of jalapeños, you don't have television, you're feeling kinda antsy, and you realize you have some fruit pectin in the pantry?

You make jam, ma'am!

I've made pepper jelly before, though I didn't blog about it. Several years ago I had to use up a bunch of Thai bird chiles, so I made a red & green pepper jam and a raspberry-pepper jelly. I chopped so many of those peppers that my hands were red and burning. I had heard that you can pour rubbing alcohol over skin that's come in contact with capsaicin (the hot stuff in peppers) to relieve the pain. I didn't have any rubbing alcohol, so I poured most of a bottle of vodka over my hands. It helped...though drinking the vodka may have helped even better. 


Anyway, this batch of jam came together pretty easily. I never intend my canned goods to be pantry-safe; they are meant to be refrigerated and consumed right away. Still, I sanitized the jars by boiling them on the stove for 15 minutes.

Jalapeño Pepper Jam

1 green bell pepper, stem removed & seeded
6 jalapeño peppers, stems removed
1 medium onion, peeled & halved
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 pouch (3 ounces) liquid fruit pectin
  • Pulse the bell pepper, jalapeños, and onion in a food processor until chopped. Scrape them to a large saucepan.
  • Add the vinegar & sugar and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently. 
  • Stir in the pectin. When the mixture comes to a boil again, cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat.
  • Ladle the mixture into sterilized jam jars. Screw on the lids & invert the jars until they are cool. Store the jam in the refrigerator.

More snacks to eat with crackers or bread:

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