September 6, 2012

Canning Recipes

Here is some new recipes, as I’ve been doing non stop canning!  Since I’ve had an overabundance of Jalapenos I decided to make some salsa, jalapeno jelly and cowboy candy.  Yeehaw!  Ok ok so I’m from the Midwest, but a woman can dream right!?

First up is the Jalapeno Jelly.  This recipe was given to me from a girl at work who has made it for years.  It’s wonderful! 

Jalapeno Jelly
3/4 lb of Fresh jalapenos, cored and seeded (leave seeds if you wanted it hot!)
2 cups apple-cider vinegar
6 cups sugar
2 pouches liquid pectin
3 drops of green food coloring to make it a ‘green’ color

Get your jars, lids and rings sterilized.in hot water. 

Wash, seed and core the jalapenos wearing gloves! This is from first hand experience ya know ;)  Puree in blender or food processer with 1 cup apple cider, I used my Ninja machine, which also by the way makes amazing Margaritas!  Pour into LARGE pot (yes large I learned the hard way)..  add the rest of the cider vineager and all the sugar, bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Allow to boil for 10 min (make sure to watch it closely! Again learned the hard way).  Add pectin and let it rapidly boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add food coloring if you desire. 

Ladle jelly into hot jars (your choice of size), (I used small ones). Leave ¼” headspace.  Wipe the rim and put lid and ring on, screwing tight but not overly tight. Boil in water bath for 10 min, let cool fro 24 hours and check for seal.  Serve with Cream Cheese and crackers or use as a topping for whatever you heart desires!

Cowboy Candy yeehaw!
It sounds weird, I know but they actually turned out very good.  I don’t care for hot stuff and next time I make these I will leave the seeds and stems out mostly, the jalapenos are hot enough directly from the garden as it is!  Still a great thing to serve at parties, work or just as a snack.  Serve them with cream cheese and crackers, or as others were doing at my party they put it on everything, burgers, brats, etc. crazy right??????
I took the recipe from here Cowboy Candy and it was amazing!  I had so many people ask me how I made it!  I do think that next time I will scoop out the seeds and membranes though, as some of it was a little too hot.  But either way it was good! 
·   3 pounds Firm, Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Washed
·   2 cups Cider Vinegar
·   6 cups White Granulated Sugar
·   ½ teaspoons Turmeric
·   ½ teaspoons Celery Seed
·   3 teaspoons Granulated Garlic
·   1 teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper

Preparation Instructions to can:

Prepare clean jars by washing, sterilizing and having your lids/bands heating up in hot water.

Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem. Discard the stems.
Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds, remove seeds and membranes if desired. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.

Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Insert a chopstick or some other utensil (wood or plastic only), I use a citrus peeler to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on seals and lids to finger-tip tightness.

To can, place jars in a canner and cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth, then label.

Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating.

For non canning:

Simply put the jars in your refrigerator and store them there.

These are great served on cream cheese/crackers but can literally be used for anything, sandwiches, pizza, etc. The syrup if any is left makes a great marinade.

I will have to gather my recipe for Salsa and get that posted as well.  It's one Scorching Salsa!