A recent Saturday morning found me on the way to my local farmers market in Stillwater. I was hoping to find some peppers, and thrilled to find they were not only there, but also in great abundance. Many levels on the Scoville Heat Scale were represented, from set-your-ears-on-fire habanero to the sweetest bells. All were beautiful, from the smallest to the largest.
I chose a basket with the most red and yellow peppers, having learned that the green ones can take away from the brightness of the jelly I wanted to make.
It was a raw and rainy afternoon when, forced to stay inside, I got out the canning kettle and jars for the jelly. Gathering everything I would need on the kitchen island, I checked my recipe and began by cutting the peppers into pieces. I chopped them finely in the food processor with some chile pepper flakes, then scraped them into a heavy pot. I added sugar, vinegar, salt and a little butter, then boiled the mixture vigorously for five minutes before gradually adding a combination of sugar and powdered pectin. A couple of minutes at a boil completed the jelly making. It was simple. All that was left was to fill the jars and process the jelly in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes and then cool the jars overnight.
The whole process takes about an hour, a short time for such a delicious payoff — five jars of bright and tasty pepper jelly, good with just about any cheese spread on a toasted English muffin, crackers or toast. Try it wherever you like a dab of jelly, even on cottage cheese.
Judy Gorfain is a writer who lives and cooks in Stillwater.
