Crabapple Hot Pepper Jelly

5.00 (11)
⏱ 40 mins 🍽 6 Half Pints 🏷 Jellies

This jelly captures the essence of autumn with its blend of tart crabapples and spicy peppers. It creates a versatile condiment that complements cream cheese, chicken, or pork dishes beautifully. The method involves simmering the fruit, straining the juice, and boiling it with sugar and peppers to achieve a perfect set. The recipe yields six half-pint jars, suitable for immediate use or preserving through a water bath for long-term storage.

Crabapple Hot Pepper Jelly

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs crabapples
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • red wine vinegar
  • 3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup green bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup hot pepper (mix and match hot peppers for color and preferred degree of heat)

Method

  1. Place the crabapples and 1 1/2 cups water into a Dutch oven.
  2. Put the lid on the pot and gradually heat the contents until they simmer.
  3. Continue cooking until the crabapples have become completely tender.
  4. Transfer the cooked mixture into a colander lined with a piece of damp cheesecloth, positioned above a deep bowl.
  5. Press down on the pulp using a saucer topped with a heavy can.
  6. Allow the juice to drip until it ceases to flow.
  7. Dispose of the remaining fruit pulp.
  8. Pour the strained juice into a liquid measuring cup.
  9. Mix in sufficient red wine vinegar to yield a total of 3 cups of liquid.
  10. Transfer this liquid along with 3 3/4 cups granulated sugar into a clean saucepan.
  11. Heat the mixture while stirring continually until it reaches a rolling boil.
  12. Stir in the chopped green and hot peppers, then maintain a vigorous boil for 8 to 10 minutes until the jelly sets.
  13. Stir the jelly constantly for 7 minutes to ensure the pepper pieces remain suspended.
  14. Ladle the hot jelly into sterilised 8-ounce canning jars.
  15. Secure the jars with two-piece canning lids.
  16. Allow the jars to cool completely before placing them in the refrigerator.
  17. For shelf-stable storage, process the sealed jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
  18. To check if the jelly is set, first take the saucepan off the heat.
  19. Submerge a cold metal spoon into the jelly and lift it high above the steam.
  20. Turn the spoon on its side and watch how the liquid falls from it.
  21. The jelling point is achieved when the liquid forms two drops that merge and fall together from the spoon's edge.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium5900 mg

Recipe details

CategoryJellies
AuthorMolly53