Jalapeño Jam

If you know me if real life, you know that I have disappeared. Between working on the Ranch and my new obsession  hobby, canning, I now have no time for things like friends, a social life, bathing. However I do have a fabulous pantry full of delicious pickles, luscious jams and delightful jellies that will last  me through the next year AND all my Christmas shopping is done (everyone likes pickles, right?!?!?!?!).

I made jalapeno jelly because one of my favorite mexican restaurants serves it with their flautas and it is the best thing ever. Since we don’t have this mexican restaurant around where I live, I’ve had to improvise and teach myself how to replicate the dish, but that is for another blog post. In addition to being amazing on fried mexican food this jelly is arguably better dumped on a brick of cream cheese and eaten with wheat-thins alone where no one can see you eat a whole brick of cream cheese and jar of jelly.

This is adapted from the Ball Blue Book of Canning (or, as I call it, my bible right now).

Jalapeno Jelly

3/4 lb jalapeno pepper (about 13 big ones)
2 cups cider vinegar, divided
6 cups sugar
2 (3 ounce) envelopes liquid pectin
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Fresh jalapenos

Go out in your garden and pick about 13 big peppers, or about 3/4 of a pound. Wash them well.

Don’t be a hero. Use gloves. I thought I was a badass and didn’t need gloves. I cried. I CRIED.

De-stem and remove most of the seeds. I left about 1/4 of the seeds because I like THE HEAT and I think it looks pretty.

I love my food processor. How did people function without them?

Add the peppers and one cup of the vinegar, and puree.

Don’t position yourself directly over this pot, the smell will singe your nose hairs.

Combine the sugar, vinegar, puree and red pepper flakes.

Your house is going to smell like this.

Bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes, stirring the whole time.

Silly the pig got tired of stirring constantly and decided to take a nap until it was over.

Liquid pectin is fun.

Remove from heat, stir in the pectin, and return to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim and foam.

I love this part, ladling. Also don’t look at the mess, jelly is messy and I couldn’t clean up before the picture.

Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims and adjust a two-piece cap. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Merry Christmas friends!

Jalapeno jelly is easy and wonderful to eat. This is pretty much what all my friends and family are getting for Christmas. It feels good to be done with my shopping in July!