Jalapeno Jelly Time

One hot Summer night, as I was wondering down the aisle at the super market, a box of Ball Fruit Pectin caught my eye. Being the A.D.D. child that I am, I fore go my nicely printed shopping list and decided to take a gander at the recipes on the back of the box. Mind you I have never done canning before so this isn't a normal everyday activity for me. I've pinned about 50 different recipes on my Pinterest board in hopes that one day I'd have the time (and patience) to make such an old timey creation, but I never thought it would take place on this random Friday night.

Now of all the recipes that are out there which one would you expect a person to choose? Strawberry jelly? Raspberry preserves? Cherry jam? If you've already read the title of this blog then I'm sure you've guessed the correct answer - JALAPENO JELLY. What sane being voluntarily picks such a recipe you might ask? Sanity is not one of my strong suits. It sounded different! It sounded easy! On some cheese and crackers it sounded delicious! So off I went to buy my supplies, and join the millions of domestic goddesses that have mastered the art of canning.

If you're new to canning as well then I'll share some of my pictures with you. It truly wasn't as hard as one might think. I'd give the intimidation factor about a 4. The 2 areas I struggled were: 1) Chopping 12 jalapeno peppers, I recommend gloves; and 2) knowing when the jars were done in the water bath. Since I didn't have an actual "canner" I used a large pot with a towel at the bottom to keep the jars from touching the heat source.





Ball Canning Jars



Canning Supplies. 12 jalapenos. Cilantro. Apple Cider Vinegar.



Dicing the peppers (use gloves!)



Ball Fruit Pectin   

Towel and boiling pot 

   

Jalapeno Puree

Food Coloring for effect

Ladeling into jars  

Leaving head room

         8 jars full    

Pulling the cans out of the water bath

   

Finished Product - so pretty!



I read in the instructions that the jelly can take up to 2 weeks to gel so I haven't had a chance to try an absolute finished product. I put a jar in the fridge to speed up the process but it still a little soupy. My first reaction to this recipe is VINEGARY. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, it was just the first thing I noticed. I'm really pumped to try this out once it has completely gelled. I think I'll put it over some cream cheese and serve with Triscuits!


Ball Jalapeno Jelly Recipe: