Can someone tell me if this pepper jam is safe to eat?
First time making pepper jelly and the peppers all floated to the top. But I don't think they were supposed to? Are they still ok to eat?
by SidePibble
7 Comments
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carebearkon
It would be helpful to share the recipe you used
Stock-Flatworm6126
Nobody here can for certain. But if you share your process and what your concern is, we can try to give you a good idea. Because from here they just look like regular 1/4 pint jars of pepper jam.
chanseychansey
That’s very common in pepper jelly. It’s totally safe, just not as aesthetically pleasing.
BoozeIsTherapyRight
I saw you said that you used the Ball recipe. Often, chunks of fruit (or veg in this case) float to the top when you make jam or jelly. It’s perfectly safe since you used a tested recipe. Just stir your jam when you open it.
I made this recipe this year and my pepper chunks floated, too. A quick stir solved the problem completely. It’s delicious!
squirrelcat88
If you used a properly tested safe recipe and followed it properly, you’re fine. This is normal and there are a couple of tricks we can use to make the peppers more evenly suspended.
I make tons of pepper jelly and find part of the trick is to swirl the jars hard while held securely in the jar lifter as I’m transferring them to the water bath. It doesn’t take more than a second or so per jar and it makes the peppers more evenly distributed.
How fresh your pectin is makes the other difference. It’s perfectly fine as long as it makes the jelly set, so for something without “bits” in it it’s great, but the really fresh stuff makes the jelly like yours ( and mine) set really fast, fast enough that the bits stay suspended.
msmith1994
For the future, I like using the [Ball Jalapeño Jelly](https://www.ballmasonjars.com/blog?cid=jalapeno-jelly-0) recipe for pepper jelly. I’ve found the step of blending the peppers with the vinegar really helps with the floating. Any pepper type can be substituted for each other as long as the volume or weight (depending on the recipe) stays the same. So in the linked recipe you could do 6 oz of bell peppers and 6 oz of jalapeños, for example. Happy canning!
7 Comments
Hi u/SidePibble,
For accessibility, please reply to this comment with transcriptions of the screenshots or alt text describing the images you’ve posted. We thank you for ensuring that the visually impaired can fully participate in our discussions!
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It would be helpful to share the recipe you used
Nobody here can for certain. But if you share your process and what your concern is, we can try to give you a good idea. Because from here they just look like regular 1/4 pint jars of pepper jam.
That’s very common in pepper jelly. It’s totally safe, just not as aesthetically pleasing.
I saw you said that you used the Ball recipe. Often, chunks of fruit (or veg in this case) float to the top when you make jam or jelly. It’s perfectly safe since you used a tested recipe. Just stir your jam when you open it.
I made this recipe this year and my pepper chunks floated, too. A quick stir solved the problem completely. It’s delicious!
If you used a properly tested safe recipe and followed it properly, you’re fine. This is normal and there are a couple of tricks we can use to make the peppers more evenly suspended.
I make tons of pepper jelly and find part of the trick is to swirl the jars hard while held securely in the jar lifter as I’m transferring them to the water bath. It doesn’t take more than a second or so per jar and it makes the peppers more evenly distributed.
How fresh your pectin is makes the other difference. It’s perfectly fine as long as it makes the jelly set, so for something without “bits” in it it’s great, but the really fresh stuff makes the jelly like yours ( and mine) set really fast, fast enough that the bits stay suspended.
For the future, I like using the [Ball Jalapeño Jelly](https://www.ballmasonjars.com/blog?cid=jalapeno-jelly-0) recipe for pepper jelly. I’ve found the step of blending the peppers with the vinegar really helps with the floating. Any pepper type can be substituted for each other as long as the volume or weight (depending on the recipe) stays the same. So in the linked recipe you could do 6 oz of bell peppers and 6 oz of jalapeños, for example. Happy canning!