I’m not a jam or jelly maker, but this seemed like an easy one, and it was! The strawberries are plentiful now, and I even threw the jalapenos (whole) on the smoker for about 30 minutes. The result = yummo!
Warning as the original recipe had about 7 cups of sugar – I reduced it to about 4 (or a little more) and it’s plenty sweet. No need to smoke the jalapenos but you can taste a bit of that smoky flavor if you’re so inclined. It’s great over a block of cream cheese with crackers, a sandwich, an English Muffin, or eat it with a spoon.
Check out the recipe below, and be sure to subscribe to receive ALL of my amazing (sometimes) inventions!
~Connie Kaye
2.5 cups hulled strawberries
1 cup minced jalapeno peppers
4.5 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 (1.75 oz.) pkg powdered fruit pectin
- Submerge 8 (1/2 pt.) jars on a rack in a boiling water canner. Cover and bring to rolling boil, reduce heat to keep warm.
- Toss the berries in a large saucepan and crush with a potato masher. Stir in jalapenos, lemon juice and pectin. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until pectin is dissolved (doesn’t take long). Increase heat to high; bring mixture to a full rolling boil. Stir in sugar until dissolved, return to rolling boil and cook for 1 minute
- Remove jars from pot and ladle in the jam, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Stir with a chopstick or similar device to remove the bubbles/air. Add more jam if needed
- Wipe jar rims with damp paper towels and apply lids & bands. Return to large pot and make they are submerged. Bring to rolling boil and cook 10 minutes. Turn off heat and remove pot lid, let stand in water for 5 minutes
- Transfer jars to cool, check seals by pressing center of each lid to ensure it doesn’t move up and down. Store in cool dark place, jars are shelf stable for 1 year
CONNIE KAYE'S KITCHEN - Recipes and ramblings from Chiefs country 
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