Basil Banana Pepper Jelly

I have basil growing in my herb bed... and I received an abundance of banana peppers, so when I happened across this recipe for Basil Banana Pepper Jelly I had to try it... it's so pretty in the jars... and tasty!

Almost any variety of pepper will work in this jelly, but using both hot and mild peppers and a combination of colors creates the best flavor and appearance. Look for color... but don't be afraid to use peppers with lots of flavor and heat. Sugar and vinegar tame the heat, which is less noticeable when the jelly is used as a marinade or glaze.

Here's what I did...

After preparing my jars and lids... (I heated my jars in a flat pan of boiling water set across two stove eyes, and simmered my lids in hot water, keeping everything hot until I was ready for them)... I thinly sliced a half cup of seeded mild banana peppers

1/4 cup thinly sliced seeded green chili peppers (red chilis would be tasty too, I liked the green/yellow color combination)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

3 or 4 large fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

1/4 tsp. dried basil

In a large, deep, stainless steel saucepan, I combined the banana peppers, chili peppers, onion, fresh and dried basil with 3/4 cup white vinegar

I stirred in 3 cups granulated sugar...

Over high heat, stirring constantly, I brought the mixture to a full rolling boil (that cannot be stirred down).

I stirred in 3 ounces of liquid pectin (I used pectin I had made from apple peelings a few weeks previously, liquid pectin can be found in the grocery store in the canning section)

I boiled the mixture hard, stirring constantly, for one minute. I removed from the heat and quickly skimmed off the foam.

I quickly began filling my hot half pint canning jars with the jelly, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

I wiped the jar rims, tightened the lids on to fingertip tightness, and place the jars into the canner, ensuring they were completely covered with water. I brought it to a boil and processed in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes. After processing, I removed the jars using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar.

*This jelly is a particle suspension jelly... to enhance the suspension of these solids, it may be necessary to gently manipulate the jar after processing. This procedure can be used only with jellies prepared in 4 or 8 ounce jars that have been processed for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. To enhance particle suspension, cool the processed jars upright for 15-30 minutes or just until the lids pop down but the jelly is not fully set. As soon as the lids are concave, carefully and gently twist and/or tilt - do not shake and do not invert - individual jars to distribute solids throughout the jelly. The sealed jar must not be inverted as this might prevent the formation of a vacuum seal. Repeat as needed during the cooling and setting time until solids are nicely suspended in the jelly. 

For a printable copy of this recipe... click here.