Green Pepper Jelly

Yes, you read that title correctly- Green Pepper Jelly.  I must say, I wasn't too sure about this when I read the recipe, but I'm glad I went for it!  The inspiration for this strange jelly came from the 25 green peppers that have been sitting in a bowl on my counter and the other 15 peppers in my freezer.  Yes, my green pepper plants were more than prolific this summer, so I'm trying to use them as much as I can.  This recipe took care of 6 of the peppers, a pizza that I made last night used 2 peppers, so I need more green pepper recipes!  Feel free to send them along if you can help me out!

Savory jellies can be served with cheese, as a condiment, or as a glaze for meats.  I remember one of my roommates, who was from Peru, devouring pepper jelly in college.  I must say, I never joined in, but considering that Jose usually had a pretty good culinary compass, I thought it was another good reason to jump into the world of the pepper jelly.  Again, I used a recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Green Pepper Jelly
4 green peppers, stemmed and seeded (I used 6 because mine were a little small)
2 jalapeno peppers (I didn't have these so I used canned whole green chili peppers, juice drained)
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 package (1.75 oz) regular powdered fruit pectin
3 2/3 cups granulated sugar
4-5 drops green food coloring

After sterilizing my jars, I pureed the green peppers, green chili peppers, and garlic in a food processor.  Then I let the mixture drain over a strainer lined with cheesecloth for 30 minutes.  I was trying to get 1.5 cups of pepper liquid.  After 30 minutes I only had about a cup, so I added a few tablespoons of water at a time to the puree while mixing and squeezing out the liquid until I had 1.5 cups.

Pepper puree draining over cheesecloth

Green pepper juice... I was pretty weirded-out at this point in the jelly making process.  It looks more like ecto-cooler than something I want to eat with cheese and crackers

I heated the green pepper juice with the white vinegar, lemon juice, and powdered fruit pectin, letting it boil for about a minute before I poured it into the hot jars.  I noticed this started to solidify much more quickly than the Strawberry Rhubarb Jam.  Also, the recipe said it would make 7 jars, but it actually made 9.  So, I have 9 jars of Green Pepper Jelly... what on earth will I do with 9 jars of Green Pepper Jelly?  If you are a member of my family or one of my friends, start thinking of ways to use this because you will more than likely be getting a jar for the holidays!

Green Pepper Jelly