Big Batch Habanero Gold...Can it get bigger?

16 years ago

I have the Habanero Gold and the Big Batch recipes and have made one batch of each. I LOVE the extra hot version of the Big Batch!! HOT!!!

Because I love it so much, I go through it very quickly. I'm gearing up to make more. I'm still very new to all this. Annie was kind enough to get me started. She did caution me that I can't just go doubling and tripling recipes. I want to make about three or four dozen 8-oz jars. The Big Batch did yield 6 jars for me. So, I'm thinking I'll want to make about 8 times the big Batch recipe.

I'm certain I can't do this all in one day. But how much can I do at one time? Is it too ambitious to think I could get 24 jars done in one day? If I want to make four batches to get 24 jars, do I need to make four separate pots for Day 1 of the recipe? Since I wouldn't have added the pectin at this point, could I multiply the recipe by 4, cook it, let it sit overnight, then carefully divide it (by weight) into 4 pots for the return to boil/addition of pectin?

When I've got the first 6 jars in the BWB for 10 minutes, can I be finishing up the boiling/pectin part of another pot? But what if I get ahead? Can the next 6, 12 or 18 jars sit out, ready to be processed? Is there a time limit on how long they can sit before I get them processed? Would it just be better if I entirely completed one batch at a time before proceeding to the next?

Maybe my plan IS too ambitious! LOL! I can see doing all of this one batch after the other, and probably over several days, but I wanted to check if there is anything I can do to produce more jars without upsetting the recipe and make sure I'm efficient in the process!

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (24)

readinglady
16 years ago
If we're talking about the same recipe, I came up with the Big Batch. I told Annie it galled me to pay that much for liquid pectin for such a tiny yield.

I've never tried more than that because I'm very meticulous about cutting the apricots and peppers. That's about as much cutting as I want to do at once.

But thinking about it, all the apricots could be cut up ahead of time for however many batches you want. And I think the peppers and onions could be done one day ahead but not more than that because they'll be exuding juices. I'm not sure the result would be as appealing. (Just guessing.)

I normally work by weight, which makes dividing batches easier. You could try prepping a double batch of the Big Batch (yielding 12 8-oz. jars), pre-cooking it, letting it sit, then divide into two pans the next day and do the two batches in sequence.

Beyond that I probably wouldn't attempt, in part because appearance is huge for me, and managing any twisting and turning to distribute solids with that many jars may prove difficult. That's really a fast recipe in the last stages. Also, liquid pectin can be troublesome. Dumping a big-big batch (LOL) into one pot you do risk the mixture not jelling, or on the other side, you have to cook it longer. Part of the appeal is that the little bits retain their character. Longer cooking may work against you.

Anyway, give it a shot and let us know how things turn out.

Carol
momto4kids
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Carol! Yes, I *thought* this was your recipe, but I wasn't exactly sure which Carol! It's great, and I do love your note on making it extra hot!

I think I'm being too optimistic and should just stick to no more than 2 regular batches in one day. Especially since I am so new at this and not very confident in my abilities! Now that you mention it, I remember it did take a bit longer for the Big Batch version to set and I did spend quite a bit more time agitating the jars. Half the joy is how nice it looks in the jars...so I do want to be careful.

