I don't think you're ready for this jelly!

That is what Mike sang to me today, so that will be my title. I hope it gets into all of your heads, just like me!
http://youtu.be/IyYnnUcgeMc

So, I finally did what I have been saying I was going to do for weeks: I made pepper jelly.
I grew an awesome pepper plant this summer and the peppers were just ripe, time to figure out what I could do with 10 spicy peppers....jelly!
As always, I researched many recipes and tweaked it to my liking (and the ingredients I had).

Helpful hint: Make sure to read all of the steps to making and canning the jelly before starting! It is always best to know what you are getting into!

Here are the ingredients :

• 2 cups White Vinegar (make sure it is cooking grade with 5% acidity)
• 2 packages pectin such as sure-jell
• 6 oz (about 3/4 Cup) chopped, dried apricots
• 1/2 cup chopped spicy peppers - such as jalapenos (make sure to take out the seeds and stems before chopping - I use a food processor for easy chopping)
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (again, make sure to de-seed before chopping)

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 6 cups white sugar

Sauce as it is cooking

WARNING: This recipe takes 2 days. It is really easy, but the apricots need to soak in the vinegar overnight.

Here is the process:
Day 1: Take a large (at least 6 quart), preferably stainless steel, pot and pour in the chopped apricots and the 2 cups vinegar, let sit overnight.
Day 2:
1. Start by chopping up all of the veggies - I really recommend a food processor for ease and consistency in the size you are chopping it in to.
2. Stir all of the peppers and onions into the vinegar and apricot mixture and turn the heat on high to start a boil.
3. While the mixture is heating, stir in 6 cups of sugar (I did a scosche less - because I used no/low sugar pectin - you will want to add a large part of the sugar though, because the apricots won't be enough to sweeten the jelly)
4. Once the mixture comes to a rolling boil (where you can't stop it by stirring), quickly add in the pectin while still stirring. Once the pectin is stirred in, take off the heat.

Now it is time to start the canning!
Okay, canning can seem daunting, but as long as you follow instructions and know a few basics, it is really easy (especially with acid based foods that don't need the use of a pressure canner).

1. For this jelly, you will need 14-16 four-ounce sterilized glass jars with rings and new lids. When I say sterilized, all this means is make sure they are brand new out of the package, or they have been run through a dishwasher on the hottest cycle (most dishwashers have an option for sterilize).
2. Put a large pot (at least 10 - 12 quarts) of water on the stove to boil
3. I would recommend getting a canning kit - but at the very least, you must have canning tongs for taking the jars in and out of the water, and a canning funnel for ladling the jelly into the jars. Here is a picture to the left.
4. Once your jars are sanitized (hopefully you will have done this while you are preparing the jelly), ladle the jelly into the jars, leaving at least 1/4 inch head space at the top of each jar.
5. Once you have ladled all of the jelly, one-by-one wipe the rims of the jars, place to lid on and tighten the ring on. You don't have to be a muscle man for this, just tighten to the best of your ability.
6. Now, once the water is boiled, drop the jars in with the canning tongs. Let boil for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes have passed, take the jars out with the tongs and let sit for at least 24 hours.
7. The way you will know that the jars have sufficiently sealed, is by what I call, the Snapple test. If you are around my age, you will remember the refreshing fruit drink called Snapple and the obnoxious popping sound that the cap made when you pushed on it. It used to drive teachers nuts! Just like that sound was bad for teachers, this sound is bad for your jars. Push down on the middle of the cap of the jar and if it pops back up, like the Snapple cap, it hasn't sealed properly. Don't worry about this tests validity until 24 hours has passed. It is common for jars to come out of the boiling water making this sound. If the lid hasn't "popped" into place after a day, it probably won't and you will want to put the contents in the fridge and use it right away to make sure it doesn't spoil.

Here is the finished product:

Serve over roasted pork or with cream cheese and crackers as a yummy appetizer. Enjoy!