Pickled Jalapeño Slices

Average time to read: 3.4 minutes

Even tiny little balcony gardens can yield enough food to make preserving possible.

If you’ve never done it before, preserving can seem daunting. All those funny supplies and complicated altitude calculations. It’s not just you, there really is kind of a lot to learn in the beginning. But just like with everything else we talk about here, start small! You’ll learn quickly.

This recipe is easy. It’s especially fun because you can do it even if you only have one jalapeño plant.

A single jalapeño plant in a 10” pot. Just look at all those peppers!

This one plant produced more than enough fruit to keep fresh jalapeños on the table all summer long. At the end of the season, they were left to ripen into a vibrant red.

Of course they can be pickled while they’re still green, but red jalapeños feel so festive! Spice up a winter apéro hour by breaking out a jar of these. If you really like your guests, send them home with a jar of their own!

Start by preparing. Have available:

• Canning jars with matching lids & rings

• Sauce pan

• Stock pot

• Silicone canning mat (for the bottom of the stock pot)

• Jar lifter

• Canning funnel

• Labels

Word from the wise: WEAR GLOVES! Even if you think it won’t be that bad, your fingers will feel like they are burning a whole day later. Rub your eyes with those fingers and be prepared to cry.

Slice your jalapeños and pack them tightly into canning jars. You really want to pack them tightly. Fill as many jars as you can and use up any remaining jalapeño slices in your next dinner. No half jars here!

On their own, jalapeños tend to go soft. so If you want them to keep their nice firm texture, add 1/8 tsp of pickle crisp for every 250ml of jar space. (So if the jar is 500ml, you’d use 1/4 tsp, and so on.)

Pickle crisp is just calcium chloride. It’s perfectly safe to consume

1/8 tsp pickle crisp in a tightly packed jar of jalapeño slices

Make the brine: In a saucepan, combine equal parts water and 5% vinegar with 1 scant tsp of pickling salt for every 250ml of jar space. Boil for 5 minutes and pour over the tightly packed jars.

(Ratios, rather than precise quantities, are provided here because the recipe should be adapted to fit the number of jars you’re working with.)

Leave 1/4” of head room and wipe any spills off the rim of the jars. Screw the lids on until they are “fingertip tight.” They should be firm but not strained.

Processing: Place the silicone canning mat in the bottom of the stock pot and fill it with water. The water level should be at least one inch above the jars when they are placed upright in the pot. Bring the pot of water to a boil. Using the jar lifter, gently lower the jars into the boiling water. Set a timer and allow jars to boil for 10 minutes. This is called processing.

When the timer is up, use the jar lifter again to carefully lift the jars out of the pot and place them on a wooden cutting board or towel. Do not place jars on a cold surface, as this may cause them to crack. Do not touch the jars until they have cooled off substantially.

Check the seal: Make sure the lids are suctioned into the jar, indicating a proper seal. If the lid can be popped up and down with the pressure from your finger, the jar has not sealed properly. You can try processing it again or just pop it in the fridge and eat it first.

Proper storage technique: Store sealed jars with only the lids - not the rings. Rings can create a false seal and lead to the consumption of unsafe food. Rings also trap moisture, causing rust and other long-term storage issues like accumulation of bacteria or vermin. Rings should only be used during processing and not again until needed for refrigerator storage after a jar is opened.

Store jars in a single layer. The weight of stacked jars can also create a false seal.

Choose a reputable guide: When it comes to preserving, it’s important to use recipes and directions that are guaranteed to be safe. Not to sound too scary but getting it wrong can lead to problems ranging from spoiled food to serious illness. We stick to OGs like Ball for our recipes because their good reputation in the industry is important to us.

Congratulations! How will you use your pickled jalapeños this winter? Tag us in your posts on instagram to show them off!

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