Can-A-Thon

Hubs and I LOVE hot pepper jam! We can't get enough of it! There is a great local hot pepper jam maker in our area and several of the grocery stores around here stock it. It ain't cheap! However, that has not been a deterrent for buying it! I may be slightly addicted to it! This local jam maker has several options. Blood orange and "cherry bomb" are two of my favorites.
I keep the cupboard stocked with golden round crackers. I can find these in several brands that are organic and really yummy. I keep the fridge stocked with this...

I liberally spread the "Snofrisk" on a plate and slather it with a pepper jam. Then, open up a box of the golden crackers and go to town! This is also good with cream cheese. I prefer the "Snofrisk" It is the perfect spreading consistency and has amazing flavor. It is not overpowering at all and just enhances the pepper jam and cools it down a bit!

Well...I figured I just ought to make my own pepper jam going forward! Right? I'm very pleased with the jams I have made so far this year. My raspberry jam has gotten some serious rave reviews, but for the moment I can't find anymore local raspberries.
Last week when I stopped by the local farm stand I spotted these beauties!

Just walking past these little darlings the air was filled with the intoxicating fresh, sweet scent of plump blackberries.
I figured that blackberry pepper jam would be as good as anything! Still being a novice in this whole canning business I purchased the whole flat. I didn't realize they were the full-size pints. When I got home and started unpacking them I saw that I had a whole lotta blackberries!
You know how you can find anything on the Internet? Well, that's what I thought, too. Until I started looking for a berry pepper jam recipe! I'm serious...I couldn't find anything! Yes, there are several recipes for jalapeno jelly. I don't want jalapeno jelly. I want berry pepper jam! I looked through the trusty "Ball Blue Book of Canning"...yup, a jalapeno jelly recipe! ( I must comment here...the jalapeno jelly recipes call for green food coloring...seriously???)
I have this giant flat of blackberries and I want to make the pepper jam! I pulled out the almost empty bottle of cherry bomb in my fridge and looked at the ingredients. Fruit, an assortment of peppers, sugar and vinegar. Easy enough...if only I had some measurements! I just couldn't wrap my brain around coming up with my own recipe. And, remember that whole pesky thing about not killing anyone with your canned goods? I'm not comfortable making something up without knowing the proper amounts of preservative ingredients.
Then...it came to me...last year we had some good friends over for dinner. They brought the appetizer. They brought homemade PEPPER JAM! One of their friends had made it last summer and gifted it to them over the holidays. It was just like the stuff I buy at the store! Maybe better! With great urgency I texted my friend and asked if she could get the recipe from her friend! I figured I could start washing and draining the berries and cross my fingers I would hear back soon.
Yeah...I heard back soon. My friend texted me back and said she asked her friend for the recipe and her friend declined! :(   Really?
Now I feel like I want to talk about this. Why wouldn't someone share a recipe? I'm not going into business or opening a restaurant. I don't imagine the "denying" friend is either. Okay, maybe I don't want to just talk about this...maybe I want to write a whole commentary! I want that recipe!!! I don't have ulterior motives. I would give her complete credit for the recipe. I just want to make a couple of lowly batches of jam for my family. I don't know "this friend" and assume we don't run in the same circles...she can have all the glory. I just want some darn jam!
I honestly and sincerely feel that we need to support each other in the quest for healthy and happy eating. I think the way to a better, kinder world starts with sharing your jam recipe! I have some recipes that are very near and dear to me. I promise going forward I will never hoard a recipe that someone wants to try for their family and friends. I learned something important over this...I learned to unconditionally share my recipes!

Well...those blackberries weren't going to wait for a recipe so I decided to plow on through. I decided to use my trusty "any kind of berry" jam recipe and just dice up an assortment of fresh, local peppers. My jam recipe is the basic one in the "Ball Blue Book of Canning". I figured nobody would croak if I followed that recipe and just added the peppers.

I mashed down the blackberries with the potato masher and added the sugar and peppers. I used green peppers, jalapeno peppers and a little bit of poblano pepper. That's it! It thickened up nicely and smelled fresh and delicious while it was cooking and turning to jam.
I canned it according to the best practices method and then licked the spoon. Is it the best jam ever???
Nope...it's not. I mean, it's okay. It is NOT like the pepper jam I buy at the store. It's not like the non-sharing jam makers. It's just okay...I really think I need a recipe that has vinegar in it. Maybe that is what I'm missing. It just doesn't taste like the other. It doesn't taste bad...it's just not what I was hoping for.
I went back to the Internet and hunted some more. I found a variation of what I had just made. It called for a lot more jalapenos than I had used, a bit more sugar and a few less berries. I had so many berries that I gave it a try as well! Meh...tastes about the same as the first batch but quite a bit hotter. Don't get me wrong, it's not gross or anything. We will eat it and I think the golden crackers and Snofrisk will help the final product. But, I can't lie. I'm disappointed.
I gave up on the pepper jam for now. I made a plain ole batch of blackberry jam next. BOOM...it's amazing. It's quite a bit different than the raspberry. It has a deeper, darker, more intense flavor. It's sweet and fruity and tart at the same time. I'm kind of in love with it.

And so....many hours later I have a substantial supply of blackberry jam. I ended up with about 15 jars. I always feel such a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction after a canning marathon.
Please feel free to send me a berry pepper jam recipe anytime! I will be on the hunt until I find one...

p.s.  My Sis-in-law found my Moms recipe for "million dollar pickles". That's kind of a big deal. When we figure it all out you can be sure I will be sharing it!