Banana Peppers

I canned a batch of pickled banana peppers last night. I got the recipe out of my Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. They were really easy to do. The most time-intensive part was slicing and de-seeding the peppers, which I prepped on Monday night after Carson went to bed. The canning last night was super easy. I'm anxious to see how they taste, but they need to sit for a few weeks or so before they'll be ready.

I only did half a batch and did mine in half-pints since that just seems more efficient to me than the pint jars since we don't use these that often (but hope to more now when we make homemade pizzas more regularly). I got 6 half-pints out of the half-batch. I did half a batch because I only got half the peppers I needed at the farmer's market on Sunday - and I had bought them out. I also did all banana peppers - a mixture of sweet and some medium - instead of the jalapenos and serranos. I've learned that in canning, a pepper is a pepper is a pepper, so you can interchange the different varieties to your liking. That was good to know since we really only love the banana peppers. Another thing to point out if you make these, make sure you have your windows open and a fan running in the kitchen to circulate the air out of the windows. I didn't do this and we suffered with a reaking house for the rest of the night... that vinegar is strong!

I took pictures, but haven't uploaded them yet. I'll update the post once I do, probably not till Thursday night or Friday morning, though.

Pickled Hot Peppers
page 318 in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

6 cups sliced hot banana peppers (I used a combo of sweet and medium)
4 cups sliced jalapeno peppers
1 cup sliced serrano peppers
6 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Prepare canner, jars, and lids.

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the peppers and mix well. Set aside.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar, water and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes, until garlic has infused the liquid. Discard garlic.

Pack peppers into hot jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid into jar to cover peppers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as needed. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.

Makes about 5 pints.