Peck of pickled peppers
Wondering what to do with all your peppers? Me too. No, I didn't actually harvest a peck of peppers,
Peck is a unit of capacity. In the United States the peck is used only for dry measure and is equal to 8 dry quarts. In Great Britain the peck may be used for either liquid or dry measure and is equal to 8 imperial quarts, or one-fourth imperial bushel (www.britannica.com/science/peck).
but our pepper plants are yielding 5-8 peppers a week, which doesn't sound like a lot until you try to eat 5-8 hot chili peppers a week! When you pick them fresh, they keep for a week or two for peak flavor and nutrition; however, you may need to find
a way to store those delicious peppers for later meals. I chose to pickle the red hot chili peppers and roast, dice and freeze the green poblanos. I wanted to stovetop roast on my gas stove, since I have one :) and this website (https://toriavey.com/how-to/roasted-bell-peppers) had super easy how-to steps...a little messy however, but satisfying in a cheffy way. Essentially, you roast over a flame to char the waxy membrane, sweat the peppers for easy peeling, de-stem and seed, then dice and store. Try this roasting method and let me know how you did with it and what you liked or didn't like about it.
Next pepper up...Our Red Hot Chili Peppers "are extra-hot, the hottest of the Anaheim/ New Mexico variety, and [it] has great flavor. They grow to 5-7 inches in length, and can be used just as you would use an Anaheim"..."The peppers ripen from green to red, with the red fruits growing hotter than the green ones."..."They also make deliciously hot salsa."(www.chilipeppermadness.com). Personally, I am looking forward to eating them on some cheesy nachos! How do you like your pickled peppers best?
image from http://thecreeksidecook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/jars-of-refrigerator-pickled-hot-peppers.jpg
A good tip to know, after intense googling of the different types of salt, it is worth the $1.48 to buy a box of pickling salt at your local grocer versus using kosher or typical table salt. Most salt products have anti-caking agents in them which turn your veg brown during the pickling process. Additionally, the size of the grain of salt determines how salty your brine is, so be careful to research the quantity to use if not using pickling salt.
Refrigerator Pickled Hot Peppers
(http://thecreeksidecook.com/refrigerator-pickled-hot-peppers)
Ingredients
2 quarts of water
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup pickling salt
2 to 3 pounds of hot peppers
3 cloves garlic
Instructions
Wash 3 quart jars and the lids - set aside.
Measure the water, vinegar and salt into a 3 quart sauce pan, and stir until salt is dissolved. Bring to a simmer.
Wash and dry the peppers, and cut however you like - smaller slices means more will fit into the jars, but they look nice just cut in half the long way.
Peel the garlic cloves.
Divide the peppers and garlic evenly between the jars, pressing down to fill in spaces.
Carefully pour in the brine, making sure that the peppers are completely covered.
Screw on the lids, and leave at room temperature for 2 or 3 days and then store in the refrigerator. They can be eaten fairly quickly, but are best after sitting a least a month. They will keep for several months in the fridge.
image from https://img0.etsystatic.com/045/1/9524724/il_570xN.691625376_7zhu.jpg
"Live life with a little spice"...I absolutely love this and I hope you do as well. If so, please like and share so we can continue this beginning gardener's conversation. Happy health eating and continued good growing!
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