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Pepper Jellies 🌶️🌶️ Mild–Medium Entry · $8 retail · $4 wholesale
Garden Pepper Jam (Jalapeño)
Rustic, sellable pepper jam. Confetti color. Only jalapeño-to-sweet ratio changes between tiers; everything safety-critical stays identical.
Channel Farmers Market Yield ~6 jars Tier Two-Tier (Mild or Medium)
Heat Tiers
| Tier | Jalapeño | Sweet peppers | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild | ¼ cup | 2 cups | ~2.25 cups |
| Medium | ¾ cup | 1.5 cups | ~2.25 cups |
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet peppers (Bell + Lunchbox Orange + Cajun Belle), seeded & finely diced — MILD (reduce to 1.5 cups for MEDIUM)
- ¼ cup jalapeños, seeded & finely diced (regular, not Mammoth) — MILD (increase to ¾ cup for MEDIUM)
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- 5 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp powdered pectin (regular, e.g. Sure-Jell)
- ½ tsp butter (optional, reduces foaming)
Method
- Prep 6 half-pint jars, lids, rings. Hold hot in 180°F water. Start canner heating.
- Gloves on. Seed and finely dice all peppers; pulse in food processor (don't purée).
- Combine peppers + vinegar + pectin (and butter if using) in large pot. Stir constantly; bring to full rolling boil that can't be stirred down.
- Add all sugar at once. Return to full rolling boil. Boil hard exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Off heat. Skim foam. Sit 5 min, stir occasionally to keep pepper bits suspended.
- Ladle into hot jars, ¼" headspace. Wipe rims. Lids fingertip-tight.
- Boiling water bath 10 minutes. Off heat. Sit 5 min. Remove.
- Cool undisturbed 12–24 hrs. Confirm lid seal. Verify pH ≤ 4.6 before selling. Fridge unsealed jars.
Notes
- Mammoth jalapeños = milder per oz; bulk into sweet base for MILD tier.
- Regular jalapeños = push heat into MEDIUM.
- Cajun Belle = sweet-warm rounded flavor; secret weapon for 'flavor without heat'.
- Color: Bell + Lunchbox Orange for orange-red; add a little green jalapeño skin for fleck contrast.
- Why two tiers, one base: holding vinegar/sugar/pectin/process constant means one validated safety profile for both products. Only jalapeño ratio swings — that's flavor, not safety.