Hi Ann
I can't answer all of your questions but I am in the process of making the Habanero Gold myself. I found a recipe that evolved from the original - and you leave the apricots over night.

here it is from Annie- and it makes more too!
Annie's Habanero Gold
=======================
1 cup minced dried apricots (1/8" dice)
Note: Could use dried peaches or pears instead.
1-1/4 total cup minced red sweet pepper and minced red onion (1/8" dice),
approximately half-and-half.
1/4 cup Habanero peppers
Note: For extra-hot, increase Habaneros to 1/2 cup and reduce red sweet
pepper/red onion combination to 1 cup total.
1-1/2 cups white vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 3-ounce pouch liquid pectin
. Prep apricots, peppers and onion. Place in a large, stainless or other
non-reactive pot. Add sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil and cook 5
minutes. Pull off the burner; allow to cool, cover and let sit
overnight. Stir occasionally if convenient.
Note: 4-6 hours would be plenty, so the time doesn't need to be any
greater than the soaking time for apricots in the original recipe.
Next day, bring the mixture back to the boil. Stir in liquid pectin.
Boil hard 1 minute. Pull off the heat. If necessary, skim foam. (I did
need to skim a bit.) Let cool 2 minutes, stirring to distribute solids.
Pour into jars. Stir to distribute and remove air bubbles. Do the usual
with the jars and lids, BWB 10 minutes.
When jars are sealed, "agitate" to distribute solids throughout the
jelly.

Now, may I ask a question - MUST I add the pectin?? - I made mine a few hours ago and it has cooled and I just put it in the fridge for overnight. It has a consistency that I like - not too thick. I think with another quick boil in the morning it will be fine. Am I missing something?

I am going to make some green jalapeno jelly and roasted red pepper jelly tomorrow too - perfect for Christmas.

I roasted my peppers in the oven today - but the skins did not come off very well. I have used the BBQ before and then put them in paper bags until cool. I have no idea why I was told to put them in paper bags - but I did and it worked out OK.

That's my variation which I gave to Annie. She posted it from my email to her. I've also posted it on occasion. We were discussing the expense of the liquid pectin and the frustration of the small batch size, so I developed a doubled recipe with one package.

No, you don't have to add the pectin if you prefer not to. There is some natural pectin in the apricots, which have been increased from the original recipe. When you bring it back to the boil it will thin; I'm not sure how thick the consistency of the set jelly will be, but it should be fine. Let us know how it turns out.

To answer the other questions. You can soak the apricots longer, however long you need, or you can prep per the big-batch recipe above.

I never roast and peel the peppers for my salsa. You can, but you certainly don't have to.

Generally when peppers are roasted, some areas will char and some may not. It's OK to have some bits of skin still attached. I do roast in the oven on a foil-lined pan. Then I pull the foil up around the peppers to make a packet and let them steam and cool a bit. After that removing the skin is (fairly) easy.

Carol

When I roast pepper, I cut them in half and flatten with my hand, cutting here and there if need be and place in the broiler. No need to turn the peppers. You can put then real close to the flame and it only takes a minute or two to blacken.

Sorry about that Carol - I didn't know it was your recipe.

It looks wonderful in the pot - I'm going to can it shortly.

We are having a late Sept. heat wave here - over 31C - rain is coming - so I'm hoping it will cool off before I have to do the BWB as that heats up the house a bit too much.

I am going to try it without pectin and let you know.

It's fine about the recipe. That one's been posted a lot of times and it's easy to lose track of the source. But Annie's got her salsa, LOL, and this one is mine!

I am very interested in hearing how it turns out without added pectin. I've found with just one package the set is fairly firm, certainly firmer than is required for the uses this jelly is put to.

Carol

Thank you. I have both recipes, but didn't realize how similar they are. As best I can tell, the only difference is more apricots in Carol's version, and less pectin, right? And the sitting overnight. Do you sit it in the refrigerator or at room temperature?

I was happy with the amount of jell in the original version, so am worried that it will be too runny with the revised??

Shirley, cutting and flattening the peppers is a good idea.

Pickles, I believe the paper bag is to allow the peppers to "sweat" and that this helps release the skin. I have used plastic bags sometimes, and Carol uses foil, so the type of bag doesn't matter so much as wrapping them up.

I think we should rename the revised recipe to "Carol's Hot Stuff" (very big grin).

