Texan Jalapeno Jelly

Cut the jalapenos in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, do the same with the bell peppers. Cut the peppers into 1″ chunks and puree in a blender with the vinegar.

Dump this puree into a large pot. Add the sugar and cayenne pepper then bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour in the pectin and quickly stir, allowing the mixture to return to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the burner and be careful because the jelly is hot.

Foam will settle on top and you may want to skim that off so your jelly will look pretty, but I leave it because it contains bits of the peppers that I want in my jelly. If you want to add the green food coloring, now is the time. The jelly is such a pretty green anyway, so I never add coloring.

To prepare your half-pint jars, run the jars, rings and tops through the dishwasher so they’re super clean and are hot when you’re ready to fill them with the jelly. The jars can crack if you ladle hot jelly into a jar that’s cold.

Carefully scoop the hot jelly into the hot half-pint jars. Leave 1/4″ of space at the top—don’t fill them all the way to the tippy-top. Wipe the top rim of the jars with a clean paper towel dampened with hot water to remove any jelly or sugar crystals. Put the lids and rings on the jars and gently tighten lids. No need to crank them on really tight.

Put jars into a large pot of hot water (water should cover the jars by an inch) and put the lid on the pot then bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Then turn off the burner and remove the pot lid and let the jars sit for another 5 minutes. Carefully remove jars from the hot water. Set them several inches apart on a kitchen towel to dry.

Cool jars upright for 12 to 24 hours while the vacuum seal is drawn and the jelly sets up. Let the jars sit undisturbed while they cool.

When cool you can remove the rings and throw them in a drawer to use next time. If there are any jars that didn’t seal (if it’s not sealed you’ll know because it will “click” when you push down in the middle of the cover) put those in the fridge and use them first. Wipe down jars and put the ones with a good seal in the pantry and enjoy for months to come!

This recipe makes 8 half-pints of jelly.