Friday, September 17, 2010

Red Pepper Marmalade

Last week as I was getting ready to go to the beach, I realized that my bell peppers accumulated from our friend's CSA had reached critical mass.  They were going to start spoiling unless I preserved them somehow.  I could have just chopped them up and froze them, but instead, I made red pepper marmalade using the recipe in Simply in Season


It's a jam made with ground up bell peppers and hot peppers, some sugar and vinegar.  PA Dutchy people like to spread it on crackers with cream cheese.  What do you do with it, if you've heard of it?

I didn't wear gloves when I handled the little hot peppers from our yard because I thought, oh, I'm just topping them to throw them in the food processor.  Hours later, I finally realized why the skin under my fingernails was stinging and raw.  Good grief!  Lesson learned.

5 comments:

Melanie said...

Yum - we love pepper jelly! I actually had it for the first time at Rebecca's folks' when we were there for our first annual tomato canning party; I've made it every summer since.

We give it away with a little tag (suggested use: crackers and cream cheese ;-) for Christmas, and we eat it ourselves at our Sunday "living room picnic" with our popcorn, raw veggies and fruit, and crackers. Some good friends have enjoyed it as a glaze on pork and in salad dressings and marinades.

The first time I made it, I thought the same thing about prepping the hot peppers, and learned that lesson the hard way. The worst, actually, since I was making full-on jalapeno jelly, was stirring the boiling vinegar, sugar and pepper puree - my hand was a combo of pickled and sunburned! I've diligently used a marked pair of long rubber gloves for the occasion ever since ;-)

Laura said...

SInce I was a child red pepper jelly or green pepper jelly on crackers, with or without cream cheese, has been a holiday staple!

I like the idea of eating it with meat, though. I could see it paired with beef or pork or lamb - yum!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pictures! I felt completely wimpy buying plastic gloves to handle hot peppers, but I'm always glad I did. Have you ever accidentally rubbed your eye? Gah!

Rebecca said...

My dear dad is the cutest ever when he gets going with either his hot peppers or his horseradish. He gets out not only the rubber gloves but the respirator from his shop. I laughed at him until, one time, I inhaled a snootful of pepper fumes.

Natasha said...

I gave this as Christmas gifts last year... I tied a nice little Christmas bow around it and people are still talking about it. It was so easy and so delish!