Making your own pepper jelly allows you to control its consistency and flavor. This can be helpful if you know what you're going for and how to achieve that goal. It can also lead to some difficulties. Your jelly may not set properly, leaving it thin and runny. This is a problem you can fix and you do not need to throw out the runny batch and start anew. Before you try to fix the jelly, allow it to sit for several days if you have just made it. Pepper jelly can take several days to set properly, so yours might not even need to be fixed. When it comes to remaking the jam, work with 1 quart at a time, which is equal to four 8-ounce jars.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 4 teaspoons powdered pectin in a pot large enough to easily hold all of these ingredients along with the 1 quart of jelly you wish to fix.
Bring the sugar mixture to a boil over high heat. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and then pour in the jelly. Continue stirring the mixture as it returns to a boil. Start timing the mixture as soon as it begins boiling rapidly and remove it from the heat after 1 minute of boiling.
Can the pepper jelly according to your canning instructions, but with new lids.
Warning
Always use new lids if you're remaking jellies and jams.
References
Writer Bio
Morgan O'Connor has been writing professionally since 2005. Her experience includes articles on various aspects of the health-insurance industry for health-care newsletters distributed to hospitals as well as articles on both international and domestic travel.