{"id":154,"date":"2008-09-13T16:18:28","date_gmt":"2008-09-13T16:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.wordpress.com\/?p=154"},"modified":"2010-06-03T21:03:18","modified_gmt":"2010-06-04T01:03:18","slug":"harvest-time-pepper-jelly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/?p=154","title":{"rendered":"Harvest Time: Pepper Jelly"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yesterday I made my annual batch (actually, batches!) of pepper jelly.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I first got out of graduate school in the 1990s, I canned on and off all summer. In fact, I sold jams, jellies, and vinegars in my mother\u2019s antique shop in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In recent years, however, my canning has gone downhill. I still make jam here and there as I can, but I don\u2019t generally process it since processing takes time\u2014something of which I seem to have less and less as the months and years flow by. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Generally, my jam gets stored in the refrigerator in large jars until I need it for family use. Sometimes it\u2019s not even in jars: when I got ready to make the pepper jelly yesterday, I discovered that my large Dutch oven was in the downstairs refrigerator, filled with half-made strawberry jam from early July. I had to finish cooking the batch of jam before I could move on to my jelly.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite my retreat from canning, I still process pepper jelly every September. I have friends who would be hugely disappointed if they didn\u2019t receive annual jars filled with this colorful, zesty concoction. And I enjoy the rhythm of my once-a-year jelly-making day. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yesterday was no exception. I sang along with the radio as my mother and I chopped peppers. I was extra careful with the jalape\u00f1os and didn\u2019t even burn myself! Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Mercer kept us company and kept us chopping.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The actual jelly-making doesn\u2019t take long, but as long as I\u2019m processing the jars I like to do it right, making sure that they\u2019re sterilized, filling them with care, and gently boiling them after I fill them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Readers who would like to know more about home canning should read the USDA publications on this topic, available from the National Center for Home Food Preservation at <\/span>http:\/\/www.uga.edu\/nchfp\/publications\/publications_usda.html<\/span><\/span><\/a>.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The end result of yesterday\u2019s process is the flavor of early fall in a jar. Every year I think I\u2019m going to use the pepper jelly in some new way, but generally I restrict myself to dabbing it over a schmear of cream cheese on a cracker. I never tire of this simple appetizer.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0—\u00a0 Tinky<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Tinky\u2019s Pepper Jelly<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

3 medium bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped (I prefer red, but any color will do.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2 2-inch jalape\u00f1o or cayenne peppers, seeded and chopped (more if you\u2019re adventurous!)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1-1\/2 cups distilled vinegar<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6-1\/2 cups sugar<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1 dab sweet butter<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6 ounces (2 pouches) liquid pectin<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Directions:<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Blend the peppers with 1 cup of the vinegar in a blender or food processor. Pour the blended mixture into a large non-aluminum pot, and add all the remaining ingredients except the pectin. Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil; then stir in the pectin.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Boil the jelly for 1 minute, stirring constantly, and remove it from the heat. Stir the mixture for 5 minutes as it begins to cool to distribute the chopped peppers evenly; then ladle it into sterilized jars. Place the jars in a boiling-water bath, and process them for 5 minutes. Makes at least 5 to 6 cups.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 From Tinky\u2019s Pudding Hollow Cookbook<\/em>. Copyright 2004, Merry Lion Press. For more recipes and information, visit Tinky\u2019s web site, <\/span>www.merrylion.com<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yesterday I made my annual batch (actually, batches!) of pepper jelly. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I first got out of graduate school in the 1990s, I canned on and off all summer. In fact, I sold jams, jellies, and vinegars in my mother\u2019s antique shop in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In recent years, however, my canning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[5,728],"tags":[146,231,288,315,325,332,391,410],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=154"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7592,"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154\/revisions\/7592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}