Texans have a hot love affair with Habaneros. They’re just made for the hot summers and the frigid winters of Texas. These small, beautiful, and shiny peppers are one of the Texans’ favorite chilies aside from Jalapeño peppers. Some Texans enjoy Habanero peppers raw, but it depends on the person’s spice tolerance.
Habanero jams can have an invigorating effect on Texans. Imagine eating barbecue with habanero jam, or preparing beef roast with a habanero jam basting. It would be a lovely memory fondly cherished among Texans.
Habanero Jam Trivia
- Habanero Chilies originated in Cuba and is named after the city, Havana. Over time, Habanero evolved to being pronounced as Habañero, just like its cousin, the Jalapeño pepper.
- Red Savina Habanero chilies are one of the hottest chilies in the world with 577,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) along with the Carolina Reaper and the Ghost Pepper.
- Black Habanero chilies belong to the nightshade family and have over 425,000 – 577,000 SHU.
Habanero Jam Buying Guide
Texans have a burning desire for habanero peppers so there are several habanero plantations around the Lone Star State. Habanero peppers grow well during the warm season. Planting Habanero peppers is an extremely profitable business in Texas. Be sure that the soil acidity would be appropriate for the chili, a pH level of 5.7-6.5 would suffice. It would be helpful for the habanero peppers to receive natural nutrition through manures and composts.
When plating habanero peppers, it’s best to use raised beds spaced around 1.5 to 2 meters. Cover the habanero seedlings with black, plastic mulch before planting.
Habanero Jam Production & Farming in Texas
Most of the commercially produced habanero jams are loaded with preservatives and chemicals that will boost their appearance and flavor.
Sugar acts as the main preservative of habanero jams. However, natural sugars are often replaced with artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame, Sucralose, Xylitol, Saccharin, and Acesulfame. These five artificial sweeteners are considered to be the worst among the chemicals and preservatives used in preserving food.
Packaging
Hot canning method remains to be the safest method of preserving jams, jellies, and preserves. When canning jars, it’s best to use a new lid to prevent mold and bacterial growth. You can also sterilize old lids for a couple of minutes, wipe and air dry it for economic purposes. The key point here is that the jars should be free from cracks or chipped areas. The metal ring bands should not be deformed or have any traces of rust. It should fight tightly and not be bent to prevent air pockets from contaminating the Habanero jam.
Enjoying Habanero Jam
Habanero jam should be enjoyed in minimal amounts since it can be too spicy and piquant for some people. There are countless ways to enjoy Habanero Jam. Let’s start with the juiciest and most delightful meats such as pork chops, lamb racks, chicken cuts, and beef steaks. Grill a beautiful, fatty slice and lather some habanero jam for the perfect marriage of sweet and spicy flavors.
Habanero jam can also act as a delicious, sandwich spread. Go beyond just spreading it on buttered toast. Mix it to your regular cream cheese and lather it on your ham and turkey, chicken, or even roast beef sandwiches. You can also mix cream cheese and whipped cream spread it on your bagel after thinly spreading habanero jam.
Storage
Habanero jams should be canned in sterilized glass jars to elongate their shelf life. Always discard the jars if you found some cracks or chipped glass and rust. Never fix or re-use these jars as it would compromise the safety of the consumers.
Cooking
HABANERO JAM
Ingredients:
1/2 pound habanero peppers chopped
4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 ounces liquid fruit pectin
Procedure:
- Add the habanero peppers to a food processor and pulse them until they are very finely chopped. Do not overdo it or you’ll wind up with a puree.
- Scoop out the peppers and add to a large pan.
- Add sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Return heat to high and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Stir in pectin and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Ladle jam into sterilized jars and cover.
- Process jars in a boiling hot water bath for 10 minutes.
- Remove and let cool overnight.
