i grew these!
i don’t know if i’ll ever loose the wonder & excitement of growing my own food.
i hope not!
if i had my druthers every meal i eat would have some sort of heat in it or on it. which means that it’s been a process for me to learn how best to save my chiles each year so that i can enjoy them throughout the winter months. travel worn chiles from whole foods in february just don’t have the same kick.
and if a chile’s not kicking than it’s hardly a chile at all.
no?
honeyed cayenne chiles
adapted from the joy of pickling
1 & 1/4 pound cayenne (or other) chiles, stemmed & sliced into no larger than 1/4 inch rings
1/2 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
3/4 quart apple cider vinegar
1 & 1/4 tablespoon honey
1 & 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 small garlic cloves, sliced
4 whole bay leaves (make sure they still smell like bay!)
12 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pint mason jars
yield: 2 pints
1. prepare canning pot and jars. no need to sterilize, but make sure jars get warm.
2. place mustard seeds, coriander seeds, allspice and cloves in a spice bag, tea ball, or tie in a small snitch of cheese cloth.
3. combine vinegar, honey, & salt in a medium sauce pan, add spice bag. bring to the boil. when just boiling, add sliced chiles and bring back up to a simmer.
4. take all four 1/2 pint jars out of the canner and place right side up on a towel. divide the garlic and peppercorns evenly between jars. fill each jar 1/4 of the way full with chiles and add one bay leaf to each jar, placing it against the side and tucking the tip into the chiles to steady the leaf against the side. add the rest of the chiles evenly between jars. pour in the vinegar mixture, filling each jar to just under a 1/2 inch head space.
5. slide a plastic knife, chopstick, or small spatula around the inside rim of jar, and tap it gently on the counter to loosen any air bubbles. drizzle 1 & 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil into each of the jars. wipe the rims clean with a wet paper towel and place the two piece lids on.
6. hot water bath process for 10 minutes.
you must wait to eat these pickles for three weeks.
i know, i know.
tigress can jam october: chile pepper – i can’t taste them yet!
this is a new one for me. i usually ferment my chiles, dry, or indian pickle them. i wanted to try a traditional canned pickle utilizing chiles for this month’s can jam. i trust linda ziedrich, and i like a little sweet with my hot so i went for an adaptation of her honey version. i will report back once i taste them.
learning: this is the first time i’ve used the technique of putting a bit of oil on the top before putting the lids on. it seemed like half of the oil came out in the water bath – the whole pot was oily afterwards. it doesn’t look like much came out in the finished jars though, but i’m thinking this could have been avoided if i left a bit more head space.
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What kind/brand of jars are those above??
woodducksys – the are weck jars. you can click on the link in my larder on the right sidebar and get to their site.
So, what is the rationale for adding the olive oil? Is it flavor, or keeping those top chiles submerged (under the heavier oil)? Does Linda talk about the whys and wherefores?
I've got a pile of cayenne peppers that I don't know what to do with. Well now I do know what to do with them. Mind you, my cayenne peppers don't look like yours. Mine are red and fatter. Are there different types? I find chillis very confusing.
I may try to do this with the bumper crop of habaneros I have. Gotta love the burn.
If find when I can caponata, a bit of the oil leaks, too. Not sure why. ~ksp
kaela – she doesn't specifically say, but i assumed that it was to help the top chiles from getting discolored. i saw that she has it in a number of her canned chile recipes. i will see if i can get an answer from her directly. i can see the oil layer on top now in the sealed jars.
gloria – do it! from what i understand there are many different types of cayenne peppers. this one was supposed to be a 'true' cayenne – whatever that means. they would get red eventually if i left them on the bush longer, but i needed to get them in before the hard frosts made them shrivel.
kelli – try it! ooh, haba-habaneros. ouch!
You're probably right about the head space, don't forget that oil expands quite a bit when it is heated. Looking forward to the roundup!
Made this recipe last night with Jalapenos. My jars look a little cloudy though. Looking forward to making pizza with theses babies!
I had the same siphoning problem with asparagus pickles and then okra pickles and realized that I had simply packed the jars too tightly, which has the added problem of trapping air in the veggies. Yes, headspace is an issue, but not the problem. Oil might also be involved, though I've not found it to be a problem in provencale-style tomato sauce. I will make something like this with those little round hot peppers I just harvested. Thanks for the lead.
those look amazing!!
anyone have a good recipe to use these for other than pizza toppings?
anonymous – in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich is awesome, or thrown across some eggs, rolled inside a flatbread. anywhere really!
Just tried these today. They worked perfectly. Thanks for sharing about the oil in the water. I paid close attention to my headspace and didn’t have any issues. I might not have been as careful if you hadn’t pointed it out.
Can’t wait for three weeks to pass so I can actually taste these!
enjoy them!