I think (?) it worked!

The jam that's in the sealed jars on the counter still looks a little thin, but the jar from the fridge looks like this


Not bad for jam.

It could be that the ones on the counter need more time to set. I've heard of jams and jellies setting over the course of as long as two weeks! It could be that refrigeration sped the process along, or it could just be thicker because it's cold, but my sense is that the pectin did work, because my starting batch of peaches, jalapenos, pectin and sugar was really thin.

The problem I had with this is that I don't have a clear recipe for using homemade liquid pectin. The source I used said to use 5 cups of the pectin and 7 cups of sugar, but then I also added the peaches and jalapenos (and later some cayenne powder because the jalapenos seemed a bit mild). I started with everything but the sugar and cooked it down some, then added the sugar and brought it back to a rolling boil and all, but I was pretty much guessing and relying on previous jam making to tell me when it looked OK.

And...I didn't want something so jelled that I had to slice it. I think that's one reason I picked this particular jam to make - if it hadn't worked at all, we'd still use it, but I wanted it to thicken some, and it did!

My next test will be a jelly. :)

Meanwhile, you may be wondering about this hot/sweet jam. If you've never tried it, it sounds strange. My MIL (mother in law) thought it sounded icky, but when she tried it, she loves it! It's mostly peach and sweet, with a little heat added in. It's really good with meats - brushed onto broiled or grilled chicken, pork, etc.

It's also good like this.


In fact, I love it like this.


And I'm not the only one.