Peach and Jalapeno Jelly

It was a shock to see all the pumpkins prominently displayed at the farmers’ stands this week. Yikes! I forget to make summer peach jam! Fortunately, there were still plenty of really pretty South Carolina peaches available and just exactly perfectly ripe and ready for jam. When the peaches were all peeled and lined up on the counter – jars ready and waiting – my son wandered in and said – with that look only your kid can give you when he/she wants something – “I thought we were making pepper jelly.” He does grow a phenomenal amount of peppers – some scary – some okay. We have indeed made pepper jelly every year for a long time so I was about to postpone the peach plan when the brilliant idea occurred that we could actually create a fun mix-up of peach and pepper jelly.

We did just that and call it Peach and Jalapeno Jelly. It’s marvelous. You can serve this cool condiment with country ham and biscuits, cheese and crackers, on grilled chicken or pork, in a salad dressing, and that’s

just the beginning. If you are thinking that this sounds like too much trouble, well the hardest part is peeling the peaches (boiling water) and chopping them up. You can even use your food processor for chopping to make it all really easy. How much heat you want will be determined by how you use the peppers. One whole one and two seeded was what we did, but you can go hotter. The recipe was definitely a mash-up of two favorites. We used ten peaches and three jalapenos – it just seemed about right. Just to add a little flavor that makes you say – “what’s that yummy taste” – we added cardamom. It worked out perfectly. Lemon juice, sugar, vinegar and pectin make up the rest of the ingredient list.  You put it all in a big pot or Dutch oven and bring it to a boil. Once it boils reduce the heat and keep it at a steady boil while stirring for about 10 minutes. Finally add a squirt of lemon juice and you have homemade jelly. Or probably technically it’s jam because some of the fruit is still a little chunky – but we are happy with the name. This is going to be a fun gift to share with friends- just a little different and a lot delicious. You will want to make this. Grab some peaches and peppers and enjoy!

Sallie & Richard’s Peach and Jalapeno Jelly

Ingredients

10 -12 ripe peaches, peeled and chopped

3 jalapenos finely chopped (leave some seeds)

6 ½ cups sugar

Juice or 2 lemons and zest from one (save one lemon for the end of cooking)

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

½ tsp cardamom or seeds from one pod (this is optional – I just love the flavor)

4 Tbsp liquid pectin (Certo – comes in a pouch)

8 clean 8 oz jars (or size you want to use)

Directions

Combine all ingredients except juice from one of the lemons in a large Dutch oven or pot and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Gradually heat the pot over medium high until ingredients come to a boil.

Lower heat and let boil – stirring to keep from sticking and occasionally removing any foam that may rise to the top.

Boil for 10 to 12 minutes until mixture begins to thicken (will thicken more as it cools).

Remove from heat and squeeze in juice of the second lemon.

Use a ladle to spoon jelly into jars and seal tightly.