Crab-Apple Hot Pepper Jelly

Title:
Crab-Apple Hot Pepper Jelly

Yield:
6 Jars

Categories:
Fruits,
Preserves




Ingredients:





     2 lb Crab apples (1 kg)


 1 1/2 c  Water


          Red wine vinegar


 3 3/4 c  Granulated sugar


     1 c  Sweet green peppers


   1/3 c  Hot peppers






 Crab apple pectin gives a good set to this hot pepper jelly. Mix and match


 hot peppers for colour and degree of heat. Banana peppers range from


 piquant to medium-hot. Cherry peppers and long, skinny green chili peppers


 are fiery. (Original recipe indicated 1 cup of hot peppers - recommend 1/3


 cup if using fiery variety).


 


 When chopping hot peppers, wear gloves and don't touch your face or eyes.


 


 In Dutch oven, combine apples with water. Cover and bring slowly to simmer;


 cook until apples are very soft. Pour into colander lined with square of


 dampened muslin and placed over deep bowl. Weight down with saucer and


 heavy can. Let stand until dripping stops. Discard pulp.


 


 Pour collected juice into liquid measure; add enough vinegar to make 3


 cups. Combine in saucepan with sugar. Bring to boil, stirring. Add peppers;


 boil briskly for 8-10 minutes or until set (*). Stir for 7 minutes to


 prevent floating peppers.


 


 Pour jelly into hot, sterilized 8-oz sterilized preserving jars. Seal with


 two-piece canning lids. Let cool and refrigerate. For long-term


 unrefrigerated storage, process in boiling-water bath for 5 minutes


 immediately after sealing jars.


 


 Makes six 8-oz jars.


 


 (*) to test for set: remove pan from heat, dip cold metal spoon into liquid


 and hold well above steam. Turn spoon sideways and let liquid run off; when


 it forms two drops that run together and drip from edge of spoon, jelling


 point is reached.


 


 From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini