Excellent for use in cooking, sandwiches, eggs, or as a garnish at a barbecue pickled peppers can't be beat. A typical jar at a grocery store will run you $2-$3 for a pint (sometimes a half-pint) but this entire recipe, if done when peppers are on sale, will let you do many quarts for around $10 plus the cost of jars.



Pickled peppers are delicious whether you pickle them in pints or quarts, even up to a peck. A peck is defined as 1/4 of a bushel, or 2 gallons, so a peck of pickled peppers is 8 quarts.



Please forgive the photos on this one. I was sick and decided that canning would be a good idea with a fever of 102F.



Ingredients

- Hot Peppers -

Peppercini's are traditionally made from yellow (banana) peppers and can be used with this recipe. I used anaheim peppers because they're 1) hotter and 2) usually cheaper. I actually bought these peppers at the dollar store for $8



-Vinegar -

Use straight white vinegar for best color. You can get it anywhere food or bulk goods are sold, so go for wherever is cheapest.



-Garlic-

You can use whole cloves or minced, but the garlic shouldn't be left out.



-Salt-

Kosher salt makes for the best brine





Equipment



-Bath Canner-

If you don't have a water-bath canner (steam should work, I just don't use one) then make sure you have a pot deep enough so that the jars can be submerged by at least an inch under the water. Also you will need a rack (or handful of level jar lids) to keep the glass from coming in contact with the bottom of the pan.



-Jars/lids/rings-

Make sure you have jars that are specifically for canning, not just extra glass jars from used condiments. I recommend either Ball or Kerr. Rings should be free of corrosion and rust, and I always suggest using new lids.



-Jar lifters-

Whether you use tongs, a sturdy mitt, or an actual jar lifter make sure that you have plenty of space between your fingertips and the boiling water



-Lidocaine-

Seriously. We're doing peppers here, and even if you wear gloves (you should, but I didn't) you need a to stop acid burns all through this process. I recommend Bactine but any lidocaine spray should work. Milk won't be enough, and water will make things worse. Also if you have sensitive eyes you should wear safety goggles.





As a handy trick, holding a burnt matchstick between your teeth will help avoid stinging as the carbon (smoke) will absorb into your eyes faster than the acids from the peppers.

