Page 9 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2025

From the Kitchen…
HELEN HUTCHIN COX
Homegrown chilli jam recipe
(and trying more varieties)
At the time of writing this (Jan), I’ve just
started my chilli seeds in the heated
propagator and I’m looking forward
to the growing season ahead – I think
chillies are possibly my favourite crop.
Since James built me my greenhouse
a few years ago, I’ve swiftly become
more and more obsessed with growing
different chilli varieties, and turning them
into different blends of jam - I’m not
exaggerating when I say that everyone
I have given a jar of my chilli jam to has
said it is the best they have had - I now
have to operate a friends-and-family
waiting list each year to make sure I make
enough, and it’s even featured in (another)
national veg growing magazine, so I think
I can confidently say I’m good enough at
growing (not showing) chillies now to pass
on my secrets so you can make it at home
too if you do end up with a bumper crop
this year.
What makes my chilli jam so special?
The main ‘secret’ is that I use a lot of actual
chillies and a blend of different heats,
whereas shop bought chilli jams rely
heavily on sweet peppers, but I’ve tweaked
the ingredients to get just the right level of
spice.
After a few years of trial and error, I’ve
perfected a recipe to make six jars. You’ll
need:
•
200g of chillies (any mix you like, but
I used habaneros and cayenne last
year)
•
100g of red sweet pepper
•
1kg of jam sugar
•
500ml of apple cider vinegar
Start by sterilizing your jars and leaving
them to cool. You can do this by washing
them well and drying them in an oven.
Don’t forget to pop a small plate in the
freezer—trust me, you’ll need it later! Next,
finely chop the chillies and peppers in a
blender or food processor. They might look
a little frothy at this stage—don’t worry,
that’s normal.
Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar in a
wide, medium-sized pan over low heat
without stirring. Once dissolved, scrape the
pepper mixture into the pan and bring it to
a boil. Let it boil for about 10 minutes but
be careful—liquid sugar gets incredibly hot.
To check if your jam is ready, do the ‘crinkle
test’: drop a few drops of the mixture onto
your chilled plate, let it cool, and give it a
poke. If it crinkles, it’s ready; if not, let it boil
a little longer.
Once ready, take the pan off the heat
and allow it to cool. The jam will thicken as
it cools. Ladle it into your jars, seal them,
and you’re done! If you’re feeling creative,
you can even design your own labels for
the jars.
Last year I mainly grew Buena Mulata
which are a lovely, mild vivid purple chilli,
Orange Habaneros which are bright orange
and very hot, and then lots of dependable
‘Cayenne’ peppers – the traditional chilli.
This year I’m trying lots of new (to me)
varieties including ‘Shakira’, ‘Armageddon
‘, ‘Bhut Jolokia’, ‘Sugar Rush Stripey’ and
‘Thors Thunderbolt’ – all a bit on the hotter
end! I’ll report back at the end of the
growing season as to how they went!
P.S. Jars of my jam are sometimes a raffle
prize at Hants DA talks if you needed
another reason to give us a visit…
PPS. If you’re on Instagram, I’m doing
a chilli growalong this year, supported by
Suttons seeds, showing what to do each
step of the way – you can find me at
@helenlikesplants if you want live updates!
Simply Vegetables 9