Okay…why is it called canning if we are going to put our product in jars? There is an answer. Back in the 1700s using “canisters,” became more efficient and durable than the thin glass used at the time. However, when sturdier mason-like jars arrived on the scene, the term “canning” remained. So, there ya go! For this recipe all the ingredients are suggestions based on how many Jalapeños and how many jars you have. I like to have a garlic clove in each jar when I can them.
Pickled Jalapenos
Ingredients
- 20-30 jalapeños
- 4-5 heads of garlic, separated, peeled and smashed.
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup pickling salt
- 1/4 pickling spices
Directions
- Slice the jalapeños. Leave in the seeds, and discard the stems.
- Pack the jars with the jalapeños until they are at the neck of the jar. Use the back of a spoon gently press down to ensure you get a nice, tight pack.
- In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt, and pickling spices. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, and then stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
- When the sugar and salt are dissolved, pour the liquid into the individual pint jars of jalapeños. With tongs, pluck one clove of garlic from the liquid and place one in each jar. *Tip: I first pour part of the liquid into a 4 quart measuring cup, then pour from there. Or, a large funnel works as well.
- Seal the jars with a two-peace metal canning lid. Make sure you have boiled the lids first.
- Partially fill an 18 quart canning pot with a rack and bring to a near boil. Place the jars on the rack and pour in enough boiling water to cover the jars by about an inch. Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
- Using canning clamps, remove the jars from the water and place on a towel and let cool before storing in a dry cool space.
Suggestions
** IMPORTANT: Proper jar preparation is essential for canning success. You want your jars at about 200 degrees when you begin to pack them with the jalapeños and pour in the liquid. You can pop them in the oven, or what I do is simply put them in the dishwasher, with the lids too, and time the end of the wash cycle with canning time. That kills two birds with one stone. The jars are warm AND clean. Large canning pots with a rack are easy to find on Amazon. However, if you don’t have one, I’ve done work-arounds with a normal boiling pot with a cake cooling rack in the bottom. Also, canning kits that include the clamps usually begin appearing at the grocery or Target in early fall. Lastly, this is more about aesthetics than flavor. I let about half my jalapeños “go red,” before harvesting them. It just makes a pretty presentation in the jars.
Brisket & Brawn 