Are serranos any more consistent in heat levels these days, or do they show the same variance as jalapenos? I suppose I could use them instead, adjusting the quantity, of course.
We harvested one of two currant bushes today. Starting a jelly: cook down with a little water, strain overnight (don’t squeeze!), and in the AM add sugar to the juice and make jelly.
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Serranos are much more consistent in their heat profile, so far. There will always be some heat differences due to growing conditions; but these are minor influences, compared with altering genetics. The downside is by using fewer, hotter peppers, you’ll reduce the pepper flavor a bit. If the jalapeños are mild, aside from cayenne, you could add some serranos, very finely diced, to offset the wimpy jalapeños.
I grow the “Early Jalapeño” type, which is good and spicy, with small crack-like markings on the ripe pods. They’re smaller, but fit well in popper trays and make great pickles. It’s an easy variety to locate seeds for.
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This makes sense. I think next time I’ll try serranos for heat, and increase the amount of other, milder peppers to maintain some vegetal-ity. (Is that even a word??) Thanks for your insight!
I don’t tolerate heat well so I tend to use poblanos, which I find flavorful and can gin up a little heat with enough volume.
Big case of red currant envy, here. WOW!
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Yeah, IIRC, my recipe calls for both jalapenos and any milder green peppers, and I usually grab poblanos since my regular market has a bin of them right next to the jalapenos and serranos.
It was war between us and the birds this year, but we got our share.
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Anyone recognize these grapes? They belong to a relative in Atlanta. Might be Muscadine.Scuppernong?
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I was looking to try a new strawberry vanillla jam recipe: the one from the pomona pectin cookbook just doesn’t look appetizing to me, and the old one I used from the liquid pectin pack is way too sweet. I found a recipe from Food in jars to try… it called for liquid pectin but way less sugar, so I tried that. After realizing I had almost burnt the jam ( multitasking fail) I got the pectin I had bought a few weeks ago. The texture was wrong: very gelatinous. Then I looked at the best before date…
Wasn’t going to risk that! I panicked and added a bit of calcium water and pomona’s pectin but it was obviously too much… the jam is like cement. I don’t think that this batch can be redeemed! It’s only two jars fortunately…
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You might try heating it, adding liquid as needed to make a syrup, or use as a glaze on various things. That is, if the scorched taste is not too pronounced. I scorched some peach jam accidentally a couple years back, pivoted, and made it into carmelized peach spread for bbq glazes and the like. It was really good. Good luck with it.
I overbaked my plum jam so blended it with boling water until I had it the consistency I wanted. its back in the jar smooth and spreadable. Keeping it in the fridge
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Fortunately not too scorched! It just seems a bit… dense?
Have you tried heating, then diluting to get the mouthfeel you want? You could even add fruit juice to it, so as not to dilute the flavor. How great that it’s not too scorched!
My PlantNet app is backing my guess that this is Muscadine: https://identify.plantnet.org/en/k-southeastern-u-s-a/species/Vitis%20rotundifolia%20Michx./data
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Add more fruit and sugar?
That batch is sitting to the side while I decide what to do with it. Fortunately redeemed myself with a very nice batch of strawberry rhubarb! Recipe from this cookbook, from a local bakery.
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Making “your” Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
…but I have no “real” lemon-lime soda. I have some zero sugar sparkling beverages, but I am just going to use carbonated water. Should I add more sugar or citrus?
Also, I stumbled on that recipe while looking for direction on what I call “procrastinators jam”. Someone shared some basics that include macerating fruit overnight. Can anyone help?
ETA found it!
I would make a special trip to buy a can of soda. The soda has sugar and acid in it that works to prevent spoilage, and theres going to be an enormous flavor difference.
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Here’s a post about her three day strawberry jam
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