191: Habenero Ginger Jelly

I was about a 1/2" short of the 6th half pint for this recipe, which turned out surprisingly well. This is the first jelly I've made, and while I was following a recipe, and read a few others I hadn't attempted, I still didn't think what is essentially a slurry of sugar and vinegar, with a few flavorful "bits," would work- set wise or flavor wise. 

But look! Adorable little flakes of habenero and ginger, suspended in a thick but totally spreadable base!

I followed this recipe as written (she waffles between writing 1 and 2 packets of pectin; it's one). Well almost. I had 5 orange habeneros and 3 green, and used a few cubes of grated ginger I generally keep frozen at all times (for oatmeal, and life). I also processed in a water bath, as opposed to the turning over method.

I made the mistake of breathing a few times while making this, you may want to be a little more careful. It wasn't the instant-death she mentions (or maybe I just breathe in a surprising amount of vinegar fumes on a regular basis), but it still wasn't pleasant.

The good part of that missing 1/2" (probably partly due to my using a pint jar) is that I have a decent amount to taste test, not that I'm sure what I'll eat it in/on besides toast. It's a situation where if you take just a little dab of it you may be mistaken on the spiciness level, but even a demi-spoonfull will make your mouth burn in a big but entirely pleasant way. Part of me is a little sad it's not overwhelming, but then I remember it'll continue to get a little spicier in the jars, and at least now I can actually use it for things.

Looking around the internets, there are much spicier versions out there, but were I to make this again I would probably just cut down on the sugar a little.