Thanks again...I'm looking forward to making it. I have none on hand! :(
Related Discussions
It's getting Bigger...
Q
Comments (26)
Dry heat, my Arse! We are suffering the horrible humidity plus heat right now. It is so miserable, that I have to MAKE myself get out in the garden after work. About 5 minutes outside and I am dripping sweat. Yes, by the end of the week we will be approaching the century mark. Our winters are really not too bad, except for ice. We get more ice than snow. A few times the temps get down to 0 degrees, but usually doesn't stay there for long. What is bad are the fluctuations. It can be 10 degrees one day and 50-60 degrees the next. We are really considered to be "upper South". We actually do have lots of trees and small mountains in parts of Oklahoma. "Lots of trees" is becoming a misnomer, however, because the builders come in and remove most of them for new housing additions. We should have laws like they do in Massachusetts, where they are only allowed to remove enough trees to build structures, and leave the rest. But, no, Oklahoma is WAY behind times. We just got the lottery bill passed a few months ago. Not that I'm a gambler with my money---rather spend it on plants. Better return and all. I am lucky, even though I curse the neighbor's untamed and neglected trees, they do provide me with a microclimate in my south facing back yard, which allows me to push zones considerably. And we have bugs, gazillions of them. Our winters are miserable, but not cold enough to kill off the ticks, and other nasties. And grasshoppers eat our plants to no end. Plants that do really well in Oklahoma, I'm not usually interested in - like crepe myrtles (I do have one purple), cannas (I do have one variegated foliage). The nation's biggest canna farm is in Oklahoma. Our soil leaves a lot to be desired - red clay. So, I always have to amend when I plant. Usually dig 3X as wide as plant, and mix native soil in with the amendments, so I get some of the good micro organisms working it. We have lots of drought seasons in our summers. Last summer was an exception, and it appears, except for the temps, that this is a bit of an exception, since we have had much rainfall (by Oklahoma standards) in July - not usual for us. It has hurt the butterfly populations greatly. I have tons of host and nectar plants, but very few cats this year. Sorry to have rambled on so.... Susan
...See More
habanero gold and other pepper questions
Q
Comments (49)
Noodling around on the internet I happened upon a peppers download from the Univ of Calif. It had an apricot pepper jelly recipe that is very similar to the big batch but using powdered pectin. It has more apricots, more vinegar and less sugar. No onions but I could sub some for some of the bell peppers. I would finely dice the veggies rather than put them in the blender. APRICOT PEPPER JELLY Makes 6 half-pint (250-ml) jars. 1 1Ã¢ÂÂ4 cups dried apricot halves, finely slivered 300 ml 1 cup red or green bell pepper strips 250 ml (about 1 medium-size pepper) 1Ã¢ÂÂ3 cup chopped jalapeno or other hot 75 ml pepper, stems and seeds removed 2 cups cider vinegar (5%) 500 ml 4 cups sugar 1 L 1 package powdered fruit pectin 1 package 1Ã¢ÂÂ2 tsp butter or margarine 2 ml 5 drops red or green food coloring 5 drops (depending on the type of pepper used) 1. Cover dried apricots with boiling water. Leave for approximately 10 minutes. Drain. 2. Combine bell pepper strips, chopped hot peppers, drained apricots, and 1Ã¢ÂÂ2 cup (125 ml) vinegar in a food processor or blender. Process until partially ground with small chunks remaining. Pour into a saucepan. 3. Mix 1Ã¢ÂÂ4 cup (63 ml) sugar with pectin. Stir into fruit mixture. Add butter and food coloring. 4. Bring to a boil quickly, stirring constantly. Immediately stir in remaining sugar. 5. Bring to a full boil, stirring, and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. 6. Skim foam off the top. Then ladle jelly into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1Ã¢ÂÂ4 inch (0.5 cm) of headspace. 7. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Secure lids and ring bands, and process in a boiling water bath as prescribed in Table 8. Table 8. Recommended Processing Time for Apricot Pepper Jelly in a Water Bath Canner Processing Time at Altitudes of 0-1,000 ft 1,001-6,000 ft above 6,000 ft Jar Size half-pint or pint 15 min 20 min 25 min
...See More
Harvesting the First Big Batch of Habanero Peppers
Q
Comments (20)
