This year at the farm, it was my job to come up with a new holiday product that we could send in a gift basket. Immediately my mind went to a cheese plate. I wanted to make something that was signature to Frog Hollow, would pair nicely with a savory platter, and that would be a shelf stable product.
Since we had an abundance of beautiful cayenne peppers from our sum- mer garden, I started to envision a Frog Hollow Farm pepper jelly. Now it is one thing to envision a product, and another to have it come to life. I made nearly 6 small batches of an apricot pepper jelly until I had the recipe with my desired flavor and consistency. My co-workers would sample each batch in the office, and then bring the samples home to their friends and family to try as well. I loved hearing how everyone used the pepper jelly. Some people used it as a marinade for poultry and fish, while others enjoyed it with a rich creamy cheese. I ended up using some to make a spicy sesame dressing.
Of the six small batches I made, everyone had his or her favorite versions. Some liked the really spicy jelly, some liked the tart chunky fruity jelly, while others preferred the looser more vegetably jelly (if that is even a word). Find- ing the perfect jelly was like goldilocks finding a comfortable place to sleep.
After the 6th batch, I decided on a recipe that has a loose consistency, which makes it easy to spread on cheese or use as a marinade. The flavor is sweet and tangy with a spicy finish. We sampled the pepper jelly with the Carmo- dy cheese on crackers and letís justsay it ís hard to eat only one piece.
The pepper jelly is now available to order as an add-on to your CSA box. I
hope that you will give it a try!
Happy Holidays, Anna