no honey just sugar i bet the honey would be good though! yea my mom grew them and didn't know what to do with them. not sure hub would want them anywhere near us haha he really dislikes them.. ok ok i gave him one once and he ate it so that could be the reason. he is scared of the habs haha. The jelly is really awesome though and the flavor is addicting!

Boy, if you arrive at a perfect understanding of commercial pectin, let us know. Annie and I both have discussed the unreliability of its performance. And now I'm trying to remember - I was just reading something from a big-time jam-maker. Sorry, can't recall who - who said the commercial pectins give preservers a false sense of infallibility. Ironically, regular commercial pectins (as opposed to NSA) require more sugar rather than less for the set. Now, to answer your questions. Powder and liquid are not interchangeable. Recipes for each are formulated differently. However, generally I have not had problems substituting one brand of the same type for another. For example, Certo liquid should work fine where I specified Ball liquid. It's purely personal but I like Ball better because I detect less of an obnoxious chemical aftertaste. I really loathe liquid pectin and use it only in Habanero Gold for that reason. Usually if you go to their websites, you'll see that makers of the NSA pectin (like that abbreviation) have formulated their own copycat recipes for these popular jellies which do make it possible to use much less sugar. However, I would guess at some point the hot-sweet balance might be lost. There's also the tartness of the vinegar to account for, and that can't be reduced because with all the peppers it's important to safety. However, cider vinegar has a natural sweetness distilled doesn't, so less sweetening would be required. You could take that peach-pepper relish I posted and try reducing the sugar with that. It doesn't call for commercial pectin, so there's more latitude as the thickening comes naturally from the long cooking down. However, as sugar is cut in those traditional recipes, the preserve loses its gloss and sheen; mouthfeel changes and the longevity of the product once opened is reduced. However, you mentioned preferring that tarter taste, so it's a possibility. You could also try a mixture of re-constituted dried apricots and peaches with the peppers for something akin to the Habanero Gold. I'm sure once Forum members start playing with that recipe they'll come up with all kinds of intriguing permutations. Carol

Habanero Gold is a jelly recipe. Kris, since you don't have a pressure canner, you would need to pickle your peppers to can them in a BWB. Or you could freeze the puree. Try pressing it flat in zip-top bags so you can break off a piece when you need it. Stores easily too. RE: when you double a jelly recipe.... * Posted by Readinglady z8 OR (My Page) on Wed, Nov 9, 05 at 16:47 Traditional (no commercial pectin) jelly recipes aren't usually doubled because it increases the evaporation time and the risk of overcooking. Recipes with added pectin are less risky, but it's always a gamble as to whether the jelly will set or not. Annie's right. I did a major revision of the Habanero Gold Jelly. I reduced the Habs (too hot for our tastes), reduced the pectin, increased the apricots and doubled the yield. I'm not a big fan of liquid pectin; to me it has a chemical taste, and I just decided there was no reason one pouch couldn't be used for a larger batch. I also changed the method to improve the odds the bits and pieces would distribute. The jelly turned out great. You could use these proportions if you wanted to but still use the original directions. Hot 'N Sweet Confetti Jelly Recipe By : Carol Categories : Canning & Preserving Jams & Jellies Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 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) 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar 6 cups sugar 1 3-oz. pouch liquid pectin Prepare apricots, peppers and onion. Prep the habaneros last and be sure to wear gloves. Use stainless or glass implements and containers. Do not use plastic measuring cups for the habaneros. Combine above ingredients with the vinegar and sugar in a large pan. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve sugar and prevent sticking. Leave mixture to cool and let sit overnight. Stir occasionally to distribute solids. The next day return mixture to the boil. Let cool 2 minutes, stirring again to distribute solids. Stir in pectin. Skim foam if necessary. Pour jelly into clean, hot jars. Stir to eliminate air bubbles and redistribute solids again. Wipe rims and seal with two-piece lids. BWB 10 minutes. When jars are sealed, if solids are not consistently distributed through jelly, twist and/or invert briefly while jelly is still hot. (Agitate like washing machine.) Yield: "6 half-pints" P.S. Proportions of peppers are still within the safe range as per the original recipe and increased amounts of dried apricots also raise the acidity. Carol Habanero Gold Jelly 1/3 cup finely sliced dried apricots 3/4 cup white vinegar 1/4 up finely diced red onion 1/4 cup finely diced sweet red pepper 1/4 cup finely diced habanero peppers, including seeds OR 1/4 cup diced, combined jalapeno and Scotch Bonnet peppers 3 cups granulated sugar 1 pouch Bernardin liquid pectin Cut apricots into 1/8 inch slices. Measure into a large deep stainless steel saucepan with vinegar; let stand 4 hours. Individually, cut onion and seeded peppers into 1/8 inch slices; cut slices into 1/4 inch dice. Measure each ingredient; add to apricots. Stir in sugar. Over high heat, bring to a full roiling boil. Stirring constantly, boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in pectin, mixing well. Pour jelly into hot jar, dividing solids equally among jars and filling each jar to within 1/4 inch of top rim. Wipe rims. Apply lids. Process 10 minutes in BWB. Cool upright, until lids pop down, about 30 minutes. When lids are concave but the jelly is still hot, carefully grasp jar without disturbing lid and invert, twist, or rotate each jar to distribute solids throughout jelly. The jar can be inverted temporarily but do not allow it to stand upside-down for prolonged periods. Repeat as necessary during the cooling/setting time, until solids are nicely suspended. * Posted by readinglady z8 OR (My Page) on Wed, Sep 19, 07 at 17:23 It might mellow a bit, but I don't think you'll see a significant difference. Use whenever. What I've had the best luck with is bringing an 8-oz. block of cream cheese to near room-temp and whipping with about 1/4 cup of thick commercial sour cream. That adds just a bit of tang and lightens the cheese. I spread it in a glass pie pan, raising the edge for a bit of a rim. Then spread the jelly over. It looks like jewels sitting on the white. Then provide a selection of crackers and it makes a very quick and convenient appetizer. There's also a recipe I posted quite a while back for a savory (savoury to you, LOL) cheddar cheese thumbprint. The jelly is piped in the center and they're baked. It's nice to have the 125 ml size for gifting. I don't think people realize how much work this recipe is, especially all the fine chopping. Carol

Elaine, It's yummy, isn't it? NExt time you can increase the ratio of habaneros if you like it hotter. (Be sure to label your batches! We made one like the recipe says and one way hotter, with hardly any mild peppers, and forgot to label which one was which so we are restricted in whom we can share them with! ;-) ) Pectin is an inexact science. Some batches of jelly set faster, some slower, and that's just the way it is. The squat jars might well have been a factor in the faster cooling (do you mean those pricey pretty "elite" ones or the wide-mouth ones?), but that's not to say it might not go more slowly the next time in the exact same jars.... My first batch, I had the opposite problem; I turned the jars regularly during the first 45 minutes or so, but it was still so runny the solids sank to the bottom. By the time it finally started to jell after an hour, I was distracted by something and missed the ideal "window." Best advice is to start checking sooner and keep doing so till the jelling starts. I turn them upside down every 10 minutes or so from the time they come out, and when I notice the solids moving more slowly so they seem to be in the perfect "window" of just jelling, I then do it at 2-3 minute intervals a few more times. The good news is that I have found the flavour is good with or without the solids --- even in a jar that got v. few pieces in it, there is good apricot and pepper taste, so I think the tastes blend well during the soaking and cooking. Meaning even if you don't get the solids evenly distributed, each bite will be yummy, it just isn't as pretty an effect. Good luck! Zabby