Crabapple Hot Pepper Jelly

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 lbs crabapples
• 1 1/2 cups water
• red wine vinegar
• 3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup green bell pepper
• 1/3 cup hot pepper (mix and match hot peppers for color and preferred degree of heat)

Recipe

• 1 in a dutch oven, combine crabapples with water.
• 2 cover and bring slowly to simmer.
• 3 cook until crabapples are very soft.
• 4 pour into a colander lined with a square of dampened cheesecloth and placed over a deep bowl.
• 5 weight down with a saucer and heavy can.
• 6 let stand until dripping stops.
• 7 discard pulp.
• 8 pour collected juice into a liquid measure.
• 9 add enough vinegar to make 3 cups.
• 10 combine in a saucepan with sugar.
• 11 bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• 12 add peppers, then boil briskly for 8 to 10 minutes or until set.
• 13 stir for 7 minutes to prevent floating peppers.
• 14 pour jelly into hot, sterilized 8-ounce canning jars.
• 15 seal with two-piece canning lids.
• 16 let cool, then refrigerate.
• 17 for long-term unrefrigerated storage, process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes immediately after sealing jars.
• 18 note: to test for set, remove pan from heat.
• 19 dip a cold metal spoon into the liquid and hold well above the steam.
• 20 turn spoon sideways and let liquid run off.
• 21 when it forms two drops that run together and drip from edge of spoon, jelling point has been reached.