Wolflover. It is so wonderful to see you here! I know you're there, but you don't post as often as you used to and I miss you when you aren't posting. That was an important pepper tidbit I learned shortly after moving here, and I did find, too, that not letting the plants be exposed to cold temps below 50 degrees did make a huge difference in how well/how early they produce. I wish I'd learned it 10 or 15 years earlier. My peppers are a lot more pampered...carried in and out just like yours...but they don't seem to mind being planted later. Even though I plant them about a month later than I used to, they produce earlier than they used to. Seems odd, doesn't it, but I'll keep doing it since it works. I haven't tried Aji Dulce. I'll have to put it on my list. The habaneros I grow are for DH and his friends. I barely survive inhaling the fumes when I'm cutting them up, and I don't eat them at all except in pepper jellies. Aji Dulce probably would be just right for a 'pepper wimp' like me. You've made a lot more salsa than I have, but I've been bogged down in fruit. Now that the fruit is over, I can spend more time on peppers, pepper jellies and salsa. I canned about 85 jars of salsa last year and it wasn't enough, so I'm shooting for 120-130 this year. I still have a long way to go to reach that goal though. Adellabedella, I can see why several glasses of milk and lots of bread would be required. I grew a yellow habanero type pepper called 'Fatali' (beware any pepper with the word fatal as part of its name) for several years and thought all our friends knew it was really, really, really hot. DH gave some Fatali peppers to a coworker who took them home. Before he could even warn his wife "Watch out, they're really hot", she'd taken one out of the bag and popped it into her mouth. It made blisters in her mouth. Blisters! She could laught about it later, but she was in all kinds of misery at the time. She thought it was one of those sweet squash peppers or mushroom peppers and never dreamed it was a habanero type. Dawn
...See More
How many habaneros per batch
Q
Comments (7)
Hi Y'all, I'm back, after being tied up most all of last week with a huge and very successful VFD fundraiser. Sorry I wasn't here to answer the habanero and apricot questions in a more timely manner. First of all, I don't know if y'all are using the Habanero Gold original recipe that makes about 3 jars per batch or the Big Batch recipe that makes 6 jars per batch. I normally use the Big Batch because you get twice the jars per batch so it is more efficient if you want to make a lot and have a lot of peppers at one time. Seedmama, Some years I have huge habaneros and other years I have smaller ones, so it is hard to say how many it takes to make a quarter cup because it can vary widely. This year the habs were smaller (but there were more of them) so it probably took 8 of them (or more) to make a quarter-cup. I usually cut up a whole bucketful or big bowl full at one time (WEAR GLOVES!) and then measure them out into 1/4 cup portions, placing each 1/4 cup in a small ziplock bag. Then I put all the small ziplocks into a gallon-sized freezer ziplock bag and I have all the chopped habs I need for the next year. You can make jelly with fresh habs or with frozen and then thawed habs. It works fine either way. With regards to the gloves, some people wear the standard yellow or pink kitchen gloves, but I wear the tighter-fitting nitrile or latex medical type gloves, which I buy by the two-pack of 100-glove boxes at Sam's or CostCo. For some peppers, one layer of gloves is sufficient but sometimes I can feel the capsaicin soaking through to my skin and have to either change out gloves with every batch or wear double gloves. I never, ever, ever handle cut hot peppers without wearing gloves, a rule which has served me well over the years. When making habanero jelly, I always remove the seeds and inner white membrane because those habs are hot enough as it is and I don't think the seeds are attractive mixed in with the 'confetti'-sized pieces of sweet peppers, hot peppers and red onions. If you want REALLY hot flavor, I guess you could leave the seeds in, but I don't. If I want exceptionally hot flavor, I just double or triple the amount of habs and decrease the amount of chopped sweet peppers/onions accordingly. I chop up all the dried apricots from a Sam's bag as needed, so I've never kept track of how many batches I get from a big bag, but a big bag will last me about a month in the summer unless all the habs ripen at once and I'm making jelly day after day, in which case I might go through three bags in one month. I've made about 100 jars of hot pepper jelly so far this year and I've used several containers of apricots, including both the big bags from Sam's and the little square plastic containers from Wal-Mart. I also have made apple-habanero jelly using the small bags of dried apples from Wal-Mart and I think I got two small batches (3 jars per batch) from each bag of dried apples. Hope this info is not too late to be helpful. Dawn
...See More
readinglady
16 years ago
I think you're wise to hold off on experimenting since this is fairly new territory.

