Pickled Pepper Mix
This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.
Pickled peppers are a staple in our house. We add them to so many of our meals. They’re truly the finishing touch. The Pickled Pepper Mix recipe from the 38th Edition Ball® Blue Book Guide to Preserving is my favorite to make.
We grow lots of vegetables. Peppers are always a favorite around here because they’re fairly carefree. Hot Kentucky summers can do a number on most plants, but peppers remain happy and disease free for the most part. I wish I could say the same about tomatoes. What ends up happening after each harvest is a noticeably disproportionate amount of peppers. There are only so many stir fries and stuffed peppers a person can eat before you start wondering what on earth to do with them all. Pickled peppers are the answer.
Pickled peppers are a much needed zip in the fall and winter when food gets heavier and starchier. They’re one of my most important items I make in the summer to have on hand for our family. Everyone eats them and we never have a jar left over by spring time. We add them to soups, chilies, eggs, charcuteries and so much more.
Below I have made a list of ways to use pickled peppers:
Add to sandwiches
As a side or topping to eggs
Add to salads. Not just traditional lettuce salads. Think pasta, tuna, chicken and egg salad.
Add to a pot roast. The peppers are delicious added in as well as their brine.
Make a quick appetizer by adding them to goat cheese and topping with chives. Serve on your favorite crackers.
Use as a topping for soups, chili, and beans.
Add with capers and top over fish.
Make a bagel with cream cheese. Add pickled peppers and desired seasonings.
Eat them with (or on) pizza. They are an appreciated brightness.
Add to pasta sauces.
Serve on a charcuterie board
Chop and add to sour cream, dip tortillas in for a quick snack.
There are so many more uses, but this is a good starting point! If you’d like to make your own:
Pickled Pepper Mix
Yield: about 12 half-pint or 6 pint jars
3 quarts mixed long red, green, and yellow peppers (Hungarian, banana, etc.)
1 cup salt for canning and pickling
3 ½ quarts water, divided
3 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 cloves garlic
1 ½ quarts white vinegar, 5% acidity
Ball Pickle Crisp (optional)
Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.
PREP Wash peppers under cold running water; drain. Cut a small slit in each pepper on two opposite sides. Combine salt and water in a large bowl, stirring until salt dissolves. Add peppers. Let peppers stand for 12 to 18 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain peppers.
Rinse peppers under cold running water; drain. Peel garlic.
COOK Combine 2 cups water, sugar, horseradish, garlic, and vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; simmer for 15 minutes. Remove garlic and discard.
FILL Pack peppers into a hot jar, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add 1/16 teaspoon Pickle Crisp to half-pint jar or 1/8 teaspoon Pickle Crisp to pint jar, if desired. Ladle hot pickling liquid over peppers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim.
Center lid on jar and adjust band to fingertip-tight. Place the jar on the rack in boiling-water canner with simmering water (180°F). Repeat until all jars are filled.
PROCESS Water must cover jars by 1 inch. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil. Process half-pint or pint jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see page 9). Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool for 5 minutes. Remove jars from the canner; do not retighten bands if loose. Cool 12 hours. Check seals. Label and store jars.
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment, and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.
