Naughty Nellie’s Five Pepper Jelly

Remove the seeds and stems from the bell peppers and coarsely chop them. Place the chopped peppers in a food processor and process until they are finely chopped. Put the processed peppers into a colander and add the onion, jalapeno and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Allow to drain for 3 hours. Press to extract as much of the moisture as possible.

Transfer the mixture to a large heavy non-reactive saucepan. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, chile powder, cayenne, crushed red pepper and the remaining salt. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the pectin and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and stir in the toasted cumin seeds and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Tip: I use my stainless steel 1/4 cup measuring cup to toast my spices. Start on low if you have an electric stove. At any rate, as soon as you smell the aroma of cumin, remove it, shake and pour it out it so it won’t burn.

Stir to distribute the chopped peppers evenly and pour into hot sterilized half-pint jars. Wipe the rims clean with a damp towel and seal with new lids and metal rings. Place the jars on a rack, without letting them touch, in a deep canning kettle with water to cover by 1 inch. Cover the kettle and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, boil for five more minutes. Remove the jars to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before storing.

Tip: if you make sure to have all your ingredients measured and prepped before you start, this is easy to do.