I find that (so far, knock on wood) this jelly sets up very quickly. But that's due to the fact I cook a bit longer after the pectin's added than the brief time the original recipe directs.

Have fun with it. And I do agree. Especially for gift-giving it's so nice to have those lovely little "bits" suspended throughout the jar. It's just not the same if everything's floating on top.

Carol
momto4kids
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks again, Carol!

So, do you by any chance have the Big Batch recipe using weights? I prefer working by weight, too!
readinglady
16 years ago
Sorry, I haven't done weights with that yet. The original Habanero Gold recipe is from the Bernardin book (Canada). I developed my variation using the proportions of the original to be sure I maintained safety (due to the onions and peppers). Since that went by measure, so did I.

First I made sure creating a big batch with the same amount of pectin would work. Then I made a second big batch increasing the apricots (because I like them, LOL) and checked that the first batch setting wasn't a fluke. This summer when I make my HG, I'll calculate the weights.

Carol
zemmaj
16 years ago
Carol, did you just multiply the recipe and by how much, I have been away for a while and missed this. I planted Habs this year and plan to do the recipe but due to the nature of my work (call it the beast lol), I don't do anything in small batches.

thanks
Marie
readinglady
16 years ago
I doubled the recipe but kept the same amount of liquid pectin. I also increased the dried apricots, though that wouldn't be necessary. I just prefer them and also like the added acidity. The method I used is different. I have an appointment this a.m. and a hectic day to follow, but I will post later with my version so you can compare with the original.

Carol
annie1992
16 years ago
Geez, go on vacation and see what happens, LOL.

Momto4kids, welcome to Harvest! I knew I'd get you hooked and you'd come over here. (grin)

Frankly, I could do 4 batches in a day, but I don't have 4 children around either, and it would be a stretch. I often do 2 batches, and cook one batch while the other is in the canner, the jelly can sit for a couple of minutes waiting for the canner to be "free" and it doesn't hurt anything.

Poor Carol, with that kitchen remodel I know you can't can a thing, you're having to live vicariously, aren't you? I just wanted to thank you again for the "big batch", I never make a small batch anymore, just big batches!

Annie
readinglady
16 years ago
Marie, if you check this old thread you'll see the Big Batch Habanero recipe with a description of the changes i made. I called it Hot 'N Sweet Confetti Jelly.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Big Batch Habanero Jelly
momto4kids
Original Author
16 years ago
Carol,
The copy of the Big Batch recipe that I have saved says for "extra" hot jelly, increase habs by 1/4 cup (to 1/2 cup total) and reduce onion/red pepper by 1/4 cup (to 1 cup). That still holds, right? I like it """"HOT!!!""""
Thanks!

Annie,
Yes, you gals got me addicted to a new sport! I'm having fun trying out different things. I just made some strawberry jam after realizing I didn't need to be so worried about the particular method I use to "smoosh" the strawberries! Fun! Fun, I tell ya!
readinglady
16 years ago
Yes, that's just fine. The total amount of low-acid veggies remains the same; they've just been traded around a little. Perfectly safe.

Enjoy the heat! We're looking at 101 here today, so I don't need any extra heat in anything!

Carol
annie1992
16 years ago
Momto4kids, I just use a potato masher to "smoosh" the strawberries, I'm not picky AT ALL.

I did make some jalapeno spiked Bing Cherry jam with you in mind but the jals were so mild I can't even taste them. Pah. You'll have to add pepper flakes when you open them or something!

Annie
dgkritch
16 years ago
Carol,
Have you got air conditioning? We have a small one in the bedroom, but the rest of the house is gonna be HOT!

I just met an online acquaintance from Arizona for lunch and she's laughing at us.........they are here to escape the heat!!

Man I want to stop and get some Bings for jam, but I'm not canning anything for the next few days!! Maybe by the weekend.

Deanna
momto4kids
Original Author
16 years ago
Oh Annie, that cherry jam still sounds delicious! I'm looking forward to it! Did you work out a recipe??!!
annie1992
16 years ago
Momto4kids, I used the recipe for Jalapeno Spiked Cherry Preserves that is on the Bing Cherry thread. It just isn't hot enough, I'm thinking either hotter jals or a different, hotter pepper. Still, what can be bad about sweet cherry jam?

Annie
momto4kids
Original Author
16 years ago
Carol, Annie and anyone else working with weights...

I just made and processed two Big Batches of HG. I kept them separate from the beginning. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to evenly distribute the bits if I started in one big pot and tried to divide them on Day 2.

