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This Green Pepper Jelly recipe is super easy to make and goes great over a block of cream cheese with some wheat-thin crackers. 

I don't know about you, but I love jelly jars. The jars are so cute and some of my favorites are the ones with the gingham tops on them.

As a little girl, I used to stand in the kitchen and watch my mom every year as she canned all kinds of things. She would make green beans, tomato juice, diced tomatoes, homemade pickles, jellies, and more. Most of my summer as a little girl was spent helping my mom ready the jars for canning.

A couple of years ago, I was given a Ball Preserving and Canning book and let me tell you — if you are planning on trying to can, then you need to have a copy of this book. It is the bible of canning– no joke.

For me, I like canning recipes that don't require a pressure cooker for canning, but if you are going to make things like green beans and such you will need one.

However, this recipe uses the other method of canning — the water bath. This was my first time doing a water bath can and it was so easy.

I picked up these really cute jelly jars on Amazon. They always make them with the cutest designs from quilted to plain and sometimes you can get them in the prettiest blue color.

They look great when you pass them on as holiday gifts.

Also, if you are going to can, you don't need these items, but they are very helpful — a Ball Jar Lifter and a Ball Collapsible Jar Funnel.

Trust me when I say you will want these two items because it will make your life so much easier when you make your jelly.

How to Make Hot Pepper Jelly

What makes this spicy jelly “green” is the green bell peppers and jalapeno that you use. Use more bell pepper than you do jalapeno peppers so that it has less heat.

Start by processing the green peppers and hot peppers in a food processor until finely minced. These minced peppers are really what makes the pepper jam. Pour them into a large bowl and set aside until ready to use.

I use my Ninja processor because it does such a fabulous job. It eliminates me having to use both a blender and a food processor. It does the job of both.

Once the peppers are minced, combine the pepper mixture, regular white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, and sugar in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat.

When this first starts cooking, it is going to smell very peppery, but don't worry. That smell soon goes away and pretty soon the sugar takes over and the smell is amazing.

You can use any brand you like, but the one I trust more than any other is Certo. It's pretty inexpensive and goes a long way. If you don't want to use pectin, you can add citric acid or lemon juice to acts as a natural thickener.

While the jelly is on a full rolling boil on the stove, it's time to sterilize the jars.

Here is how to sterilize the jars

To sterilize jars before filling them with jams, pickles, or preserves, wash jars and lids with hot, soapy water. Rinse well and arrange jars and lids open sides up, without touching, on a tray. Boil the jars and lids in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 15 minutes.

Use tongs when handling hot sterilized jars, to move them from boiling water. Be sure tongs are sterilized too, by dipping the ends in boiling water for a few minutes.

As a rule, hot preserves go into hot jars and cold preserves go into cold jars. All items used in the process of making jams, jellies, and preserves must be clean. This includes any towels used, and especially your hands.

After the jars are sterilized, you can preserve the food.

Once your jars are sterilized, you can fill them with your jelly and seal them. Be sure to leave about 1/4″ of headspace at the top of the jar so that it can seal properly.

Place the lids and seals on the top of the jars, and screw down tightly. Now, fill a pot with enough water to cover the jars. Be sure to add some kind of rack to the bottom. I found one online at Amazon that works great for any size pot.

Place the mason jars in the pot with the rack and water and heat for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the water bath, place jars on a towel on the counter, and allow it to rest and cool. You will eventually hear a “pop” sound come from each of your jars as they are sealing.

A few hours later, be sure to press on the top of each jar and make sure that the center has sunk. That means it has been sealed. Then store the jelly in either the refrigerator or give it to someone to enjoy. You can also store them on the shelf since they are shelf-stable.

You can also make this jelly with red peppers and make a red pepper jelly. This one is my favorite pepper jelly recipe. You could even make it extra spicy by using habanero peppers.

These make great hostess gifts. I like adding it to a basket with a loaf of fresh homemade sourdough bread and a cookbook. This is a great way to give a heartfelt gift to someone.

I like to eat mine on top of cream cheese with wheat crackers — it is SO darn good! This would look great on a Christmas Charcuterie board. I use cream cheese but you can use goat cheese or whatever kind of creamy cheese you want. This makes for an easy appetizer served with lots of crackers.

Looking for other jam and jelly recipes? Check these out!

• Red Pepper Jelly
• 20 Minute Pumpkin Butter
• Pear Vanilla Jam
• Blackberry Jam
• Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
• Freezer Strawberry Jam
• Peach Jam
• Spiced Christmas Jam
• Bacon Jam