Lavender Lemon Drop Jelly
The best sweet & spicy hot pepper jelly – Lavender Lemon Drop!
I have had an absolute bumper crop of hot peppers this year. One of my favorites is a pepper called Lemon Drop. It is a spicy variety with small peppers that grow upward-pointing and turn bright yellow when ripe. Their flavor is slightly citrusy.
While I do love making Cowboy Candy with my hot peppers, I wanted to try something different with these Lemon Drops, hoping to keep the bright yellow color and citrus flavor alive.
Lavender Lemon Drop Jelly
This delicious summery jelly is sweet, sour, and a little spicy, with a hint of fresh lavender.
Equipment
- 6 6 oz jelly jars, sterilized
- food processor
- sauce pot, medium
- sauce pot, large
- ladle and funnel
- Canning system, if desired for shelf-stable jelly
Ingredients
- 3 cups prepared fruit 4 medium or large lemons + 1 cup finely chopped Lemon Drop peppers
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 5 cups sugar
- 2-4 Tbsp fresh lavender chopped
- 1 pouch Certo Liquid Pectin
Instructions
- Sterilize jars as directed by your canning system. I used a hot bath canner and boiled the jars and lids for 10 minutes (while the following steps are being performed, so jars are still warm when it’s time to fill them).
- Remove peels from lemons, leaving the pith on the fruit. Set fruit aside.
- Cut peels into thin slices about 1/2″ to 1″ long.
- Place peels and water in sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove pith from lemons. Chop the lemons or puree in food processor, removing the membranes when possible.
- Finely chop the peppers or run them through the food processor until finely chopped but not pureed.
- Add the lemons, peppers, all juices, and chopped lavender to the saucepan.
- Simmer for 10 min.
- Measure exactly 3 cups of the prepared fruit combination into a large saucepan.
- Add sugar; mix well.
- Bring to a hard rolling boil on high heat, then boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in liquid pectin and return to a hard rolling boil, then boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Ladle into warm sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch from rim at top. Cover with lids.
- Either follow the directions of your canning system to process the jars for shelf-stable jelly, or let the jars stand at room temperature 24 hours until set (for fridge jelly).
Notes
This made 6 6-oz jars of jelly, with a partial jar left over. Do not process the partial jar, just let it rest at room temp until cooled, then place in the fridge and use it first!
