How To Make Jalapeno Jelly | An Easy Way To Use Your Garden Harvest

This year was a really weird year for our garden. Most of what we grew was wilting in the excess rain we had, but our peppers were going strong until the end of the season. But there was one crop that didn’t seem to be affected by all the rain, and that was our peppers.

We had a LOT of peppers this year. Pounds upon pounds of poblanos, bells, hot bananas, and hot cherry… the list just goes on and on. I didn’t think we’d get anything out of our pepper plants this year because everything else just turned to mush.

Since we had a bumper crop of jalapeno’s we decided to make some jalapeno jelly. Much like the habanero jelly, this was sweet with a very slight kick! When it’s placed on top of cream cheese and crackers, it’s so easy to go through a whole jar of jelly! Even Lady Bug, who cannot stand things with a slight spicy kick, LOVED it!

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 peppers. If you happen to get any pepper oil on your skin, use dish soap to wash it off immediately, not hand soap.

While the jalapenos aren’t nearly as potent as habaneros, I know from personal experience that hot pepper oils and sensitive areas {like your eyes} do not go together well. And if you normally wear contacts, you won’t be wearing them for a few weeks. So remember, dish soap, not hand soap.

Ingredients:

12 oz, by weight, of jalapenos
2 cups apple cider vinegar, divided
6 cups sugar
green food coloring {optional – we didn’t use any}
1/2 teaspoon butter
2 3oz packets of liquid pectin* {one box of liquid pectin has 2 packets}

Directions:

Prepare your waterbath canner, jars, lids and rings. Cut tops off pectin pouches and place pouches standing upright in a mug.
Prep the jalapenos while canner is warming. We use a knife to cut them in half and remove the seeds, then used our food processor and 1 cup cider vinegar to finely chop the peppers.
In a 6qt pan over medium heat, combine the pureed peppers, 1 cup cider vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of butter. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil at a full rolling boil for 10 minutes.
Pour in pectin, making sure to squeeze out all the pectin from the bottom of the pouch to the top. Bring back to a rolling boil for one minute.
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.
Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
When time is up, turn off heat and remove lid. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before removing jars from the canner.
Remove jars and place on a towel to cool, about 12-24 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.
Makes approximately 6 half pint jars.