It has been sooooo long since I have posted anything.

I really do not know where to start.

Do I start with a recipe and pretend I have not posted in like 8 months?

Or, just say that with my sweet Daddy going to heaven and my Mom falling down several times and being in skilled nursing twice to recover, plus teaching summer and canning goodies from my garden and school starting again, it has taken this long to get my life in better balanced.

Just trying to balance life.

I know you all are too!

So…that being said let just start with a fun canning recipe.

Okay?

This recipe caught my attention a couple of years ago. I just thought it was beautiful. I love how the peppers just float, suspended in the jelly.

This is the perfect jelly to put over cream cheese and serve with crackers. Even though I just used mild sweet peppers, cause I am allergic to jalapeños, you could definitely switch out some sweet peppers for the hot ones.

That is the great thing about canning. As long as you stay within the “safe rules” you can mix things up a bit.

Add this beautiful and delicious jelly to your pantry. On a day when you need a fast appetizer just throw in on brie, cream cheese or serve it plan and it will be tasty and beautiful!

Here is what you will need for this recipe: thinly sliced mild yellow peppers, thinly sliced mild red peppers, chopped red onion, fresh basil cut in strips, dried basil, white vinegar, granulated sugar and 1 pouch of liquid pectin.

First thing you do is chop and slice all your veggies up. Put them in a deep sauce pan. Add in the vinegar, stir in the sugar.

Over high heat, stirring to a full boil (that cannot be stirred down). Stir in the liquid pectin. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for a full minute. Remove from heat and skim off the foam.

Pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rim, Center lid on the jar. Screw the band down, finger tight.

Place jars into water bath canner, make sure all the jars are completely covered with water and boil and process for 10 minutes.

Remove jars and cool.

Basil and Sweet Pepper Jelly Adapted from the Banana Pepper Jelly Recipe from Ball Preserving Book

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow peppers
• 1/4 cup thinly slice red peppers (this is where you could switch out to jalapeños)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 3 to 4 basil leaves, cut into ribbons
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 pouch liquid pectin

Directions:

• Prepare your water bath canner. Put a touch of white vinegar in the water so you do not get calcium deposits on your jar.
• In a large deep sauce pan, add your yellow and red peppers, onions, fresh and dried basil, vinegar and sugar.
• Bring to a boil that you cannot stir down. this is very important to get your jelly to a certain temperature.
• Stir in the pectin.
• Bring to a hard boil, stirring constantly.
• Boil for one full minute.
• Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

Quickly ladle the jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace and wipe the rims off with a warm paper towel to remove any jelly that might have spilled on the rim. Place the lid on and then the screw band. Tighten the band on finger tip tight.

Place jars in canner, making sure that they are completely immersed in water, and bring water back to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool for 24 hours.

Whew…that is all there is to it!

You know what I am most proud of about this jelly?

I grew the peppers and basil in my little backyard garden.

But whether you grow them yourself or buy them, you will be proud of it too!

Enjoy!

Becky