Strawberry Jalapeno Jam

My older sister, the Phoenix, and her boyfriend (we'll call him Eastwood) absolutely love the State Fair.  They go every year. They go see some shows. They look at the livestock. And they love entering the contests.

Yes, they enter the cooking contests just like the ones we entered last fall. They enter their fresh fruits and veggies they grow in their garden. They enter the photography contests. They also win something (usually a 1st Place Blue Ribbon) every single year!

1st place grapes

1st place pears

They also enter their canned goods. You can see she won first for a peach jelly she made one year.

Her peach jelly is in the middle--1st place!

The Phoenix also makes this Jalapeno Jelly.  Jalapeno jelly?!  Weird! It's a bright green in color, clear, and sweet with just a hint of heat.

And we love it!  It's best served with warm cream cheese and Ritz crackers.

So when we got a whole flat of strawberries in our Bountiful Basket, I thought strawberries might be a nice addition to the Phoenix's Jalapeno Jelly idea.

Loads and loads of strawberries!

Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

This jam only uses a handful of ingredients.

Five ingredients

Hull and mash your strawberries.  I cheated and used my food processor and pulsed till I got a mashed consistency. Or you can take a potato masher and give it a go--whatever floats your boat!

A couple of notes about the next step--the peppers:

1. If you are chopping stuff by hand, DO NOT touch your eyes, lips, mouth, nose! Bad news bears!
2. If you want it hotter, keep all the membranes and seeds.
3. If it's still not hot enough for you, add a few serrano peppers. They are smaller, but I think it adds some nice warmth.

Jalapeno peppers

Serrano peppers!

Then finely chop your jalapenos (and serranos, if your prefer). Or you can cheat again and toss everything into your food processor.

Minced peppers...seeds, membranes and all

Then you combine with some sugar, lemon juice, and pectin.

Combine it (not amazing lighting, but wanted to show you what it looked like)!

Then can it!

I have an old school steamer pot.

The tricky part is waiting overnight before you can pop one of them open.

Love that color!

Look at that beautiful color!  All of the stuff stays at the top of the jar, but you can give it a quick stir before you serve it.

Cream cheese and Ritz crackers--perfect!

It is so good!

Jalapeno Strawberry Jam

(adapted from Allrecipes)

Ingredients:

4 c mashed strawberries

1 c minced jalapeno (about 5-7) and serrano peppers (about 3)

1/2 c lemon juice

2 oz pectin

7 c sugar

Half pint canning jars with lids and rings, 10 to 12 jars

Directions:

Sterilize jars and lids for at least 5 minutes.  Set aside.

In a large stockpot, add strawberries, peppers, lemon juice, and pectin, and stir. Cook at high till boiling. Add sugar and stir till dissolved. Bring back to boil and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat. The mixture may be foamy on top.

Using a funnel, ladle jam into jars, stirring before to get rid of the foam and to distribute the strawberries/peppers.  Wipe down edges of jars with a damp rag and top with lids and screw on rings. 

Bring water to boil in canning pot.  Place jars in pot--water should be at least an inch above the jar tops. Process jars for 10 minutes in boiling water.  Turn off heat, remove jars from pot to a wood surface, and let cool overnight.  Do not tip jars or push on the lids until the following morning.

Serve over warmed cream cheese (1 minute in the microwave) and Ritz crackers.  Enjoy!