So my neighbor’s brother runs a farm in a valley fairly close to our house, this afternoon my neighbour brought over about 20 lbs of hot peppers!  He said he knows that I like to cook and that he is sure I’ll find a use for them.  I laughed,  and of course thanked him, and started thinking, “ What the hell am I going to do with all these peppers”?

And then I thought, why don’t I make a few meals with some of them and can the rest? Perfect, that’s what I’ll do! Now, I have never canned anything before in my life… but how hard could it be? Well time to check the internet for some ideas I guess…

Ok, after doing some research, it looks like 2o lbs yields about 20 to 25 jars.  Ha! Think I may have found some Christmas present ideas. Also looks like I’m going to have to do some shopping.  Here’s my list of stuff I’m going to need to overtake this canning project.

Peppers

Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)

Jar funnel ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local “big box” stores, but it’s usually cheaper online)

At least 1 large pot

Large spoons and ladles

Ball jars (Publix, Kroger, other grocery stores and some “big box” stores carry them – about $8 per dozen quart jars including the lids and rings)

Salt (optional – I don’t use any)

One 6 – 8 quart pot or saucepan

Now, one more thing it looks that I need for this is a pressure canner, these, from what I’ve read are usually between $75 and $180 dollars. You DO need a pressure canner! If you don’t have one, technically a water bath will work, however every university food science department and the government will tell you that it just is not safe to use the water bath method; it takes the higher temperatures of the pressure canner to kill the botulism bacteria.  So use a pressure canner – it’s healthier and it’s easy.

continued….

Well I went to 5 different places looking for a pressure canner with no luck, so it looks like I’m doing this the old fashioned way. I’m going to have to use a water bath, and a vinegar water solution. All in all the whole process should only take me about 30 minutes. I’ve already gotten all the prep work done, so I just need to start the water boiling.  I don’t have enough jars to can all the peppers, so I think for my next project I’ll try drying the rest of them. Well, I’m going to see how this goes.

That went way smoother than I thought it would.  Instead of the salt that the recipe said I should use, I found that  vinegar and salt water seem more popular with the rest of the research I’ve done.

One thing I would have to advise, is use rubber/latex gloves for this. I consider myself to be a “manly” guy when it comes to spicy stuff, but I accidently rubbed my face after slicing all those peppers, and let me assure you, I was feeling it the whole time I was canning these peppers. Anyways, like I said, this was super easy, and I’m going to be trying different ways to flavour the next batches I do. This kind of salt/vinegar bath is perfect for working with new ideas (maybe adding some rosemary to the next batch?).

This is very easy to do, check out this video. Have Fun!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlRG2Yp-op8

1. Cut a piece of thread at least 3 feet long. You will need at least 1/2 a foot of string for each pepper.
2. Using a needle, thread the peppers by running the needle through the center of the pepper. After you have the pepper positioned on the string a few inches above the last pepper, wrap the string around the pepper and thread the string under the loop that you have just made. This will keep the pepper in place on the string and allow the air to circulate easily around them.
3. Leaving at least six inches of string at the top. Hang your peppers on a door or in a sunny window to dry.

Dried chili peppers can be soaked to bring them back to their original form. Dried chili peppers that have been properly prepared, stored, and refreshed are just as tasty as the day they were freshly picked. To bring the dried chili peppers back to life, soak one cup of chili peppers in approximately two cups of cold water for about one hour or until they become tender and appear as they did before drying.

If your dried chili peppers are too hot and spicy for you,  boil them on the stove to remove some of the fire. The longer they are boiled the less spicy they will be. Rinse the peppers, change the water, and boil them again if necessary. The peppers will retain most of their flavor, but they will be more tolerable for those who prefer a milder pepper.

Now, when you are cooking with dried peppers keep in mind that dried peppers aren’t as sizable as fresh peppers. One half cup of dried chili peppers equals approximately one cup of fresh ones. Reconstitute the peppers and grind them when necessary. When using them in hot dishes containing a lot of liquid such as soups and stews, it isn’t necessary to reconstitute them first. Just drop them in when the liquid begins to boil, and turn the temperature down so they can simmer until the food is fully cooked and the peppers are tender and hydrated.