My jalapeno plant (or, as we affectionately refer to it as, my jalapeno bush) has been quietly cranking out another large round of peppers throughout the winter.  Surviving the winter nights, it’s been working away at its winter batch, which I decided was ready to harvest this weekend.  I picked around 25 peppers (off of the one plant!), leaving a few bigger ones on there for fresh applications.  I brought in my happy harvest and began working on pickling this crop.

I followed a combination of recipes that involves mostly vinegar, salt, sugar, and spices to form the brine.  The pickles are boiled in the brine for about 10 minutes until softened.  I also added some Mexican oregano and garlic into the jar before adding the peppers and brine for an extra hit of flavor.  I like this recipe because it adds a nice acidic kick and infuses the peppers with some sweetness and seasoning and mellows the spiciness nicely.  I made half a recipe for this batch, and there was some leftover brine because I really packed the jar.

Recipe and pictures from my process are below.

Happy Pickling!

Fun Fact: A “peck” of peppers is equivalent to 2 dry gallons of peppers.  Technically, my 25 pepper harvest did not equal a full peck, but it’s a catchy cliché title and we’re rolling with it.  The more you know!

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

Ingredients:

20-30 fresh jalapenos, whole

1 ½ cup distilled vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp salt

2-4 whole garlic cloves, crushed with skins removed

1 tsp dried Mexican oregano

Method:

1. Wash jalapenos thoroughly in warm water.  Allow to drain in a colander.  Set aside to make the brine.
2. Add vinegar, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and stir to ensure all of the salt and sugar are fully dissolved.
3. Add jalapenos to brine and boil for around 10 minutes, until soft.
4. Remove from heat and add Mexican oregano to the brine.
5. Place garlic at the bottom of a mason jar large enough to hold all of the peppers.  Use multiple smaller jars if necessary.
6. Using tongs, pack peppers into jars, filling them up to the top.
7. Add enough brine to the jars to cover the peppers fully.
8. Seal jars and place in the refrigerator to cool.  Peppers will keep in the refrigerator for up to three months.

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