Ann

The original Habanero Gold recipe comes from Bob Rouleau who developed it for Bernardin in Canada. I see credit for his creation has been removed from the latest edition of the Ball "Complete Book of Home Preserving" which includes quite a number of Bernardin recipes.

And yes, my variation basically is a doubling of the original recipe, with increased apricot, a halving of the pectin and a different preparation method. But he came up with the idea in the first place.

Originally I called it "Hot 'n Sweet Confetti Jelly." Some posts refer to it that way; others call it Big-Batch Habanero Gold. "What's in a name? A Jelly by any other name would taste as hot . . ." LOL.

I don't refrigerate. With all that vinegar and sugar I just don't see an issue, though you certainly could. So far (knock on wood) I've gotten a firm set with a single package of pectin using this recipe and method, but there are no guarantees with liquid pectin. Except for this kind of recipe I don't use it. It's unreliable, regardless of how many packages you use.

I use the foil on the peppers because it keeps the pan clean and serves a secondary purpose of wrapping the peppers. Simple and clean. I don't use paper bags because they are no longer recommended for food products. They now contain a number of chemicals retained in the recycling process. But regardless of what you use, you're steaming the peppers.

Shirley's idea is a great one. I'll remember that.

Carol

Well we just snacked on the last of the jelly that was left after canning. I used no pectin and the jelly was firm enough to stay on top of the cream cheese when I plopped it on. It dripped down after a bit - but that is exactly how I like it.

It was definitely firm enough for me without the pectin.

Tomorrow I am doing straight red pepper and then straight jalapeño jellies - I am trying to find recipes with no pectin for those too - but I've not been successful - maybe I'll just try it and see what happens.

I don't see any reason why you can't use the same method for other pepper jelly recipes, as long as you stick to safe proportions of vinegar and sugar.

I'm glad to know this recipe also works without pectin. I certainly noticed the consistency before pectin was added, but stopped at cutting the amount in half. I hate the stuff (repulsive consistency/chemical taste) and besides it's expensive. This cuts the cost considerably.

Thanks for sharing your results. Duly noted.

Carol

Do peppers have enough pectin to jell? I sort of thought it was the apricots that would provide the jelling power, but of course I really do not know. Anyway, I was thinking about it and if pickles wants to do jalapenos - what about the exact same recipe but use jalapenos instead of habaneros and dried apples instead of apricots?

Just a thought....

Ann

In regards to the Hab gold recipe, Is it better to use green or orange habs?

All of my habs are green right now. Is it O.K. to make the recipe with green? Are the green ones hotter or milder than the orange?

Thanks for the great recipe also!

Neal

No, it isn't the peppers; it's the fruit and also the consistency of the cooked syrup itself with all the acid from the vinegar, the sugar and the absorption of liquid from the dried apricots. As the water evaporates during cooking there'll always be a degree of thickening anyway.

I don't see why dried apples and jalapenos couldn't be used. Apples and apricots generally fall within the same pH range, and pH is important in this recipe. I like the color of the apricots and habaneros, but jalapeno-apple could also look pretty.

Carol

I continued my canning today with 3 other kinds of pepper jelly. (Bake sale at school tomorrow)

I had already bought the 2 pouches of pectin - so I figured I should use them.

I actually had a third pouch - but the - um - expiry date was 1999! - I am NOT kidding. Guess I haven't been canning for a little while ;)
I made red pepper jelly with pectin - it is still runny - may set up with time??
Jalapeno jelly with pectin - set up so quickly that I couldn't get the pieces of pepper distributed.
Lastly - a mix of red pepper and jalapeno and tabasco with no pectin - but I let it simmer longer as per the recipe I used - just until it 'jelled' on a plate I had cooled in the freezer. It has the nicest consistency - kind of like the Habanero Gold from yesterday.
(1 1/2 cups red pepper
1/2 c jalapenos
1 1/2 c cider vinegar
6 c sugar)
You have to watch it a bit - one time, many many years ago - I cooked it down so much that I basically got rock candy ;)

Anyway - that is what I am going to do from now on - no more pectin - just longer cooking.

pickles_ca,
You should try this recipe. It also has no pectin and is fabulous!

Pepper and Onion Relish
Shirley's H & D Taste-Alike

"I used my Cuisinart to chop all the peppers. Tomatoes were peeled, seeded and diced very small. The onion was diced using the Julienne blade of my V-slicer."

