Thursday, July 22, 2010

Carnival #177 - Hot Pepper Jam

Welcome to the carnival! The Make it from Scratch carnival is your chance to share your projects. I hope you join us by linking up at the bottom of this post.

I remember the first time I encountered hot pepper jam. It was at a Tastefully Simple party, and the whole notion of hot peppers in a jam seemed completely foreign to me. Yet, when they served some of this jam over a block of cream cheese with crackers, I knew I had to try it. It was a surprisingly delightful experience. I have been a fan of pepper jam ever since.

So, when I began growing my own hot peppers, I knew just what I wanted to make with them. This recipe is adapted from the hot pepper relish recipe included in the Sure-Jell package.

1 package Sure-Jell
5 C sugar
1 C cider vinegar
4 C finely chopped peppers. (The recipe called for a mix green, red and jalapeño. I used only hot peppers. About 3 C jalapeño and 1 C banana peppers.)

Mix peppers, cider and Sure-Jell in a saucepan. Measure sugar out into a separate bowl. Bring pepper mixture to a full boil on high heat. Stir in sugar. Bring back to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Stir constantly. Ladle into hot jars. Boiling water process for ten minutes. Yield: 4 pints.

Some tips: Wear plastic gloves when working with the hot peppers. Seed and remove the membranes of the peppers if you don't like a lot of heat. The jam made with all the seeds and membranes removed has a wonderful flavor, but hardly any heat. Leave a few seeds to kick it up a bit.

Uses: Pepper jam is great poured over a block of softened cream cheese and served with crackers. It can be used on sandwiches like relish, or as a dipping sauce. I think it would be delicious over chicken too.

Stephanie is a mom, homeschooler, homesteader in the hills of West Virginia. Find more of her adventures at Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.

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4 comments:

  1. Mmmm. Your pepper jam looks delightful! I love cream cheese and jelly/pepper spreads together like this.

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  2. I love pepper jelly, and just found your Carnival! I have posted it on my side bar as a fun weekly meme! I'm all about "from scratch" cooking and crafts:@)

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  3. I love hot pepper jelly, too. It is so easy to make and can lend such a great flavor to so many dishes.

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  4. Oh my goodness, you must have taste buds made of stone! lol I can't handle such spicy peppers. I'll have to stick with the sweet peppers! ;D

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