Gotta Be Penelopes makes an assortment of gourmet pepper jellies and spreads! They are made from fresh ingredients with no artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial coloring. All of their jellies and spreads are Gluten Free and Vegan. With several delicious flavors ranging from mild to extra hot, they offer a variety for every palate!
About the Owner
A little history on how I came about creating Gotta Be Penelopes. I grew up on a farm in a very small town in upstate New York, known as the North Country or Champlain Valley area. We had a very large garden with just about every vegetable known to man. I remember saying to my mother that when I grew up, I would never have a large vegetable garden! It was way too much work! Well, I’m now eating those words!!
I moved to the outskirts of Albany, New York, and started my organic garden when I bought my first house. Started freezing and canning like my mom did. We moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1995 when my children were very young, and I started my gardens again. Each year my garden would grow a little bigger! I would always put in extra plants, just in case they died. I would give away some to friends and neighbors and can/freeze what I could.
One year I had so many habanero peppers and I couldn’t figure out what to do with them. My son asked me if I had ever had hot pepper jelly. Truthfully, I had never experienced the great flavor of this with cream cheese on a cracker! It’s a very popular food in the South and I couldn’t believe I had never tried it.
About the Jelly
Gotta Be Penelopes started when I found a basic recipe and started adding my own preferences to make it my own. I loved it!! I started giving jars to friends and coworkers. I would always give them the cream cheese and pretzel crackers to try with the jelly. Pretty soon, I had so many people asking me for more and if they could possibly buy it from me. They kept saying that I should market it. I had people giving me their business cards and asking me to contact them when I started marketing it! I procrastinated for a couple of years, but then thought why not do something that I’m very passionate about and thoroughly enjoy?
I bottled my very first pepper jelly on June 21st, 2019! I now make a variety of different pepper jellies and plan to add more flavors in the coming months. Please enjoy the delicious all-natural pepper jellies that I am so proud to make!
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