By any other Name..Habanero Gold Jelly

I love to can and I love to stand back and look at all my freshly canned jars all lined up and gleaming. And the ping of the lids sealing is just the sweetest sound. And when I open the door to my pantry and see all the goodness just waiting to be opened...gawd there is just nothing more beautiful. My Habanero Jelly is my entry to the Art You Can Eat #3 Go Local blogging event.

Habanero Gold Jelly is our all time favorite and we go through jars of it. We are not jelly fans nor hot pepper fans....who'd a thought!! But it's sweet/tangy taste is absolutely addictive and once you taste it, you can not stop eating it. This addiction problem is why I only can Habanero Gold in half pints!

My friend Carol used her vast canning experience to develop the "Big Batch" version "to increase the small yield...because liquid pectin is expensive". And she did just that, doubling the yield yet not interfering with the taste, and it is fabulous!

The Habanero Gold Jelly Recipe is reprinted in the new "Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving", but they do not credit Mr. Rouleau for developing the original recipe which is a shame.







Carol Clark's "Big Batch" Habanero Gold Jelly or Hot 'N Sweet Confetti Jelly
Recipe inspired by "Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving" by Bob Rouleau


1 cup minced dried apricots (1/8" dice) *See Carol's Notes
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 **See Carol's Notes
1-1/2 cups white vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 3-ounce pouch liquid pectin

*Note: Could use dried peaches or pears instead.

**Note: For extra-hot, increase Habaneros to 1/2 cup and reduce red sweet pepper/red onion combination to 1 cup total.

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 and 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, Boiling Water Bath 10 minutes. When jars are sealed, "agitate" to distribute solids throughout the jelly.

Reprinted with Carol Clark's written permission.


Pink Popper Jelly
Developed in the Kitchen of Big-Black-Dog and inspired by my friend Carol

Same as Carol's Big Batch Habanero Gold Jelly with the following changes:



3/4 c. minced dried apricots
1/4 c. minced dried cherries
1 1/2 Habneraro peppers, diced (I'm soft when it comes to hot pepper!)

The Pink Popper Jelly is a rosy orange and the taste is just different enough to justify the name change. We love the Pink Popper Jelly and I only use MI Dried Cherries because they're the best!!

In the picture to the right my Pink Popper Jelly is the bottom jar and the Habanero Gold Jelly is the top. You can plainly see the difference in color but you'll have to imagine the taste!



Check out my Savory Cheddar and Jalapeno Jelly Cookies!


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