Jalapenos

With the ridiculous amount of jalapenos we have been getting in the garden, I thought it would be wise to Can them lest they go to waste!


Here is my assistant Catherine helping pick the peppers...




Next, they need washed, and stabbed several times with a knife...




Get the pickling juice going. There are an infinite number of recipes you can use.




I picked some carrots and onions to throw in for color. Note the yellow Sweet Banana peppers. The kids love them and they have no heat.




This amount of peppers happen to fill up 7 canning jars. Pack the jars as tight as you can before adding the liquid.



For the canning process, I used the turkey fryer to boil water. It worked great.


Drop the canning jars in for 10 minutes to kill the bacteria, germs, enzymes, etc.

Let them cool down before putting them in the pantry.

Here is the recipe I used:

Pickled Jalapeños

Adapted from Michael Symon's Live to Cook by Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman

Like Michael says in his book, you can use a brine for everything from roast chicken to green beans to curing your own homemade pastrami. Now that's something that would make my grandmother proud.

1 pound (450g) fresh jalapeno peppers, washed (see Note)

2 1/2 cups (625ml) water

2 1/2 cups (625ml) vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar)

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons coarse salt, such as kosher

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1. Stab each pepper three times with a sharp paring knife and place them in a large glass preserving jar.

2. In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the other ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes, then pour the brine over the peppers. Place the lid on the jar and let cool. Once cool, refrigerate for at least a week before using, if possible. (You can use them sooner, but Michael says they're worth the wait.)

Serve whole, with Mexican dishes, or remove the seeds then chop and use to season any recipe that is improved by a little bit of sweet heat.

Storage: I've kept pickles like this for up to six months, under refrigeration, without any problems. If you wish to preserve them longer, you can use these canning instructions and guidelines.

Note: You can use another chile pepper in place of the jalapeños.

This whole process took Janet and I about 2 hours to complete!