Let 'Em Eat Peppers! 
 
Sep. 15, 2009 7:49 pm 
Updated: Sep. 24, 2009 8:20 pm

I decided to branch out yet again. In past years I only worked with tomatoes when I canned - salsa and spaghetti sauce were the only items I canned.

Well, this year the blight fairy cast a spell upon my tomatoes. :(  

I lost about half my crop. The peppers were unaffected.

Imbalance stared me down.

I chose to can pepper rings in defiance.



Not wishing to suffer burns, I donned the latest
fashion in pepper slicing - latex exam gloves.

I decided to use my mandoline slicer.
Now as some of you may remember, I shortened a finger slightly a number of months back using this contraption.

Not to worry.
These peppers come with nifty little handles to hold
when the peppers get too small.

After slicing hundreds of hot peppers, I was glad I'd chosen this method. (Several rubber gloves did have to be sacrificed as their fingers were
longer than mine and were lopped off occasionally.
None made it into the final product...)




While the pepper rings hung out in a VERY LARGE bowl...



... several cloves of crushed garlic warmed with white vinegar
and water to make the brine (3:1 ratio).




When the brine boiled, then simmered for 5 minutes, peppers were packed loosely into the hot, sterilized pint jars.

At least for the first batch.

I ignored the directions for the second batch and
packed 'em in pretty tight.

The jars from the first batch wound up looking
half-filled after processing.



In goes the brine.


I use a wooden skewer to release any air bubbles.


A damp paper towel removes any residue
from the jar rims and rings.



Then lids are placed on top and the rings are tightened.


After processing in the boiling water bath,
the peppers cooled on the counter.


Plink!

I hope they taste as good as they look, 'cause they sure look pretty!

Until next time - thanks for dropping by!

Pretty Peppers
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Photo Detail
 
Comments
Sep. 15, 2009 8:58 pm
Wow...what a great blog, instructions, and pics. I do believe even I could do this if I drop by YOUR blog before attempting it. Thanks...Oh, 3 to 1 ration....3 vinegar to 1 water...right? AND, AND...processed how long?
 
Sep. 15, 2009 9:40 pm
Yes - 3 vinegar to one water. I processed about 15 minutes, but processing times vary by elevation. I'm above 1,000 feet here.
 
Sep. 16, 2009 5:28 am
Love the photos! Those look so good!
 
Sep. 16, 2009 7:46 am
Those are on the agenda for this weekend. They do look great. Are the slightly yellow peppers, banana peppers? I can obviously see jalapenos, but the other ones look like a blend.
 
Sep. 16, 2009 12:26 pm
Looks great!
 
Sep. 16, 2009 12:49 pm
Avon- I don't know the "real" name for the yellow/red ones. They are shaped and sized just like jalapenos, but grow up on the plants with their tips pointed toward the sun. They turn red if they are left on the plants for a while and they're HOT! They're actually a light green color when they're picked, but turned yellowish during the canning process. :)
 
Sep. 24, 2009 8:20 pm
I so need a mandoline slicer. Your jalapenos look perfect.
 
 
 
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Pam-3BoysMama
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Home Town: Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA
Living In: New Castle, Pennsylvania, USA
Member Since: Jan. 2003
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Stir Frying, Mexican, Italian, Southern, Healthy, Dessert, Quick & Easy, Gourmet
Hobbies: Gardening, Fishing, Photography, Reading Books, Music
 
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About Me 
I have three sons, ages 13, 12, and 9, who are very picky eaters (especially the middle one). Their favorite meal is a bowl of buttered pasta. I try to cook things that they might enjoy trying, but they're not always willing to try new things. My oldest is getting better. He actually eats real food much of the time now! In my spare time I teach second grade. I have introduced my students to cooking and/or new foods over the years. We've even baked cakes in my roaster right in the classroom!
My favorite things to cook
I love to try all sorts of new recipes, so I don't really have a favorite thing to cook. I go in phases, really. I've been doing more cupcake and cake decorating lately. I'll try almost anything if I think my family will eat it.
My favorite family cooking traditions
I love making the pumpkin pies and other desserts for Thanksgiving. I always like to try one new dessert for each holiday. Baking Christmas cookies is a tradition that goes back as long as I can remember.
My cooking triumphs
I've made some pretty cool cakes for my boys' birthdays. They include a firetruck, baseball, football, and Pokeball. I've also used shaped pans to decorate everything from Barney and Elmo, Power Ranger, Jeff Gordon's #24 racecar, a dog and dog house, and most recently, a monkey and a penguin. One of my best triumphs has been teaching my boys to cook. They'll never go hungry.
My cooking tragedies
The first time I cooked a turkey I relied on my thermometer to tell when it was done. It wasn't.
 
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