Carol: thanks for your reply. The alternating sugar and fruit made sense, but I was unsure if the sugar was supposed to be adjusted or if the fruit was supposed to be exactly 5 cups, etc. I end up with 5 1/2 cups cooked fruit and used 4 3/4 cups sugar. It tastes great (mixture of Valencias, navels and Meyer lemons). But it looks like I overcooked it as the cooled jam seems a little, um, rubbery. I went to get my thermometer out of the drawer and realized a neighbor still had it from their paneforte adventures at Christmas time. I was sure I could handle the cooking without it as I've not had problems with marmalades before. I used cold plates from the freezer and thought I was almost there. But it looks like was more than almost there. Also, I always have to make peace with the darker color when I use organic natural sugar. It's just not the same as the sparkling jewel tones when using white sugar. I'm definitely doing this recipe again and have to figure out to avoid the overcooking. Thanks again for your help. Kristine

Michelle, I think those are very pretty, prettier with the red peppers than they would be with the green. Sorry about the jar, I do that every now and then, like when I told Jessica that I always put cold jars into a hot canner and seldom get breakage. That's when I heard the crack and sure enough, the bottom fell out of a jar of those lemon/rosemary pickled beans. LOL Carol and I HAVE discussed jars we keep and never use or give away. I have a dozen of those squatty short wide mouthed Ball pints that always get used for salsa because they are a perfect shape, but I never give them away. I keep the old Atlas/Sterling/Mom's/Everlast/Corning jars and only use them as a last resort and I never give those away either. (grin) I collect old canning jars, now THAT'S funny. Annie

Sure. The recipe has also been posted on Harvest by weight rather than volume at the link I posted below. Big-Batch 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. You will find that stirring in the jars reduces the need to "agitate" the jars so much to distribute the solids. If a lid pops while twisting and turning the jar, don't worry. It will re-seal once it gets a chance to rest. Here is a link that might be useful: Big Batch Habanero Gold

Here it is: Peach Jam With Brown Sugar and Rum Makes 6 half pints 6 cups frozen peach slices, thawed 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 6 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice (2 lemons) 3/4 cup dark rum, preferably Jamaican (divided) 2 cups granulated sugar Wash 6 half-pint jars and keep hot until needed. Prepare the lids as manufacturer directs. Combine the peaches with the brown sugar, lemon juice and about half of the rum in a large pot and stir the mixture well. Stir well, cover and refrigerate overnight. Pour the fruit mixture into large, heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer until the fruit chunks start turning translucent, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring several times. If the jam becomes too thick before the fruit clarifies, add 2 or 3 tablespoons water. Add the granulated sugar and cook the jam rapidly over medium-high heat, stirring almost constantly, until a spoonful placed on a chilled saucer and refrigerated for a few moments wrinkles instead of running when the saucer is tilted sharply. (Remove the pot from the heat while testing.) Stir in the remaining rum and cook the jam for 2 minutes, stirring. Ladle the boiling-hot jam into 1 hot jar at a time, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach the lid. Fill and close the remaining jars. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. -- Adapted from "Fancy Pantry" by Helen Witty (Sharon Maasdam) *Note: For Mango Jam use 6 cups peeled, chopped firm-ripe mangos and 6 tablespoons strained fresh lime juice in lieu of the lemon. My Note: Although the recipe doesn't mention it, this jam benefits from aging on the shelf to mellow. Carol