12 med Red bell peppers
10 jalapenos
5 assorted green, yellow or red hot peppers
5 large plum tomatoes
1 large onion. Any kind will do.
2 cups white vinegar
3 cups granulated sugar

Remove seeds and white membrane from red peppers
Remove HALF the seeds from the jalapenos
Remove half the seeds from the other hots.
Chop peppers in food processor

Place in bowl with prepared tomatoes and onion. Sprinkle with 1 Tbls. canning salt. Let stand about 1 hour.
Drain off liquid. I use my quart capacity strainer with a handle. The holes are smaller than my colander. You don't want any of the small pepper pieces falling through.

Place peppers, onions and tomatoes in cooking pot and add sugar and vinegar. Cook over medium heat until thick as you like. Usually 30 or 45 minutes is plenty. You can almost tell by the texture.
Ladle into jam jars and seal.
Process 20 minutes in Hot water bath.

I usually label mine Racy Red Pepper Relish just for fun.

I tried the Hab Gold without pectin and didn't care for it. First off, it was too hot and secondly, much too thick, like very heavy corn syrup. I have H&D taste alike left from last years test so won't need more of it. I'll stick with my original Red Pepper Jam which is the favorite of my family. I have made 36 jars so far and need many more.
I've already used 2 bushels of red peppers. I'll get 2 more bushels tomorrow at the Farmers Market. The yield is only 6 or 7 jars per batch of 12 peppers. To each batch I also added 5 red Hungarian hots, 3 red hot cherry and 5 red chiles and removed all the seeds.

I've never made the Hab Gold without pectin. The nice thing is either with or without will work depending upon preference.

How about taking the Hab Gold out of the jars, bringing back to the boil and going ahead and adding the pectin? At least there's a chance you can salvage what you have and it may make it a bit milder.

I always cut back on the habs. I don't know if the ones I grow are hotter or it's just too hot for my taste, period. It's really a beautiful jam, but I definitely prefer it on the milder end. For me less-hot is more versatile.

Carol

Carol
I made a terrible mistake saying I made the Hab Gold without pectin. Someone posted a recipe using powdered pectin, which is the recipe I made. May have been Melly. That was the recipe I screwed up on and put 6 cups of sugar instead of 3 and had to scramble to add another pectin and more wine vinegar. I didn't add more apricots or Habs. The 2 Habs I used were the longer yellow ones, not the short squatty orange ones. It didn't go to waste though as I added it, one scoop at a time into each of my normal Red Pepper jams. Never gave the no pectin thing another thought until I just now read your reply.

That's OK. It sounds as if you found a way to make the recipe work and salvage the results, so that's what counts. I am glad to hear it wasn't the Habanero Gold, though. Thanks for the clarification. That helps other Forum posters also.

Carol

Carol, Just wanted to let you know I made your Big Batch Habanero Gold last week. I was a bit short of dried apricots so added some dried cherries and the jelly turned out the most gorgeous shade of orangey pink! I've renamed it Pink Popper Jelly!

Michelle

I want to try this recipe, but I already purchased Liquid Pectin (not powder) and I think the box says reduced sugar...
Do I follow the recipe the same, or do I need to change the quantity of pectin and or sugar???

Also, I want to modify it to make it super hot (intorlerably hot), should I replace the red bell pepper requirement with habs, or just leave them out and leave the hab quantity the same?

This will be my first jelly, so wish me luck!

Well, Ive done step one, up to the point where I let it sit overnight...
I put equal weight of granny smith (1/2 of an apple) instead of bell pepper (im not a fan of bell). I was working off the HOT recipe, but decided i needed more hot peppers, so I added 4 more habs on top of the HOT recipe.

I have a question: how much is the cost of a 1.75 ounce (single box) of Ball Fruit Jell Pectin? What is a good price for it at least?

I posted this awhile back: it's a powdered pectin version that I came up with based on a recipe from "Small Batch Preserving". It worked well. I don't like liquid pectin, and that's what gave rise to this.

Apricot Hot Pepper Jelly

Makes 3 half pints (jelly jars)

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots, soaked for 4-6 hours
1 large red pepper, diced
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, diced
2 habanero peppers, seeds removed, diced
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 package Sure-Gel powdered pectin

In medium nonreactive saucepan, combine peppers, apricots, wine vinegar, and pectin. Stir, bring to full rolling boil. Add sugar, stirring, and bring back to full foil for 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be thickened. Let stand for a few minutes after shutting off heat to gel further. Stir to evenly distribute pepper pieces. Ladle into hot jars and BWB for 10 minutes.

