Extreme - Blackberry / Habanero / Jalapeno Jelly

On first reaction an extreme habanero jelly would raise the question, what are you going to use that on? Toast? A PB&J? No, really this jelly becomes more like a sauce or a great addition to other sauces. This concoction from the garden in combination with sugar and pectin makes a great appetizer over cream cheese with crackers or a great addition to your favorite bar-b-que sauce on chicken wings in a slow cooker with meatballs... The options are up to your imagination. This is a Simple and easy to make jelly that is great and makes for interesting conversations and it is HOT!

Please note that Habanero's are considerably higher on the Scoville scale than the typical jalapeño so please use caution when handling them. Gloves and eye protection are not out of the question.

Step 1: Processing the Fruits

The recipe is pretty simple, I used a combination of Habanero's, Jalapeños and a few chillies. I used a food processor to chop all of the peppers to a fine chop (seeds and all) but not puréed.

3 - cups chopped peppers
1 - cup chopped blackberries
5 - cups of sugar
1/2 - cup vinegar
1 - package of pectin
Juice of one lemon

Combine everything in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil slowly, stirring often. Follow the directions on your pectin package. You may notice that my setup doesn't exactly follow a traditional jelly recipe. This is better and easier to use as a loose set and not a traditional firm set jelly.

Step 2: After Cooking - Jar It Up and Process It

After bringing the jelly to a boil and processing per your instruction on your pectin package. Ladle the jelly into your sterilized jars leaving about 1/4" of room at the top of the jar for processing. Typically, I will sterilize my jars, lids, and rings in the dishwasher by starting the cycle before I begin processing the peppers. Once your jars are filled, wipe the rim of the jars and screw on the lids and rings. Process the jars in an 8 qt water bath canner (or a big pot with a second bottom in it) for about 20+ minutes. Remove from the canner, cover with a tea towel and wait for them to cool.