Candied Jalapenos

We had a lot of jalapenos and other peppers left in the garden and we had a freeze two nights ago. Its November and Charleston so this arctic chill was not normal or welcomed. Oh our entire heating & air system blew that night as well. It was superb timing! Okay back to the jalapenos...we picked them all so I had a giant bowl of peppers and since tomatoes are not in season salsa wasn't an option. Our friend Katie made some candied jalapenos last year that Chew is obsessed with so I decided to candy them all! As far as canning goes it was a pretty easy process!

Giant bowl of peppers! The little purple ones are called Purple Mayans I think they are so cute!

First step is to put on gloves! Second step is to remember that while the gloves protect your hands they do not protect your face even if it itches. I made this mistake. Then slice all of your jalapenos into even slices about 1/8 inch thick and discard the stems. Once everything is sliced you can place in a bowl to the side for later. Note: If you are going to use a water bath to can the jars (makes them shelf stable) then I would go ahead and start your water bath now. If not you can just keep the jars in your fridge.

Then start the syrup in a large pot. I use a dutch oven or a stock pot for most things sugary or syrupy having a thicker pot base means a smaller chance of me burning the sugar.

The syrup starting to boil

Then you add the jalapenos in

Now get all of your jars ready its time to fill 'em! See I told you this process is so easy!

You'll see later that I completely over estimated how many jars this would make

     Recipe:

• 3 lbs. Fresh Jalapenos
• 2 cups of Cider Vinegar
• 6 cups white granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Celery Seed
• 3 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper

 
Remove the stems from the jalapeno peppers. Slice into 1/8 inch rounds and then place in a bowl and set aside. 

In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, the minced garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir every once in awhile to ensure the bottom isn’t burning. Add in the sliced jalapenos and simmer for 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. Then turn the heat up to medium high under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full boil. Keeping at a rolling boil for 6 minutes. Again, stir every once in awhile to ensure the bottom isn’t burning.

Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Then use a chopstick or knife or something and poke it around in the jar a few times to make sure you don’t have a trapped air bubbles!
Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and place new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.

NOTE: If you do not want to can these to the point of shelf stable, you can simply put the jars in your refrigerator and use as needed. If you wish to can them, follow the instructions below.

To can, place jars in a hot water bath canner and cover with water by at least an inch. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, make sure the rings are tight and then date and label.

This is the hard part! Allow jars to sit for at least two weeks so the flavors can meld all together. After two weeks they are ready to eat! Chew likes ‘em plain out of the jar and on just about anything. I’d get some cream cheese and a cracker kinda like pepper jelly! Enjoy!

Yields about 8 or 9 half pints.

Recipe from Katie at The Perks