Jalapeno Jelly: A Strange but Delicious Treat

When most people think of jalapenos, they think of spicy food like tacos or burritos, but I am going to dispel the natural inclinations that jalapenos create with this recipe. The recipe I am talking about is jalapeno jelly, and although it sounds strange, it is super delicious and not very hot. This jelly can add an incredible, distinct flavor to any meal and is good just by itself!

The first thing you need to do is gather your ingredients. Here is a list of the following ingredients needed for this super great treat.

1 c. green bell pepper, cut lengthwise, chopped, or minced * whatever you prefer, I chop mine finely* this should be about 1 medium sized bell pepper
You may also use a little red pepper to add color!

1 1/2 c. cider vinegar

1/3 c. fresh jalapeno peppers with seeds *once again cut as preferred, and remove seeds if you do not want it to be spicy*

5 c. granulated sugar

1 pouch (3 oz.) liquid pectin

Some people also add a few drops of green food coloring, but that is up to you.

Now that you have all the ingredients, the fun can start!

Combine both peppers, vinegar, and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes. After it has boiled remove it from heat and skim foam off of top. Remove from heat and mix in the pectin. This is also the time when you would mix in the food coloring if desired. Let the jelly jars cool for 2 minutes.

If you are preserving the jellies this would be the time where you boil them for 15 minutes. After they have sealed set on counter to cool. After 30 minutes invert the jars in order to mix the peppers further into the jelly. If they are not inverted the peppers will settle to one section of the delicious jelly mixture.
This recipe makes about 5 cups and is an excellent present for Christmas if you substitute some of the green pepper for red. You may also substitute the fresh jalapenos for canned or bottled jalapenos, but use ¼ a cup of these peppers instead.

This recipe is easy and fun to make. It adds an incredibly unique flavor and spice combination to any meal and shoul be used more often. So don't be scared when jalapeno and jelly is put in the same sentence. Try this recipe yourself and you will see how tasty it is!

My Favorite Pickled Jalapeno Recipe

This year I started a new garden. I cleaned out all the stumps, rocks, and weeds and planted in new fresh soil. If any of you has started a new garden in a forested area you know how the first season isn't all the best. Many of my plants grew and some of them died, but my jalapenos flourished. My jalapenos grew into big bushes and I can pick about 20- 30 peppers every week or less. I have been putting jalapenos in everything; I have even been giving them away. I realized that I can not eat all of these peppers, and I do not want them to go to waste. I have found some very delicious and effective methods of preserving jalapeno peppers. The simplest and easiest recipe for preserving jalapenos is pickled jalapenos. The best part of pickled jalapenos is that you can pickle them with many different vegetable combinations.

My favorite pickled jalapeno recipe is pickled jalapenos and carrots. To make pickled jalapenos and carrots start by boiling enough vinegar to cover your vegetables and fill you jar. I like to use old pickle jars because the rims are wide enough to pour into, and you can stick your hand inside to get the delicious treats out.

When the vinegar starts to boil, add the carrots and boil them for 10 minutes. I use baby carrots because they are already in small pieces but you can cut up regular carrots if you like. The carrots will become soft. Make sure to check how many carrots and jalapeno you can fit in your jar before boiling any of the vegetables.

The next step is to slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds. For a much hotter pepper leave seeds in pepper and poke a hole in each pepper instead of slicing it. A few seeds mixed in with the vinegar will add a little spice so season according to your spice preference.

After the carrots have become soft add the jalapenos and spices to the vinegar and simmer. I like to use sage, thyme, and cilantro to flavor my pickled mixture, and I also add about 10 whole garlic cloves because I love pickled garlic. Simmer all of the ingredients for 5- 10 minutes. The longer you simmer the mix the softer your jalapenos will be.

Remove the pickled vegetables and season lightly with salt. After the mixture has cooled slightly fill your jar and let sit out for one hour. This will allow time for the mixture to cool; after one hour you can refrigerate the finishes pickled peppers. These vegetables are delicious on their own or in many other recipes.