Habanero Jelly

Ever have so many habanero peppers that you don’t know what to do with them?  No?  Well, I did.  It isn’t a problem I have often, but it certainly happened this year.

This past summer, we grew four different types of peppers.  It was a make-it-or-break-it year for us.  This was the year we determined whether peppers would continue to take up space in our raised beds.  It was our third summer at this house, which is in a different hardiness zone than I’m used to growing in.  The last two years, we’ve had the worst of luck with peppers.

But this year, we decided to go for gold, and grew a lot.  Mini bells, jalapeno, sweet banana and habanero.  Six plants of each.  And we had success.  So much success, that I didn’t know what to do with all our peppers more than half of the time.

Now I’ve never grown habaneros before, so I didn’t know what to expect from them as far as yield went.  I’ve grown the others though, and had ideas of what to do with them when the surplus came in.  Not habaneros.  I’ve never had them before either.  We just went for them because Hubs wanted a spicy pepper and they were what we had left after losing all my early transplants with our late frost.

So Hubs went searching for a way to use up our extra habaneros.  He found this recipe to use them in a pepper jam, and so we gave it a try.  Let me tell you… I wasn’t sure what to expect from a pepper jelly.  I’ve purposely not tried them because I can’t wrap my head around something spicy and savory being the main flavor of a jelly.

Sweet?  Yes.  But this is something entirely different.  Slightly sweet, with a kick.  Plus, the carrots give it a nice texture and color.

And when you combine it with some Ritz crackers and cream cheese, it’s a snack that’s really hard to stop eating.  Well, it’s a little easier with the spicy kick of the habaneros.  But it’s hard to put down!  Hubs brought some jars into his office, and they went fast!

Let me take this moment to point out though, that if you decide to make this, please, please do yourself a favor and wear latex gloves while cutting the habaneros.  Take care when cooking the jelly as well.  If you happen to get any pepper oil on your skin, use dish soap to wash it off immediately, not hand soap.  I know from personal experience that hot pepper oils and sensitive areas {like your eyes} do not go together well.  And if you wear contacts, you won’t be wearing them for a few weeks.  So remember, dish soap, not hand soap.

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, shredded – approximately 1 cup
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 15-20 habanero’s, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar, 5% diluted
• 6 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 2 3oz packets of liquid pectin* {one box of liquid pectin has 2 packets}

Directions:

1. Prepare waterbath canner, jars, lids and rings.  Cut tops off pectin pouches and place pouches standing upright in a mug.
2. Prep bell pepper and carrots while canner is warming.  We used a food processor to finely chop the bell peppers and habaneros.
3. In a 6qt pan over medium heat, combine sugar and cider vinegar.  Continue to cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
4. Add in carrots and bell pepper, stirring continuously.  Bring to a boil that can’t be stirred down, turn heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add in habanero peppers, return to simmer, and simmer for 5 minutes.
6.  Pour in pectin, making sure to squeeze out all the pectin from the bottom of the pouch to the top.  Add butter to reduce any foaming.
7. Bring back to a boil that can’t be stirred down, and boil for a minute.
8. Using a ladle and funnel, pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Wipe rims with a damp washcloth, top with lid, and tighten ring until fingertip tight.
9. Process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
10. When time is up, turn off heat and remove lid.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes before removing jars from the canner.
11. Remove jars and place on a towel to cool, about 12 hours, then check the seal.  To do this, push down in the center of the lid.  If your lid is sealed, it should not give, or “pop”.  To store, remove rings, label and store in a cool place until ready for use.  If your lid did not seal, store your jelly in the fridge and use within the next week or two.
12. Makes approximately 8 half pint jars.

Have you ever had habanero jelly?  Or a pepper jelly in general?  What is your favorite way to serve it up?