Canning for Christmas: Pepper Jelly

I would like to thank my sister in-law, Chelsi for giving me the idea for this post.

Canning season is upon us and my sis in-law mentioned that she would like my pepper jelly recipe so that she could can it now as Neighborhood gifts for Christmas.
If you are not familiar with pepper jelly it may sound off putting to you. But, let me tell you...it's super easy to make and is an especially yummy treat on cream cheese with crackers, served along side Brie, or basted on chicken & brauts.

So, I thought I would give you my go to recipe for pepper jelly, along with a few pointers.

I use the Paula Deen Recipe for Pepper Jelly

Pointer #1: We have had a bumper crop of Anaheim Chiles this season. So much so, that I have been scrambling for more ways to use them. This time around making pepper jelly I substituted Anaheim Chiles for the green bell pepper in the recipe and it came out great! A wee bit spicier, but, I think I like it even better with Anaheims.

Pointer #2: I use one pouch Certo brand liquid pectin and it is perfect!

Pointer #3: Wear plastic gloves when cutting and handling the peppers. I learned the hard way after getting chemically burned from a batch of peppers. It is worth it to spend a buck at the dollar store and get some.

 Pepper Jelly

Yield:

6 (1/2-pint) jars

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh hot green pepper, such as jalapeno
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
  
• 6 cups sugar
• 4 ounces pectin (recommended: Certo) or 1 pouch Certo liquid pectin
• 3-4 drops green food coloring (I actually use 8 drops)
• Special Equipment: 6 (1/2-pint) canning jars with lids

Directions

Process bell pepper (or Anaheim Chiles) and hot pepper in a food processor  until finely minced. Combine pepper mixture, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add pectin and food coloring. Pour into sterilized jars

*If using liquid pectin: remove from heat add food coloring and gradually whisk in pectin then return pot to stove and bring mixture back to a rolling boil then remove and pour into sterilized jars. 

Process jars in a water bath for 5 min.

For all you first time canners, and let's be honest we have all been first time canners at one time or another, here is a link to a helpful page on Ball's website.Ball's guide to water bath canning

Finally here is a link to a yummy recipe using pepper jelly from Our Best Bites Baked Brie with pepper jelly

Happy Canning!