Three summers ago, we had a particularly cold and rainy summer. Spaghetti squash vines grew up the fence, mingled with the cucumbers, but never bloomed. Mom picked the last of the green tomatoes, and baked oodles of green tomato pies to stock her freezer. We kept waiting for those tomatoes to turn red, and when nights threatened to turn to frost, Mom gave up. Even the local farmers had a difficult time. Our CSA, known for their hothouse tomatoes, apologized for the lack. One week, we didn’t get any tomatoes. But the worst, was the lack of cayenne peppers. Mom didn’t plant any that year.
No cayenne peppers anywhere. Not at the grocery store or farmers market. No friends grew them. Finally, Mom found one lone farmer who had enough red cayenne peppers to make one batch of hot pepper jelly.
Typically, Mom makes batches of jelly, threads the remaining peppers, and hangs them in her kitchen window to dry. Her crushed red pepper, ground finer than grocery stores, but coarser than cayenne is so spicy and fresh. She saves salt and pepper shakers and leftover spice jars for her homemade version.
(Is there anything more beautiful than red peppers hanging in a window? I don’t know why people spend money to decorate. Food is both function and beauty.)
But that year, there were no peppers left to hang. Mom was able to make enough jelly for our holiday meals. Always, hot pepper jelly and cream cheese with crackers. So good. Our friends even labeled a shelf in their refrigerator for Mom’s jelly.
Food scarcity. That summer, we were grateful for our local farmer’s market and our grocery stores, but noticed the missing vegetables. Even Kroger had signs apologizing as their growers weren’t producing as much.
After that summer, Mom always has a pot of cayenne peppers growing on her porch. It’s one pot, and we are amazed at the number of peppers that pot produces. Easy to access. Easy to care for. Beautiful….food as decoration. And never again has Mom had to search for cayenne peppers for her jelly.
Growing our own food, even if it is only one pot of peppers, can lead to so much freedom. Two factors influence daily diet. Quality and quantity. Do we have access to quality food? Do we have enough food? Small steps matter. This small step of growing one pot of peppers ensures that my mother is able to gift her friends and family homemade hot pepper jelly…. something we have come to expect and politely demand.
Hot Pepper Jelly Canning Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Sweet Red Bell Pepper
12 Chili Red Hot Cayenne Peppers
1 Package Certo Liquid Pectin
6 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Cups Red Food Coloring
Directions:
Crush peppers in food processor. Mix sugar and vinegar and bring to a rolling boil. Add crushed peppers. Stir at least 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add food coloring. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in Certo. Fill 6 1-cup jelly jars. Boil in canner for 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner, cover with tea towel, and listen for that pop that signifies the lids have sealed. (It’s a great sound)