Hot Pepper Relish

We grow numerous varieties of peppers in our garden every year, hot, sweet, mild and use them fresh in salsas, Pico De Gallo, on sandwiches, sliced on pizza, diced in casseroles and stuffed.

If there’s any leftover at the end of the season, I dice and freeze them to use throughout the winter months.

Recently, I've read many rave reviews online about Hot Pepper Jelly so wanted to give it a try. I made a couple batches using popular recipes, but I found it seem to lack the “hot” and the pepper “flavor” and was way too sweet for our tastes.

I played around with the recipes and decided instead to use my pickle relish recipe but make it into a Hot Pepper Relish-Jelly. Still sweet, but just not as sweet and with a stronger hot pepper flavor and heat.

If you’re like me, you sometimes need to come up with a quick snack to serve when last-minute guests arrive. One of my favorite tricks is to pour hot pepper relish over goat cheese or cream cheese and serve with crackers.

Everyone seems to love it as it disappears quickly. This also keeps the hungry masses occupied while you finish making dinner!

Uses for Hot Pepper Relish:

• On sandwiches, any sandwich!
• Served as a garnish for baked chicken breast
• Use as a glaze for baked meats (ham, lamb, and duck).
• Poured over cream cheese and serve w/ crackers
• Serve as a garnish for Crab Cakes or Salmon
• As a topper on fresh grilled Steak
• As a spread on garlic bread or cornbread
• Add to salad dressing for a sweet and tangy kick
• On top of scrambled eggs
• Added to melted cheddar cheese and served w/ corn chips
• Blend into Margaritas
• Great for gift giving or added to gift baskets

 A variety of peppers

Hot Pepper Relish-Jelly

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Ingredients

2 red bell peppers

2 green bell peppers (or use yellow)

10 – 12 large jalapeño peppers

6 – 8 various hot peppers (example: Anaheim, cayenne, habanera)

3 large onions

3 – 4 cloves of garlic, diced

¼ Cup pickling salt

2 cups apple cider vinegar

3 cups sugar

*1 pkg. SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin (optional)

Chop peppers, onions, and garlic

Instructions

Wash peppers. Chop and discard pepper stems, membranes, and seeds.

Note: I used my food processor for chopping, but be careful not to over process.

Peel and chop the onions.

Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Place all chopped vegetables in a large bowl and sprinkle with the pickling salt. Add cold water to cover. Stir well and allow to stand for 2 hours.

Place all in a large bowl, add cold water and salt

While waiting, get water bath canner ready and the jars, lids, and necessary canning tools together.

I use this wait time to wash all the utensils and cooking board, and to clean up all the little pieces of chopped peppers that went flying!

After the 2 hours, pour the vegetables in a colander; rinse with fresh cold water and drain well.

While vegetables are draining, bring vinegar and sugar to a boil, over medium-high heat.

*If you wish to make the Jelly a little firmer add 1 box of pectin to the boiling vinegar sugar mixture. Mix until dissolved.

Bring mixture to a slow boil, stirring frequently

Add the drained vegetables to pot and return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook, uncovered over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until a lot of the excess liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally.

 

Ladle Hot Pepper Relish into hot sterilized ½ pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims, adjust the 2 piece lids and rings and process the jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Remove jars from the canner and cool.

Makes 8 half-pints.

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Summer is coming to an end and I'll miss all my fresh organic vegetables, but I am looking forward to autumn,

Elizabeth

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