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Pepper Jelly with Sugar or Honey

Pepper Jelly with Sugar or Honey is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked hot pepper jelly made with Pomona’s Pectin. Pomona's Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Servings 3 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 cup bell peppers seeded, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup jalapeno peppers seeded, finely chopped (leave seeds in for more heat)
  • 1 1/3 cups vinegar standardized to 5% acidity
  • 2 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
  • 1½ cups honey or 2 1/3 cups sugar divided
  • 1½ teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener
U.S. - Metric

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.
  • Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
  • Wash, seed, and finely chop bell peppers. Then measure into sauce pan.
  • Wash, seed (if desired), and finely chop jalapeno peppers. Then measure and add to sauce pan.
  • Measure vinegar into sauce pan.
  • Bring peppers and vinegar to a boil and simmer covered for 5 minutes.
  • Turn off heat, add calcium water, and mix well.
  • Measure ½ cup of the sugar or ½ cup of the room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into the ½ cup of sweetener. Set aside.
  • Return pepper mixture to the heat and bring to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin.
  • Add remaining sugar or honey once pectin is dissolved. Stir well and return to a full boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
  • Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.

Notes

Options: It is fine to vary the ratio of finely chopped bell peppers and jalapeno peppers as long as you don’t exceed a total of 1 1/3 cups of finely chopped peppers.
It is fine to use peppers other than jalapenos for the hot peppers.
Use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or wine vinegar, as long as it is standardized to 5% acidity.