This recipe is based on the one in Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich but I’ve changed the spices to match my own tastes. I wanted pickled peppers like the ones I buy in jars in the Mexican section of the grocery store and these absolutely hit the spot. The main difference is that canning them at home gives you a softer finished pickle which some people might not like as much. The ones in the store can be almost crunchy at times. I don’t personally like them crunchy so these are perfect for me. If you want a crunchier pickle you can add pickling lime but I’m not going to advise on how to do that since my one experience using pickling lime disgusted me beyond belief. The taste of these peppers is tangy, hot, with just a little garlic flavor. I suggest eating large quantities of them with huge blocks of cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs jalapenos (whole or sliced in rounds)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 4 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 4 cups water
- 3 Tbsp canning salt (or pure sea salt with zero additives)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a nonreactive sauce pan mix the vinegar, water, and salt and bring to a boil. At the same time put your jars in the water canner to boil until you need them.
- Wash the peppers and trim the stems to about 1/4" or cut all the peppers into rounds discarding the stem ends. If using whole peppers slit them twice lengthwise.
- Divide the spices between the jars evenly and fill each jar with as many peppers as you can fit without cramming them.
- Fill each jar with brine. Shake the jars a little and tap (gently) on counter top to bring air bubbles to the surface. Top up with more brine if needed leaving 1/2" headspace.
- Pour 1 Tbsp olive oil into each jar. Wipe the rims carefully with a clean damp cloth. Fit the jars with two piece lids.
- Process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes.*
- Let the peppers cure for 3 weeks in a cool, dry, dark place before opening.
Notes
*I have not included the basic steps for boiling water bath canning here. I assume you already know them. If you are new to canning then please check out this link for how to can foods using the boiling water bath method here: Intro To Canning
How much brine you need is going to depend on the size of your peppers and whether you leave them whole or slice them. You may have some left over and that's fine.
If you are working with a large amount of peppers it may be more useful to follow this guideline: add to each jar 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/8 tsp peppercorns, and 1 Tbsp olive oil.
At the time of this writing I canned 12 lbs of jalapenos and ended up with 28 pints of pickles. I did a mix of whole and sliced peppers. I mention this to illustrate that yields can only be given in approximations here.