Hey Melly - thanks for that recipe - If I can scrounge some more Romas I'll can some of it this year - but I used the last ones I had to make more salsa.

I have saved your recipe in my 'canning' file.

Pickles,
Shirley makes more of her red pepper jam without the tomatoes (or pectin) and prefers that to the version with the tomatoes.
She would probably post the recipe again if you ask.
Melly

OK Shirley - I am asking pretty please - can you share your recipe??

I made some Habanero Gold yesterday and my long search for fresh habaneros was worth it....it's so pretty and tasty.

I have one question though, because I plan to make some more. I used Costco's "Mariani brand, premium ultimate dried apricots". They are tender and soft, no sugar added. The recipe called for soaking the dried apricots for at least 4 hours. Since these apricots are already soft and tender, can I forgo soaking them, or perhaps shorten the soaking time some more?

Thank you.

Carol, if you see this thread again, will you tell me how much you reduce the habaneros when you make your hot & sweet confetti jelly? I don't like things very hot at all...Annie's salsa with three very corky local jalapenos is about hot enough for me.

I am proposing a trade with my coworker of habaneros for jelly (and peach jam for a cold morning) so I want to figure out how many habs I need. Thanks!

Melissa

The proportions of solids in the Hot & Sweet Confetti Jelly are

1 cup minced dried apricots -- (1/8" dice)
1 1/4 cups minced red bell pepper & red onion, about 1/2 & 1/2 -- (1/8" dice)
1/4 scant cup minced habanero peppers -- (1/8" dice)

There's still a bit of punch, though you have to allow for the fact that this jelly is generally served with cream cheese or in cheddar thumbprints. That reduces the impact. However, 1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons. If you're worried, just reduce the amount further, perhaps 3 tablespoons.

It's difficult to generalize. The heat of the habs will vary depending upon season and growing conditions.

Carol

When I made it, it took 6 habaneros that were on the small side to get 1/4 cup at 1/8" dice, and then I cut up one large red bell pepper and half of a large red onion, mixed them together and measured out 1-1/4 cup with some leftover that I froze. Hope it helps!

Jen

Thanks Carol and Jen. Carol, since you mentioned above you liked the reduced heat, I wasn't sure whether you meant the amount you gave in the recipe (reduced from the original habanero gold recipe) or an amount that was even smaller. I will go with 1/4 cup.

And thanks a lot Jen for telling me how many. I might need to buy some at the store to go with the traded ones.

Cheddar thumbprints, what a great idea Carol! The recipe seems to have dropped off the back end of the forum though...would you mind reposting it? I like to bring snacks to my favorite rock bands and these would work great.

Melissa

I originally got this recipe from Rick Rodgers' Thanksgiving 101 cookbook. I gave the recipe to Annie (of Annie's salsa). I don't remember if she posted it after that or I did, but it's been on this forum, Cooking, Peppers and probably lots of others.

Cheddar Thumbprints with Habanero Jelly

These are a savory cookie. You can use any hot pepper jelly. The original recipe called for jalapeno jelly.
Also, if you like cheddar and apple, try these cookies with apple butter in the center.

Ingredients

8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup jalapeno jelly, or Habanero Gold jelly

Place cheese and butter in a food processor (could be creamed by hand or mixer); add flour and process until the mixture forms a soft dough. Gather up the dough and divide into two flat disks. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until chilled, about 45 minutes.

Position two racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 400°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or use nonstick sheets.

Using 1 teaspoon dough for each, roll the dough into small balls and place 1 inch apart on the sheets. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or 1/2-inch-thick dowel, poke an indentation in each cookie. Place a dollop of the jelly into the indentations.

Return to the oven and bake, switching the positions of the sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking, until the tops are very lightly browned, about 10 minutes. (Cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.) Transfer to racks and cool completely.

Can be baked up to two days ahead. Store at room temperature in an airtight container and separate layers with wax paper.

Carol

Oh yum, thanks so much! I'm going to make your version of this jam and then try one with dried cherries and jalapenos to serve at Christmas. Normally I don't go for holiday themes but I think it will taste good and look pretty. Thanks Carol!

Melissa

Here's my shot at it. I had one more jar, but I gave it to my dad. I used pineapple instead of apricots.

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What if I wanted to make this type of jelly WITHOUT any onion or bell pepper?

You mean just habs and pineapple? That would be fine as long as the amount of habs does not exceed the amount of onion and bell pepper in the original recipe. (Hard to imagine you'd use that much anyway.)

