Shriveled Peppers

Use old shriveled red, yellow or green peppers to make pepper jelly.  Well, use them to make anything.  Just don't throw them out.

Green Pepper Jelly
From Ball
Yield: about 6 half-pints

7 sweet green peppers
1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
1 1/2 c. cider vinegar, divided
1 1/2 c. apple juice
6 T. Ball Classic Pectin or one box Sure-Jell
1/2 t. salt
5 c. sugar, measured in a separate bowl
Green food coloring (optional) I didn't use

To Prepare Juice:  Wash peppers; remove stems and seeds.  Cut peppers into 1/2-inch pieces.  Puree half the peppers and 3/4 c. vinegar in a food processor or blender.  Puree remaining peppers and vinegar.  Combine puree and apple juice in a large bowl.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Strain pureed mixture through a damp jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth.  Measure 4 c. juice.  Add additional apple juice to make 4 c., if needed.

To Make Jelly:  Combine juice, pectin and slat in a large saucepot.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  Add sugar all at once, stirring until dissolved.  Return to a rolling boil.  Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim foam if necessary.  Stir in a few drops of food coloring, if desired.  Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process 10 min. in a boiling-water canner.  

Serve on top of crackers and cheese. So yummy!

Variation:  Substitute sweet red, orange or yellow peppers and red, orange or yellow food coloring for sweet green peppers and green food coloring.
Note:  When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned. 

Green pepper jelly (with green food coloring) and red crab apple jelly make a nice Christmas gift from the kitchen.

Runny Jelly

Which of course wouldn't be jelly, but a syrup and can be used as such.  But you can remake it and hope it turns out the second time. 

Remake Directions

From Sure Jell

1 box  SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

3/4 cup  cold water

1 cup  of your jam or jelly

2 Tbsp.  sugar

 

PREPARE CONTAINERS: Rinse clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water; dry thoroughly.
PREPARE PECTIN MIXTURE: Gradually add pectin to water in small (1-qt.) saucepan, stirring constantly. Bring to boil on medium heat; boil 2 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
PREPARE TRIAL BATCH: Measure jam or jelly into small bowl. Add sugar; stir 3 min. or until sugar is completely dissolved. Add 1 Tbsp. of the pectin mixture; stir an additional 3 min. Immediately pour into one of the prepared containers. Cover and let stand up to 24 hours before checking to see if set. Meanwhile, store remaining pectin mixture in refrigerator.
PREPARE REMAINDER OF BATCH: If Trial Batch sets satisfactorily, prepare remaining jam or jelly, remaking no more than 8 cups of jam or jelly at one time and using same directions as for Trial Batch with the above-listed measures of sugar and pectin mixture for each 1 cup of jam or jelly. 

Pour into prepared containers. Discard any leftover pectin mixture. Refrigerate jelly.  

Or LADLE immediately into prepared glass canning jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

 

Kraft Kitchens Tips

How to Measure Larger Amounts of Ingredients

For convenience in measuring larger amounts of sugar and pectin mixture: 3 tsp. = 1 Tbsp., 8 Tbsp. = 1/2 cup, and 16 Tbsp. = 1 cup.

Note

If your jam or jelly still doesn’t set, you can always use it as a glaze or syrup.

 

Crabapple Jelly

We hacked back a tree loaded with crabapples.  I couldn't bear to not use some of them so I pick crabapples off the cut branches.  The rest were hauled away.  Sniff.  If I had known the jelly was going to be so good I would have picked the rest.  It would have taken me weeks but I maybe would have possible kind of done that.  I didn't have enough juice for a second batch so I threw in some canned peach juice that had been sitting in the fridge for about a month.  It was still wasn't enough. Tart cherry juice topped it off. 

Apple or Crabapple Jelly 

From Sure-Jell

Makes 10-12 cups 

7 cups  prepared juice (buy about 5 lbs. apples or crabapples

5 cups  water

1 box  SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

1/2 tsp.  butter or margarine

9 cups  sugar, measured into separate bowl

 
IF USING A CANNER, BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. See alternative open kettle method below.

WASH jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
 
REMOVE stems and blossom ends from unpeeled washed apples.  Core apples; cut into small pieces. Not necessary for crabapples.  Place in large saucepan; add water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 min., stirring occasionally. Crush cooked apples; cover and simmer 5 min. Place three layers of damp cheesecloth or a jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently. Measure exactly 7 cups prepared juice into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. (If needed, add up to 1/2 cup water for exact measure.) 

I highly recommend using a Nutri-Steamer.  It is so easy compared with the above method.   All you do is place the washed crabapples in the basket, steam them for 90 min. then collect the juice. 



 
STIR pectin into juice in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
 
LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. With a small spoon skim off remaining foam.  Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly.

Here I just flip the jars upside down (open kettle method) and let them cool for 12 hours.  Flip the jars over and test seals.  There will be space at the bottom with this technique.


OR

Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.) 

Fermenting Apple Juice

Apple juice that is a slightly fermented makes great apple jelly.  The little fermentation gives it that homemade taste.

SURE.JELL® Apple Jelly

4 cups canned apple juice

Few drops red food coloring(optional)

1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin

1/2 tsp. butter or margarine

5 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

This recipe would probably work with any juice.
I even read that someone used Kool-Aid.

Kraft Kitchens Tips:

How to Measure Precisely

To get exact level cup measures of sugar,
spoon sugar into dry metal or plastic measuring cup,
then level by scraping excess sugar from top of cup
with a straight-edged knife.

Bring water to boil in a sauce pan. Place flat lids in boiling water.
Turn off heat. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water;
rinse with warm water. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

Measure juice into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot; add food coloring.

Stir pectin into juice in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Turn upside down to seal lids. Let sit for at least 12 hours. Turn upright. Check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)