In our very humble vegetable garden, the only thing thriving is our jalapeno pepper plant. I don’t even like things that are spicy…so OF COURSE this is the only plant producing in this Louisiana summer heat! A couple Saturdays ago, I woke up READY to do something and after walking around outside I noticed there were several red jalapeno peppers ready for harvest. Which led me to asking the internet what one does with this many red peppers. Pickling seemed to be a top suggestion so I then scoured the internet for a recipe that included ingredients I had ready to go in our kitchen. I was very intrigued by a recipe on The Family Food Kitchen that looked not only easy but also something I might actually eat.
Ingredients
- Red Jalapeno Peppers (The original recipe calls for 8, but I ended up using closer to 20)
- Apple Cider Vinegar (1/2 cup for 8, but I ended up using 1 1/2 cups)
- Water (1/2 cup for 8, but I ended up using 1 1/2 cups)
- Maple Syrup (2 tablespoons for 8, but I ended up using 5 tablespoons)
- Sea Salt (1 tsp for 8, but I ended up using 3 tsp)
Instructions
- First, carefully and thinly slice your peppers. May I suggest wearing gloves as you do this because all it takes is one little brush to your eye and you are in for a rude afternoon! I ended up having two bowls nearby, one for my thin slices and another for my discards. Being a ninny, I tried to get rid of as many seeds as possible to cut down on the heat.
2. Next, heat your vinegar, water, maple syrup and salt in a medium saucepan. You will want to stir until well mixed. Then remove from heat and let cool slightly. I tweaked the measurements of the ingredients to account for adding in more peppers.
3. Throw your peppers into a mason jar or container and then pour over your vinegar mixture. My jar was likely too big so I should have maybe weighed them down a bit…but it still worked!
I ended up leaving my jar out on the counter until the jar was cooler to the touch. I then put the jar in the fridge to await the proper meal! The original recipe mentions these will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge.
Finally, it was taco night! And though I was very nervous, I threw a few in and I LOVED them! Don’t get me wrong, they had a kick but the maple syrup added a nice sweetness! I think it helped that I also had sour cream and avocados in my taco salad to help dull any spice! Still….VERY tasty!
