Pickled Sweet Peppers will add a bit of sweet kick to your salads and dips that you will appreciate mid-winter!
I love when Shepherd peppers come in to season in Ontario! So I like to take advantage of the season and can a few jars.
I add the diced pickled sweet peppers to pasta salads, dip, cream cheese concoctions, sandwiches, omeletttes… need I go on?
Some recipes call for the addition of garlic, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, -similar to bread and butter pickle brine.
But I like them done up with just salt, sugar and vinegar solution. That way the pepper profile stays pretty much intact.
If I don’t get around to putting up a few jars of these peppers I end up buying sweet, slightly picante peppers at the deli counter. It doesn’t take long for a little container to be pushing $5.00. Yep… the ones I get at Farm Boy are $29.90 a kilo. So it is well worth my while to spend the time to can a few jars!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet peppers I use Shepherd peppers
- 1 medium sweet onion sliced vertically
- 1 Tbsp pickling salt
- 4 cups white vinegar 5%
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prepare your canner according to manufacturer's instructions. (Or fill a deep pot with water. Put a rack on the bottom so the jars do not touch the bottom of the pot. Bring water to a boil, ensuring water will cover the jars by at least 1".)
- Sterlize pint jars in the oven at 275° for 20 minutes. Time it so lids and rings are in boiling water for 5 minutes and ready to come out at the time you are ready to close up your jars.
- Wash peppers, trim the tops, remove seeds and membranes and cut into stips and/or chunks.
- In a large pot, bring salt, vinegar, water and sugar to a boil over medium high heat.
- Fill the hot jars with onions slices and pepper strips. Pour the hot brine over them leaving a 1/2" head space. Wipe the rims, position the lids and tighten the bands finger tight.
- Process/simmer jars for 15 minutes in the water bath. Remove hot jars with tongs and allow to cool to room temperature overnight. Allow peppers to steep 3-4 weeks before using.
- Peppers will keep up to a year, stored in a cook, dry place. Refrigerate once opened.
