Using the syrup leftover from canning peaches to make jelly is not an idea original to me. I got the idea from Putting By, and it was such a good one that when I canned my last batch of the season, I made certain to strain my remaining syrup and stash it in the fridge.
Well, that was a month ago. I’d see that jar of syrup every time I opened the fridge and each time, I’d give it a little nod and a promise that soon, soon I’d pay it a bit of attention. Every so often, I’d crack the lid and take a whiff to make sure it wasn’t fermenting, before putting it back behind the yogurt container.
Finally tonight, the stars aligned and I talked myself into the kitchen after dinner, in spite of nearly falling asleep on the couch at 8 p.m. My commitment to canning truly knows no bounds.
I started with 24 ounces of leftover syrup. I strained it into a saucepan (in order to remove the bits of peach particulate matter that could have made the jelly cloudy) and dropped in two sliced jalapenos. I let that simmer for a bit, tasting every minute or two until it had reached the level of spiciness I could handle. Then I added two cups of sugar, stirred, removed the jalapeno rings and stirred in one tablespoon of regular old powdered pectin.
I boiled the mixture until it reached 220 degrees, strained it again (to remove the rest of the jalapeno seeds) and filled the jars. Processed the half pints (three in total) for ten minutes. So far, it’s still quite liquid-y, but judging from the way the remains in the pot looked, I’m confident it will set. The flavor is good too. Slightly spicy (I’m not a heat freak), fruity and so fragrant of those peaches (I still can’t quite believe that they’re gone for the year).
*Update*
After a week, this jelly has set nicely and firms up even more when refrigerated.
can I use the leftover juice from peach jam made with apple juice for the peach jalapeno jelly ?
I’ve never done it, but I’m sure you could!
I ran across this recipe when I was looking up what to do with left over peach syrup from canning peaches. This is a fantastic idea and I think I ran into a bit of a snag. After I ran my medium syrup through cheese cloth I saw that I had 2 qts of liquid. During my race against time for dinner and a 16 month old waking up from a nap, I mental mathed in error. I added nearly 3 cups of sugar and 3 Tbsp of powdered pectin. While I was cleaning my gigantic mess of a kitchen, it dawned on me, I made all my conversions based off of 1 qt of syrup not 2. My jelly seems runny and after reading about jelly setting time (24 to 48 hours) and my blunder, should I attempt to wait to see if it sets? Or will the missing almost 3 cups of sugar and 1 Tbsp of pectin not allow for it to set? I still have time to process this week since my box of peaches are half ready for canning and the other half need more time to ripen. I did read the how to save your jam article, however I’m new at jelly/jam making. Does all the same info apply for jelly vs jam? Thanks for your help!
If it’s not setting up, the missing sugar and pectin are to blame. And yes, the same info applies for saving jellies as it does jams.
Can I water bath this? If do how long?
Yes. That is what I this sentence was telling you to do. “Processed the half pints (three in total) for ten minutes.” That means process the jars in a boiling water bath canner for ten minutes.
I have some peach pie filling syrup that I actually canned when I put up the peach pie filling. I’m hoping the spices will give it an interesting, and not a weird flavor 😀 Anyway, about how many jars did you fill? And what sizes? Thanks! Love your site.
Three half pints (it’s included in the post, but I see it isn’t called out particularly well. Sorry about that!).
I just made this today, it tasted great, but it is really runny. Do I need to remake it and add the whole package of pectin?
Sometimes jellies can take up to a week to set, so give it time.
I just finished 12 half pints of candied jalapenos. I have three quarts of the syrup left. I can use it in salad dressing, marinade for pork but I still have more than I will ever use (I am old). Any suggestions?
I’m new to canning so I just want to make sure I’m not missing something. There is usually vinegar or lime juice to keep things safe/acidic. Not needed here? Just want to make sure! Thanks!
This recipe depends on the acidity of the peaches. There’s enough contributed by the fruit to make for a safe product.
I recently made Rhubarb/Peach jam and wanted to add a little heat. I throw in 3 dried chili peppers in the rhubarb/sugar/pectin mixture and cooked the jam per recipe. Before I filled the jars I fished out the chili peppers. The jam turned out sweet with just a small bite. Also I made some pepper jelly, which after 2 days is still liquid-y (perfect word) I will wait a few more days and then I will refrigerate it, I’m glad to hear it might take a few extra days…I’m new to canning, and I found out I love it, I was a bit discouraged when it wasn’t setting, but I will wait and see! If anything, It was a learning experience:)
Do you think I could double your recipe and still have it set? I have about 40 ounces of syrup left from today’s canning.
If you have a very wide pan, you should be able to do it.
I made this today!!! It turned out beautifully. I used my widest, deepest le creuset pot and I doubled the amount of syrup & pectin in your recipe but because it was such sweet syrup to begin with, I only added one cup of sugar. It has a fairly loose set but is still spreadable…and delicious! Thank you!
I have recently discovered your blog and am devouring it, as well as all the wonderful new recipes I am trying! This was one of the first recipes that I read and I just came back to it tonight to read out loud to my husband. We will be trying a variation of it soon. I canned my first pears tonight and have leftover pear syrup.
I will be honest and tell you that I am nervous with each new fruit/veggie that I preserve. I start with a small test batch, which was tonight. If all goes well, my neighbor has many more pears that I can collect from her yard.
Thank you so much for sharing!
I just saw this, catching up after a crazy couple of weeks, and I love the idea of putting jalapenos in. Yum!
HELLO! What a great idea-and so super simple. I love fruit flavored spicy jam’s so jelly would be fantastic. I can’t believe I never though of just tossing the peppers in and “steeping” them.
I can also verify that mango pepper jam is awesome-I am sure the jelly would be equally good.
I’m probably showing my ignorance here, but oh well! I’d really like to try this, it sounds yummy, but do you process the jars after filling? If so, how long?
Oops, forgot to include processing time. Thanks for pointing it out, Karen. I’ve updated the post to include a ten minute boiling water bath process.
Oohhh! Looks so delicious and gorgeous. You make it sound so easy to can. I’ve tried the blueberry butter so far. More next year. Thanks.
I love the idea of jalapeno but not peaches, I think I must have had a bad experience with those fuzzy peach candies as a child.
Any suggestions for an alternate fruit, maybe mango?
Mango would be good. Or even a spicy orange jelly.
a good chicken place offers raspberry-jalapeno jelly that is delish!! I may try to make that.
Gorgeous job! As usual, a question — you kept the syrup leftover from canning — and I know I’ve kind of asked you this previously, but what about the juice leftover after opening canned peaches and using that? Pretty much the same thing, yes? For one batch of my applesauce I used plum syrup in place of cider thinking that it might add a fun flavor, sweeten the sauce a little and maybe even give it a nice pinkish hue — my only disappointment was it wasn’t enough to give it the color for which I was hoping.
You could probably use that syrup for jelly. Make sure to strain it well though, to remove any particulate matter.
What a great idea! Definitely something I will be trying.
Ooh, the jelly turned out gorgeous! I must try to make a clear jelly soon. I love regular ol’ jalapeno jelly, but this just looks sophisticated and smooth! Nice job!
oh, that sounds so much better than the usual plain pepper jelly.
Whoa, that sounds DE-licious! I’m actually salivating…and figuring out how I can find time this week to seek out peaches (probably a bit too late) and make this!
This is such an awesome idea!!