I did weigh everything several times and here is what I came up with for one Big Batch recipe:
170 g minced dried apricots (1/8" dice)
200 g total of minced red sweet pepper and minced red onion (1/8" dice), approximately half-and-half.
30 g Habanero peppers
Note: For extra-hot, increase Habaneros to 60 g and reduce red sweet pepper/red onion combination to 150 g total.
360 g white vinegar
1.2 kg (1200g) sugar
1 3-oz. pouch liquid pectin

When I look at the ingredients as a formula, the percentages using weights are a little off from the percentages using the cup measurements. Shouldn't they be the same? I what I have okay? How should I evaluate whether my weights are okay? Now that I've got the calculations set up, should I "tinker" around with the grams to force the percentages to be the same as those using cups?

Thanks!!
readinglady
16 years ago
Thanks for this! What a time-saver for me. I assume you measured by volume and then weighed each ingredient?

Personally I wouldn't be concerned. I think you're trying to use "apples" (volume) and compare it to "oranges" (weight) when you talk about proportions. It doesn't work that way because weight is a function of density. A cup of dried apricots, for example, will weigh considerably more than a cup of habs.

Cut-and-pasted with gratitude.

Carol
momto4kids
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, I did measure by volume, then weighed. I did each ingredient 3 or 4 times, just to be sure!

Ah, yes, of course volume vs weight...duh, of course!!...not worried now!

Much faster to work with weight! BTW, I used 60 g of habs and my Big Batch is HOT!!! Just how I like it!

Thank YOU so much for the Big Batch version. So glad I could give back a little bit!!
pat_t
15 years ago
Momto4 - thanks so much for the weight measurements. I, also, have c&p them into my original Big Batch recipe from Carol. It'll make it so much easier when I make a batch TODAY!
User
15 years ago
Carol,

I wanted to send a note to thank you for coming up with the double batch recipe!

I finally got around to whipping up two batches using frozen habanero and red peppers from this yearÂs harvest. It turned out great using your recipe and cut my pectin cost by half to boot. I also made a single batch using the original recipe for taste comparison. I did not notice and discernable difference.

I ended up with 20 half pints. Along with 12 half pints of Habanero Cranberry Jelly, I should have enough to get me through the winter.

HereÂs a shot of some of my Habanero Gold stash.

Bill
User
15 years ago
Should read "I did not notice any discernable difference"
readinglady
15 years ago
Now that's beautiful. I like the looks of that Habanero Cranberry too.

I'm glad the Big-Batch version proved satisfactory. The cost of liquid pectin just keeps going up and up and it irked me to spend so much time, effort and money for such a small batch. (Though I owe a debt of gratitude to Bob Rouleau for coming up with the original Bernardin recipe.)

Carol
elchupacabra
15 years ago
Is it possible to use a different fruit than apricots? I'm not a big fan of them. How about pineapple?
ksrogers
15 years ago
I would think any fruit type could be used, apple, cranberry, raspberry, pomegranate, peach, plum. Dried apricots are sold as two types. California, which is nice and tart, and Turkish which are very sweet and lack the 'character' of this fruit. I much prefer the California ones.

Big Batch Habanero Gold...Can it get bigger?

Comments (24)

readinglady

momto4kids
Original Author

Related Discussions

readinglady

momto4kids
Original Author

readinglady

zemmaj

readinglady

annie1992

readinglady

momto4kids
Original Author

readinglady

annie1992

dgkritch

momto4kids
Original Author

annie1992

momto4kids
Original Author

readinglady

momto4kids
Original Author

pat_t

User

User

readinglady

elchupacabra

ksrogers

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Big Batch Habanero Gold...Can it get bigger?

Comments (24)

momto4kidsOriginal Author

Related Discussions

momto4kidsOriginal Author

momto4kidsOriginal Author

momto4kidsOriginal Author

momto4kidsOriginal Author

momto4kidsOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

momto4kids
Original Author

momto4kids
Original Author

momto4kids
Original Author

momto4kids
Original Author

momto4kids
Original Author

momto4kids
Original Author