Mom Walker had different recipes. They were born from the necessity of the Depression Era to make anything you had into a variety of food items. In the case of this recipe, it involved green bell peppers. Mom used grapefruit juice in the recipe for its pucker power, but you could safely use a tart orange juice or lime juice. If you're not into canning, it's easier than you think!
You will want to make sure you get your bell peppers at the peak of freshness. NO, you cannot use frozen! And I would highly recommend that you get your peppers from the whole state, not pre-cut. Look over the peppers for any light color (under-ripe) and any rippling skin (overripe). And of course, always wash well before using! Get ready, get started, GO!
- 4 green bell peppers
- 2 cups of water
- 3/4 cups grapefruit juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 package Sure-Jell (or similar)
- 5 cups of sugar
- Green food coloring (if needed)
- Cut the peppers into quarters and remove all the seeds and spines using a sharp paring knife.
- Cut down into 1/2" slices.
- Pour in 1/2 cup water into a strong blender, add peppers and grind to a fine grind.
- Pour into a kettle and add the remaining water and boil for 20 minutes.
- Add the fruit juices and strain through a cheesecloth to remove excess pulp; set pulp aside.
- Return the juice to the pot, add in the Sure-Jell and bring to a boil again.
- Add in some green food coloring if needed.
- Add in the sugar all at once and boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add back some of the pulp (not all).
- Skim off any residue from the top and ladle it into jelly jars.
- You will want to use paraffin to seal the tops of this jelly.