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Pickled peppers: bell, hot or marinated

Bell peppers of different colors.

Pickled Bell Peppers

Processing method and time

Method: boiling water canning process.

Time: half pints or pints - 10 minutes.

Yield: about 9 pints.

Ingredients

7 pounds firm bell peppers

3 1/2 cups sugar

3 cups vinegar (5%)

3 cups water

9 cloves garlic

4 1/2 teaspoons canning or pickling salt

Procedure

Wash peppers, cut into quarters, remove cores and seeds, and cut away any blemishes. Slice peppers in strips.

Boil vinegar, water and sugar for 1 minute. Add peppers and bring to a boil.

Place ½ clove of garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt in each sterile half-pint jar; double the amounts for pint jars. Add hot pepper strips and cover with hot vinegar mixture, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.


Bunch of hot peppers.

Pickled Hot Peppers

Use Hungarian, banana, chile or jalapeño peppers

Processing method and time

Method: boiling water canning process.

Time: half pints or pints - 15 minutes.

    Yield: about 9 pints.

    Ingredients

    4 pounds hot long red, green or yellow peppers

    3 pounds sweet red and green peppers, mixed

    5 cups vinegar (5%)

    1 cup water

    4 teaspoons canning or pickling salt

    2 tablespoons sugar

    2 cloves garlic

    Caution: If you select hot peppers, wear rubber or plastic gloves while handling them or wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face.

    Procedure

    Wash peppers. If small peppers are left whole, slash 2 to 4 slits in each. Quarter large peppers.

    Blanch in boiling water or blister in order to peel (see instructions for blistering below under "Marinated Peppers".) Cool and peel off skin. Flatten small peppers. Fill jars, leaving a ½-inch headspace.

    Combine and heat other ingredients to boiling and simmer 10 minutes. Remove garlic. Add this hot pickling solution over peppers, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.


    Yellow-green mariachi peppers growing on plant

    Marinated Peppers

    Use bell (not hot), Hungarian (hot), banana (hot or not hot) or jalapeño (hot) peppers

    Processing method and time

    Method: boiling water canning process. 

    Time: half pints or pints - 20 minutes.

    Yield: about 9 half-pints.

    Ingredients

    4 pounds firm peppers

    1 cup bottled lemon juice

    2 cups white vinegar (5%)

    1 tablespoon oregano leaves

    1 cup olive or salad oil

    1/2 cup chopped onions

    2 cloves garlic, quartered (optional)

    2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (optional)

    Caution: If you select hot peppers, wear rubber or plastic gloves while handling them or wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face.

    Procedure

    Select your favorite pepper. Peppers may be left whole; large peppers may be quartered. Wash, slash two to four slits in each pepper.

    Blanch in boiling water or blister in order to peel the tough-skinned hot peppers. Peppers may be blistered using one of the following methods:

    • Oven or broiler method:
      Place peppers in a hot oven (400 F) or broiler for 6-8 minutes or until skins blister.

    • Range-top method:
      Cover hot burner, either gas or electric, with heavy wire mesh. Place peppers on burner for several minutes until skins blister. Allow peppers to cool. Place in pan and cover with a damp cloth. This will make peeling the peppers easier. After several minutes of cooling, peel each pepper.

    Flatten whole peppers. Mix all remaining ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Place ¼ garlic clove (optional) and ¼ teaspoon salt in each half-pint (or ½ teaspoon per pint). Fill jars with peppers, add hot, well-mixed oil/pickling solution over peppers, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process for 20 minutes in a boiling water canner.

    Adjust the intensity hotter or milder

    It is possible to adjust the intensity of pickled jalapeño peppers by using all hot jalapeño peppers (hot style) or blending with sweet and mild peppers (medium or mild style).

    • Hot style: use 4 pounds jalapeño peppers.

    • Medium style: use 2 pounds jalapeño peppers and 2 pounds sweet and mild peppers.

    • Mild style: Use 1 pound jalapeño peppers and 3 pounds sweet and mild peppers.

    William Schafer, emeritus Extension specialist; Deb Botzek-Linn, former Extension educator; and Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator

    Reviewed in 2021

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