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Peach-Jalapeno Jelly

rectangle basket of peaches sitting on green grass
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Peach-Jalapeno Jelly is a low-sugar cooked jelly made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
This recipe was created by Allison Carroll Duffy for Pomona’s Pectin.

Notes

Before making this recipe, please read these important notes, from Allison, about safety and options:
Pepper Choices: You can use any color of bell pepper and any variety of hot pepper that you wish, in any combination, as long as the total quantity of peppers, including both hot peppers and bell peppers, does not exceed 1 cup. If you like extra heat, you can increase the hot pepper quantity, while decreasing the bell pepper quantity by the same amount. f you prefer less heat, you can do the opposite. Peppers are a low-acid food, and must be balanced with the proper quantity of acid (vinegar, in this case) in order for the jelly to be safe for boiling water bath canning, which is why the overall quantity of peppers used in this recipe must not exceed 1 cup.
Vinegar Choices: Use standard white or apple cider vinegar with 5 percent acidity.
Fruit Choices: If you prefer to use fruits other than or in addition to peaches, there are a few other fruits that will work well with this recipe. Specifically, in addition to peaches, you may use any combination of nectarine, apricot, sweet cherry, sweet plum, or pear (but not Asian pear). Fruits not on this list will not work well with this recipe. If you don’t have fresh fruit to work with, you can purchase unsweetened fruit juice and use that instead. Just be sure that the fruit juice contains no additional ingredients. If you are using unsweetened fruit juice rather than fresh fruit, skip steps 2 and 3.
Servings 6 cups

Ingredients

  • 4½ pounds peaches see note
  • ½ cup finely chopped bell pepper see note
  • ½ cup finely chopped jalapeno pepper see note
  • ¾ cup vinegar see note
  • 6 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
  • 1¼ cups sugar
  • 5½ teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener

Instructions

  • Before you begin, prepare calcium water.
    To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.
    Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
  • Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
  • Remove and discard peach pits and peels, then chop the peaches and place in a sauce pan with 1 cup water. Cover, bring the peaches up to a boil, reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and thoroughly mash the peaches. (Note: It is not essential that you pit and peel the peaches, as it is only the juice obtained from the peaches that will be used in this recipe. However, pitting and peeling the peaches will give you the option, after you’re done with this recipe, to use the spent mashed peach pulp in a variety of different ways, rather than simply composting it. Try it in smoothies, or on vanilla ice cream!)
  • Transfer the mashed peaches into a jelly bag. (An impromptu bag made from layers of cheesecloth wrapped around the mashed fruit and gathered at the top works equally well, if you don’t have a jelly bag.) Suspend the jelly bag over a large bowl and allow the mashed fruit to drip juice into the bowl until you have accumulated 4 cups of juice. This will likely take 2-4 hours. After you have accumulated the necessary 4 cups of juice, you can compost the fruit pulp, or – even better – use it for something else.
  • Wash the bell peppers, remove and discard seeds, and finely chop. Repeat the process for the jalapeno peppers.
  • Measure the chopped bell peppers and the chopped jalapeno peppers. Place the measured quantities in a sauce pan and add the vinegar.
  • Cover the pepper-vinegar mixture and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, remove it from the heat.
  • Measure 4 cups of the peach juice (If you have extra juice, use it for something else). Pour the measured quantity into the sauce pan with the vinegar-pepper mixture. Then, add the calcium water and stir to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and the pectin powder. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
  • Put the sauce pan on the stove and bring the peach mixture up to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the sugar-pectin mixture, then stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes, still over the highest heat, to dissolve the pectin. Return the jelly to a boil, then remove it from the heat.
  • Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
  • Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
  • Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.

43 Comments

  2. Hi I’m making this right now and is it one cup total peppers after been put through food processor or 1 cup peppers before food processed? I measured the peppers before I put them through the food processor and now that they are mush it looks more like half a cup than one cup.

    Reply

    1. You will want 1c of finely chopped peppers of your choice. Peppers that have been processed in a food processor may not get the results you want.

      Reply

  7. Hello Shelby,
    If I use canned peaches or canned peach juice (unsweetened) instead of fresh in this recipe, do I still need 4lbs of it? Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Hey there,

      Great questions! No, for this recipe you will just need 4 cups of peach juice (unsweetened).

      Reply

  9. Are you supposed to also drain the peppers out of the vinegar mixture since this is a jelly or do you leave it in and can it?

    Reply

  10. Is it 6 teaspoons of calcium water or 1/2 tsp? The way I’m reading this it’s 1/2 tsp per 1/2 cup water. That would be 6 tsp with 6 cups of water? That seems like a lot!

    Reply

    1. Hello Barbaba,

      The calcium water is made up of 1/2 cup water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon calcium powder. From that solution you will pull the 6 teaspoons called for in this recipe.

      The calcium water can be stored in the fridge for several months (will just need to be tossed if it has any floating bits or smell or color). It can also be stored in the freezer and will keep indefinitely, and will just need to be thawed before use. We also highly recommend labeling your jar of calcium water, as it seems to be the first item tossed when cleaning the fridge/freezer 😉.

      Reply

  11. Could I use regular peppers and red pepper flakes instead of hot peppers. I was thinking 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes and the rest green peppers to equal the 1 cup limit. Would I need to do anything else differently.

    Reply

    1. Hello Jayne,

      You can certainly replace the 4 cups of peach juice with 4 cups of watermelon juice, though you will need to add an additional 1/4 cup of lemon juice to your recipe.

      Happy jamming!

      Reply

  13. The recipe says that “you can compost the fruit pulp, or – even better – use it for something else.” Any suggestions as to what the ‘something else’ might be? What are some ways to use the pulp?

    Reply

    1. Great question! We love using additional pulp as yogurt topping, mixed into scones or muffins, and in the summer we add it to our popsicles!

      Reply

    1. Hello Cathy,

      You sure can! You will want to reduce the amount of pectin if you choose to use mashed fruit vs fruit juice.

      Reply

    1. Hello Racheal,

      Yes, it should work just fine with canned pineapple in place of peaches. We have never made it that way before and would love it if you let us know how it goes!

      Reply

  21. I tried your receipt with ground cherries and did not have success. The jelly did not set. I did double the ingredients and failed to add all pectin when I should have. How can I repair my mistake?

    Reply

  22. I would like to make some quince & jalapeño pepper jelly. Can I use this recipe for peach and jalapeño pepper jelly, using the same ratios, with quince in place of the peaches? It seems like I would need more vinegar than 3/4 cup.

    Reply

    1. Dear Deborah,
      We think it would be fine to substitute quince juice for the peach juice in the Peach-Jalapeno Jelly recipe without using additional vinegar. Quince is actually more acid than peach.

      We haven’t done it ourselves and would be interested in how it turns out if you try it.

      Thanks for using Pomona’s Pectin, and happy jamming!

      Reply

      1. I made this recipe with quince juice! Absolutely delicious and it certainly jelled thanks to the extra pectin in the quince.

        Reply

          1. Yes, you sure can! We believe you will want to decrease the Pomona’s Pectin measurement down to just 3 teaspoons. Happy jamming!

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