Pass the Pickled Peppers, Please

Several of my friends have lamented in the last week about the plethora of peppers currently in their gardens. Fortunately, I was the recipient of some of this bounty, but it did get me thinking about what they could do to preserve the peppers.

I remembered a recipe my older sister Lee uses to pickle jalapenos. I was never a big fan of pickled jalapenos until I tasted these - they are delicious. I love adding them to black beans or migas to add great flavor. I think it's the garlic that makes them particularly tasty. Lee even likes to use the liquid from the jar to marinate chicken.

Hmmm... I might have to buy some jalapenos this weekend at the market.

Be warned: if you are going to handle this many peppers, please wear gloves. You don't want to find out the hard way how much the jalapeno oils burns.

Lee's Jalapeno Pepper Pickles

about 1 lb of jalapenos per quart jar, washed and sliced into 1/4-1/3 inch rounds

1 cup vinegar, white or cider

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

4-5 cloves garlic

1 tsp pickling spice, Lee recommends the Central Market pickling spice from the bulk area

Pack peppers tightly in quart-sized pickling jars.

Heat mixture to boiling. Pour the mixture over the the peppers so they are covered. Lee suggests adding the garlic to the jar as well. Seal jars and put them in a hot water bath (1/2 to 3/4 height of the jar) and process 10 minutes; until the jars pop.

Let the jalapenos sit for at least 3 weeks to come to full flavor.