This post was inspired by Josh’s Plant Spotlight: Bell Peppers post from earlier this year. I’ve decided to share a less common bell pepper recipe in my post, but first: let’s talk about some general pepper preparation.

With bell peppers, 2 medium peppers (or approximately ½ pound) will provide four servings. When choosing your peppers, try to look for those that are well-shaped and firm, with a shiny and brightly-coloured (and hopefully unblemished) exterior.

Once you are ready to start cooking, you should wash your peppers and remove the stems, seeds, and membranes/pith. (As Josh mentioned, the pith can be quite bitter, which is why you want to remove it from your peppers.) You can leave the peppers whole if you are going to stuff and bake them, slice them into strips or rings for things like stir-fry, or even dice them up to add to a fresh garden salad.

Sautéing: For this cooking method, you will want your peppers in slices or rings. In a large skillet, melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter (or margarine) over medium-high heat. Once it’s melted, toss in your peppers and cook them uncovered for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. The peppers should be crisp yet tender once they are done.

Steaming: Like sautéing, you will want your peppers in rings or strips, but you will be covering the peppers when steaming them. Let them steam for 4-6 minutes until they are crisp and tender. If you are microwaving them instead, place the peppers (with just the water that clings to them) into a casserole dish, cover the dish, and microwave for 3-4 minutes. (Be sure to stir once during cooking and let stand for 2 minutes after cooking.)

Now that we have learned the basics of cooking bell peppers, we won’t be using any of that info for today’s recipe! Instead, I decided that I’d like to share a recipe for pepper jam. Pepper jam can be an amazing appetizer when served with cream cheese and crackers, and is also a great choice for a pretty and tasty homemade gift.

Pepper Jam

Prep time: 20 minutes, cooking time: 20 minutes, yield: approximately 28 servings (3 ½ cups)

2 cups finely chopped green bell pepper
1 ½ cups distilled white vinegar
6 ½ cups white sugar
3 ounces liquid pectin
Green food coloring (optional)

1) In a LARGE saucepan, combine the green pepper, vinegar, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 6 minutes, stirring constantly. (As shown below, it may not seem like you’ll need this large of a saucepan, but the mixture will expand greatly once it’s boiling!)

2) Stir in the liquid pectin and continue to boil for another 3 minutes, still stirring constantly.

3) Remove the pan from the heat and skim the foam off the top of your boiling mixture. If you’d like to add a bit of bright color to your jam, now is the time to add some green food colouring. (I ended up using 6 drops in my batch.)

4) Ladle the jam into sterilized jars. (Be sure to leave ½ inch of space at the top.) Seal the jars and then process them in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

5) Once your jam has set up, all that’s left to do is serve and enjoy!