Pickling Peppers.... Or Canning.. not sure?

[Brunty_Farms]

We are growing peppers for the market this year and they didn't sell as well as hoped but all is ok. My old neigbor from Hungry gave me a recipe to I guess Pickle them? Tell me if this is the right name for it...

So we took about 12 mason jars and put the jars in the microwave for 2 minutes and boiled the jar lids to clean them...

After that we put our ingredients in the jar: Dill, Peppercorns, Garlic, and of course the peppers.

Then we boiled a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar with some salt (pickling).

After it boiled we than poured the boiling mixture into the jars one by one and then put the lids on. I was told to cover them with a bunch of towls to hold the heat in and you should start to hear popping noises when they seel.

Since it was like 1:00 in the morning when we got done... we went to bed, I didn't here a thing as our bedroom is upstairs. Anyhow... they all sealed this morning... no lose tops.

My question is did we pickle them or can them? I looked on line to see how long before I would hear the popping noise and I came across what I had done except for the fact most recipes tell you to drop the whole jars back into boiling water for 10 minutes to help them seal.

Did we do this right? Am I going to get sick from not boiling the whole jar? I guess the way I was taught was old school but it worked as all the jars sealed.

First time with a garden... first time with canning/pickling... this has been a fun ride.

Thanks....

 

[AhBee01]

What you did was called open kettle canning and it is no longer considered safe. I would pop the jars in the fridge. They should keep a few months.
You need to process the peppers in a Boiling water bath for the amount of time a tested recipe gives!

Here is a site that might be useful!
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_06/pickled_hot_peppers.html

 

[Patchesnposies]

Because you used vinegar and made the peppers acidic you can process them in a water bath. My S-I-L's family rarely process anything they consider a pickle (with vinegar), but I hate the idea of doing all of that work only to have them go bad because I didn't take the time to water bathe them.

It sounds like you sterilized the jars, (never thought about using the microwave!) some folks use the heat dry cycle in the dishwasher to do the sterilizing.

I usually put my canning pot full of water on to heat up, and when it is hot I put the jars in the hot water. I take them out and fill them and once they are all assembled, I put them back into the water and start the timer when the water boils.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't water bath the peppers now, since they have sealed anyway. Mine will often seal as they are waiting to go into the water bath.

You will have the assurance that you have processed them adequately enough that they will last you a good long while.

Here is a link to a guide for how long to process pickled peppers.

Recommended process time for Pickled Hot Peppers in a boiling-water canner:

http://www.pickyourown.org/pepperspickled.htm

Good Luck! What kind of peppers did you use?

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

I was wondering what type as well. I have a great recipe for jalapenos that uses carrots and onions and they are the best. Have had to go to quart jars since we eat them up so fast. The people that we have given them away to - beg for more. Next year we need to double the amount of plants.

Sandee

 

[ScoobyRoo]

You should really use the water bath method. I wouldn't be selling those at the market (if you planned to) just in case someone were to get sick from them. Did you slit the peppers? Release any trapped air? Since I have hard water here, I buy the distilled gallon jugs of water, That is to make the pepper not get too soft. I always pour boiling water over my jars that are in the canner already. You are not to boil the lids just the bands to sterilize. I hope they turn out good for all the hard work you put into them. They are pickled peppers, should be put in the fridge to be safe.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

Quote:
Sandee, is this a relish? Or are the carrots and onions left in chunks? Sounds tempting!

 

[wombat]

I agree with some of the other posters. You need a better / safer canning method.

What you did sounds a lot like what we do when we make refrigerator pickles. They'll keep for a couple months in the 'fridge, but they would not be safe for long-term or room temperature storage.

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Henry'schickens :

Quote:
Sandee, is this a relish? Or are the carrots and onions left in chunks? Sounds tempting!

Here is the recipe - I shouldn't tease - I should just post. These are really the best thing going. I'm also doing Fresno peppers the same way. I have not done Serranos. Oh, I never seen to have the marjoram and it fine without.

Sandee

Pickled Jalapenos (Escabeche)
From Sandee at Dragonfly Ranch

2 pounds Jalapeno or Serrano chile peppers
1/3 cup Olive Oil
2 medium white onions, thickly sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
3 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Kosher or Sea Salt
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried oregano
4 sprigs of fresh marjoram or 1/4 teaspoon dried
4 sprigs of fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
1 Tbsp sugar

Wash chile peppers, leaving the stems intact. Cut a cross in the tip end of each chile so that the vinegar will be able to penetrate.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Add chilies, onion, carrots and garlic. Fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning them over occasionally.
Add vinegar, salt, herbs, and sugar and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes for Serrano’s or 10 minutes for jalapenos.

Pack in half-pints or quarts sterilized jars. Top with the vinegar and seal. Process in water bath for 10 minutes for half-pints and 15 minutes for quarts.

Once opened, can keep for one month in the refrigerator – if they last that long! Enjoy​

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Thanks for the replies. I used Hungarian Hots for the peppers. I have lots of banana peppers to do as well. I used distilled water I bought from the store and also halved the peppers before stuffing them into the jar.

So since they are already done and sealed can I go ahead and process them in water... So I should drop the whole jar in the pot and boil it for 10 minutes?

What does this do?

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
I was told to use the microwave... by my neighbor... the same guy who gave me the recipe and taught me how to do it. Heck I didn't even know you were suppose to sterilize the jar... I thought they came clean.

We did intend to sell these so I guess I will use these for personal use. I'm curious though to what the boiling water does for 10 minutes? If it seals good than what is the difference?

Just curious as this is my first time doing this... I would hate to get sick or worse yet... one of my customers.