Pickling chili peppers can preserve them far beyond their typical shelf life. Pickling is a good idea if you have a large crop in your garden or if you found a deal on them at your local supermarket.
Instructions
1. Wash your Ball jars and lids.
2. Place about 4 inches of water in a pot, then place the pot on the stove and turn it on to low heat. You will want the water hot but not hot enough to boil. Keep the lid off for now.
3. Cut your chili peppers. If they are too large for the jar you will need to cut them in half. Leaving the seeds in will also leave some of the spice in the peppers, so remove them if you want mild peppers. If you do not cut the peppers, poke a few holes in them so the pickling can take place on the inside as well.
4. Blister and remove the skins of the peppers. This is done by heating the frying pan and placing the peppers in it. In a moment the skins of the peppers will begin to crack and bubble. When this happens, take them out. Once the peppers have cooled you can easily pull off the skins.
5. Pour the pickling ingredients into the frying pan on the stove (5 cups vinegar, 1 cup water, 4 tsp. pickling salt, 2 tbsp. sugar, two cloves garlic). Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the garlic from the pan.
6. Fill the jars with peppers, then pour in the pickle solution. Don't fill the jars to the rim. As the peppers get pickled some pressure will build, which will result in pickle juice spraying everywhere when you reopen the jar if you haven't left enough space. Seal the jars by tightly placing the lids on them.
7. Boil the water in the pot, place the jars in it and cover it with a lid. Allow the pot to boil for 10 minutes, then remove the pickle jars from the water. Allow the jars to cool to room temperature before placing them in a refrigerator (although this is not necessary). If you you place the hot jars into something cold right away, the glass may break.
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