I've used some (green) jalapenos in place of some of the habanero. It adds another color to the fleck and looks fine.

Thanks - I think it might look very festive with the red Hinkelhatz and onion (might throw in cherry bombs too, I have 1C green diced so enough for 2 batches). Just didn't want it to turn the jelly a yucky brown or anything. Just enough time to get this heated up (in 1 big pan, but will separate when I reheat to jar up) b4 dentist appt.

I made 5 jars of Crab-apple Jalapeno jelly yesterday (with my own apple pectin) and 4 jars of Cranberry Lime Jalapeno Jam (not quite as hot) this AM (let the cranberries and peppers cooked in water and lime juice cool in fridge overnight, then put through Foley and reheated, added sugar) this AM. Was going to make Jalapeno Cranberry sauce but the cranberry skins were too obnoxious so jam it is.

Decided to try this w/o the pectin. I did split the batch, it wasn't all going to fit in my Dutch oven w/o boiling over!

Now, since I've already put in the sugar, and the quart I have (in an 8-C measuring pitcher) in the fridge is setting up a little, do I add more sugar in the AM when I reheat, or just heat a bit more if not entirely set, and test for gel?

A single batch is 1C of peppers, 1/2C onion, 1 (generous) cup minced apricot, 2C vinegar (incl the 1/2C heated and poured over the apricots), and 4C sugar.

I guess there is a way to mix up some powdered pectin with liquid (water? or more vinegar?) and "remake" the jelly if it doesn't set, but I'd rather not use commercial pectin if I don't have to, I haven't been happy with the stiff set of my other pepper jellies.

TIA

I'll have to report back on the set in about a month, but I added another 1/4C (1.5oz) of chopped apricot to each quart of jelly, boiled another 5 min. Set 1st batch aside while I boiled the 2nd batch, did plate test, then poured 1st batch into hot jelly and stirred to heat it all. Made 9 half pints and just a little to scrape the pot.

OMG, yum!! I have another dentist appt and now I prob have pepper breath but couldn't resist.

Bell Peppers when ripe are sweet without the tart flavor. Now that I have gotten back into collection recipes the best place I have found for keeping them for easy access has been my genealogy program as the titles makes them so easy to find anytime plus I just copy and paste them so there is a lot less work to find and if I want print out a page while cooking.

Well, it's definitely setting w/o pectin. Dentist took longer than I thought, plus I had to get gas and some groceries, when I got home the peppers were floating a bit, some of the apricots (the ones I put in this AM?) were at the bottoms, and the jars weren't sloshing. Lots of twisting got things redistributed a bit, though lots still at the tops of the jars. If anything, this might be too stiff a set (for my taste, anyway). I'll let you all know when we open a jar at Xmas (if it lasts that long).

Have you tried a batch with some dried cranberries mixed in?

though I've not added cranberries to this type, I've done it to a few others. What I've found is dried craberries tend to change the color/taste of what ever you put them in.

I made some apple pie jam, one batch with raisins and one with dried cranberries. The batch with the cranberries does not taste like apple with bits of cranberry, it tastes like cran/apple juice.

BTW - I did make a cranberry/jalapeno jelly that was very good. Don't really taste the peppers, but they give a "hot" to the cranberry that is a very nice tang.

I took some jam to work to share, and the hot pepper was very popular. So I've got chopped peppers and apricots ready to make another batch.

I made another batch of habanero gold this morning. I used scoth bonnets in place of the habaneros. Just used 2 SB's since they were really hot. I then used diced green peppers added to the SB's to make 1 cup of peppers.

I also had a sample pack of craisins that came in my box of corn flakes. So I threw those in - on top of the diced dried apricots.

When first in the pot, everything looked so pretty - lots of different colors. With the extended cooking, the green peppers turned a muck army brown color. And the cranberries turned the liquid a rusty brown color. Overall this stuff tastes wonderful, but it isn't very pretty. From now on I'll stick to red peppers and apricots.

Back from vacation. The "Amish Gold" is still not *really* set, though it's probably fine for cream cheese. The green peppers stayed fairly green - or at least didn't turn the jelly an off color. Good to know about the cranberries though - I'll save those for snacks, or maybe a conserve. I threw some chopped bells and Hinkelhatz in the freezer for another batch later this year.

The Cranberry Lime Jalapeno Jam is really set up, for some reason the jars in the basement look darker/browner than the nice red color of the ounce I have leftover in the fridge. Cranberry Jalapeno Jelly with the homemade apple pectin hasn't quite set up either, the Red Pepper (bell and jals) with quince pectin is a little more set but nothing approaching those jellies made with Ball or Surejell pectin. Still hoping for something in between sloshing and not moving at all - maybe a nice quiver? But I tend not to cook my no-pectin jellies enough, even Paradise can be a little loose.