I sell baked goods and preserves at my local farmers' market, and my bestseller is my special onion-garlic-hot pepper jelly. I can sell up to a case a week, so as you can imagine, I make a LOT of it! And yesterday, I also made the most delicious apricot pepper jelly for the first time. Both recipes call for liquid pectin, and as many have expressed, it's not always easy to get a good set. Over the years, with trial and error, I have figured out the secret. Certo tells you to boil the fruit, add the pectin, then bring it back to the boil "for exactly one minute." But one minute is just not enough to reach a good jelling stage on pepper jelly. After adding the pectin, I boil mine for about FIVE minutes, or until the bubbles look very thick as they boil and I start to meet a slight bit of resistance as I stir the jelly. Another thing to look for, I find, is that the jelly should start setting up a bit even before you get all of the jars filled, wiped down, and the lids put on. If it's completely liquid even after it starts to cool down, you might be in trouble. However, if the occasional batch of pepper jelly doesn't set up, there is a pretty simple fix. Just open the jars, dump the jelly back into the pot and boil it hard again for 3-5 minutes before jarring it back up. You'll lose a jar in the process (due to evaporation), but it's better than remaking the jelly with extra vinegar and sugar, which yields a product that is way too cloyingly sweet to me and wastes an additional packet of pectin to boot. Trust me...I do this all the time, and it works like a charm! Happy high canning season, everyone! --Gina (lindseysluscious.blogspot.com) Here is a link that might be useful: Lindsey's Luscious

Thanks midwestchilehead, I put up 11 quarts before your post but good to know. Azinine its a common practice to age sauces that have a high vinegar content. If you click on the link you will find some sauces that call for aging. Even if its not in the recipe I would recommend aging it anyway if its a vinegar based sauce. The reason is mentioned in the first post in the provided link. Here is a link that might be useful: Let's Make Hot Sauce Discussion

seems that the peppermania website is not working for the past couple of days ... not sure why but hope it comes back soon. they also have a good selection of woozy bottles, including the small sample size which is hard to find.

Judo, The only reason I simmer instead of boiling is to not concentrate the lime juice esters. I'm considering trying some ascorbic acid for a flavor enhancer. Carrots are good, and if you grate'em first they cook more quickly. I'm considering trying a tomatillo based salsa using Ghosts and a few serranos. You just can't beat a fresh tomatillo, Serrano, garlic, cilantro and lime juice when made and consumed within the hour. Has the astringent quality that I like. You really can't bottle that flavor, IMHO. Mecdave, Never tried Agave syrup. I've noticed it in one store-bought sauce, and will give it a try. Thanks for the tip.