If you stick to the original amounts, you'll just have fewer dispersed solids in the gel.

Carol

Well, I was thinking maybe pineapple mango hab, or strawberry banana hab, or something similar. I haven't tried the HG yet, just haven't had a chance. Glad I brought my peppers in last night, we had 4" of snow on the ground here this morning. We haven't had snow in 20 years!

Some of the subs may be more iffy than others. Post when you have a specific combination in mind.

Mango and banana are both high pH. There are also density issues. Pineapple and strawberry aren't a problem.

Carol

Well, I love the mango habanero wing sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings. I realize that isn't a jelly, so I'm sure that would need to be a whole new thread. When I have enough peppers to do something with, I'll revisit it. Thanks a lot. :)

I love the hg recipe and make tons of it every year (close to 50 jars). I make the hot and sweet confetti version to do bigger batches and this year I have such an abundance of summer apples am making apple pectin. Has anyone ever used green apple pectin for habanero gold? Any ideas - help????

In her new book The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves Linda Ziedrich offers two pepper jellies using apple pectin, so it's certainly do-able.

I haven't fiddled with the big-batch HG recipe using that option, but if you can locate Ziedrich's book you should be able to work out proportions.

Carol

Carol,

I tried the apple pectin in some other jam and it didn't work so I wonder if I didn't boil it down enough. I got my hands on some Pomona Pectin and am wondering if anyone has made the Hot and sweet or Habanero Gold or whatever you want to call it with Pomona. I have searched for Habanero and Pomona together on this wonderful search engine and came up with nothing. Any ideas?

I am not a fan of Pomona, so I'm probably not the best person to ask. Some other member may have more insight. Nothing previous on the forum has referred to its use with the HG recipe.

However, there's no reason not to use Pomona as it will reliably set. But I would be hesitant to reduce the sugar, for a number of reasons.

There is a pepper jelly in the Pomona recipe insert. Perhaps that could be adapted to the HG.

Carol

Carol,

I am not looking to reduce the sugar at all, just looking for a cheaper source for pectin - I make close to 400 jars of jams and jellies this year and will probably make close to 100 of habanero gold. Just wanting to make sure that I make it right! Will check the insert - I haven't opened the pomona yet. Thank you!!!!

I used pomonas to make habanero gold while we were in europe since the commissary only carried sure-jell and then only sporadically. From my notes it looks like I used 2 teaspoons of the pectin and 3 teaspoons calcium water to make one of the big batches (Carol's adjusted recipe). When I make habanero gold, it is always pretty thick before I add the pectin, so it didn't take that much to make it set. I will say that I'm not as crazy about the consistency of the jelly made with pomonas.

That is good to know Melly. Right now I'm just glad I made a big batch last year and froze extra habs because we're having a terrible garden season and no ripe habs in sight.

Carol

Habanero Gold recipe thanks very much,
looks really pretty jared up,the spoon tasted fantastic
I did no pectin, mine is separating but can be swirled, looks plenty thick for me
2-3 weeks of sitting before trying???

I used all habanero peppers, no red peppers. Looked and tasted awesome. Even the wimpiest pepper eater, my mother and step daughter, loved it. I lost my pepper plants and can't by habaneros in the stores so I'm waiting for my new plants to start producing. I can hardly wait! My first big batch went so fast! I know all my habaneros will now be going towards making this jam!

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 1âÂÂ4 cups dried apricot halves, finely slivered 300 ml
1 cup red or green bell pepper strips 250 ml
(about 1 medium-size pepper)
1âÂÂ3 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
1âÂÂ2 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 1âÂÂ2 cup
(125 ml) vinegar in a food processor or blender. Process until partially ground
with small chunks remaining. Pour into a saucepan.
3. Mix 1âÂÂ4 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 1âÂÂ4 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

Melly of the south
I could not understand your univ Of Caif. receipe so finally I found it I did not understand that symbol ^ a I thought you might mean the slash symbol "/"
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8004.pdf
Gonna try it. Got some dried organic apricot from salvage store just couple days ago......
I will next year hopefully plant more pepper.. Did jalepenos years ago. But only sweet pepper this year.... and volunteer cayenne from last years seeds..... bought a few pepper plants from a guy on CL they look like little cayene.
So bought a few at local farmers mkt.
I doubt if they are organic... I forgot to ask. I hope those folks are not buying from local big produce terminal and reselling...... to us.....
Just chiming in
Jean