Can Hot Peppers in Vinegar
Canned hot peppers add flavor and variety to salads and other foods. They can be prepared at home, and have a long shelf life of about 12 months, requiring no refrigeration. However, care must be taken to add the contents in proper measure and must be packed with lots of "head space" to get the desirable taste and flavor.
Instructions
1. Pick peppers that are fresh, tender and crispy. Limp and old peppers will not be able to soak the oils properly and will start smelling bad after they have been canned.
2. Cut the peppers to remove their seeds and the core. Small peppers could be left as whole while larger one's could be halved or quartered.
3. Blister the peppers to remove their skin. Blistering is the process of frying the cut peppers, skins down, in a medium hot frying pan. The skins turn brown and tender and are easy to peel.
4. Place the peppers in a pan and cover with a damp cloth. This process cools the peppers and also makes it easier to peel them.
5. Mix vinegar, water, salt, sugar and garlic in a saucepan and boil for about 10 minutes.
6. Remove the garlic cloves from the oil and discard. Garlic left in oil for a long time could cause botulism.
7. Pour the vinegar mixture onto the peppers and fill in jar(s). Take care to leave some heading space at the top of the jar. Heading space provides for expansion of packaged contents due to climate changes and other factors.
8. Snug the lids down onto the jar(s) and put on the rings.
9. Boil the jar(s) in a food canner (a device for sterilizing canned food usually available at food stores or online) for about 10 to 20 minutes depending on their size.
It would normally take about 10 minutes for half-pint jars and 20 minutes for a pint sized jar.
10. Lift the jar(s) from the canner with a grabber/tongs and let them cool overnight.
11. Store the jar(s) in a dark cool place. They have a shelf life of about 12 months and do not require refrigeration.
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