crispy pickled peppers

I harvested a lot of peppers the day before our first frost. (100!!) Bell peppers, cayenne, Tex Mex, Shishito, even some heatless Habanero's called Habanada.



We've been working our way through eating them fresh, but we weren't making much of a dent. Time for pickles! I've made pickled peppers a few times, but never liked the way they end up mushy - not at all crispy like store bought ones. So I tried out a new method - I made fresh pickles. Fresh pickles aren't processed in a boiling water bath. They end up fresh and crispy tasting, but only last a few months in the refrigerator.

I like this recipe a lot, very fresh and simple taste. Very crispy. (I adapted it from Food.com)

Ingredients
1.5 lb peppers (preferably Shishito), cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips
5 cups rice vinegar (50/50 rice and white vinegar is OK)
4 cups water
6 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
4 tsp pickling salt
2 Tbs sugar
4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 small red chiles (optional)

Blanch the peppers in boiling water about 2-3 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, simmer all ingredients except the peppers until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Place the blanched peppers in canning jars and pour the vinegar mixture over them. Seal the jars tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before eating. These pickles will last 1-2 months in the refrigerator.

crazy pepper seedlings

Two days ago, I decided my peppers seeds weren't sprouting because the temperature was too low. It had been ten days with no sign of seedlings. So I rushed out right to buy a heat mat. So - only two days later - guess what's in the tray. Lot's of pepper sprouts!! I can't believe it. I wonder if they would have come up without the mat or if the mat was a miracle worker?

In addition to getting the new heat mat,  also replanted by adding an extra seed to each planting cell. I thought the original seeds had probably rotted. I bet I'll get two peppers in every pot now.

pickled peppers

I started with about 4 lbs of mixed hot peppers:

    Jalepeno pepper, Emerald Fire (a new AAS winner)
    TexMex pepper, Joseph E Parker
    Poblano, Ancho 211

I cut these in rings and canned them according to directions in the Ball Home Preserving book. They are delicious. Nice and hot! I only wish they didn't loose so much of their bright green color. I wonder if they retain it more with a pressure canner.

garden vegetables on the cutting board

These are peppers from the Iddy Betty Bossy seeds I brought home from Switzerland. Just peppers from the supermarket, but son thought they were especially tasty and asked me to grow them. They did well and I will have more seeds to save and grow again next year.