Eating With Deb

Jalapenos

September 26, 2022 by Debbie Manhart

I love growing jalapenos to use when making Pico de Gallo, Salsa, and Grilled Jalapeno Poppers in the summer time. I always end up with more than I can use during the summer and I want them to last throughout the winter. So I’ve come up with some ways to preserve more for winter use.

One thing I like to do before processing them for just about any use is grill them. Toss them in a little vegetable or canola oil and char them a bit on the grill. This gives them a nice smokiness that enhances the flavors in Salsa, Pico de Gallo, or Jalapeno Hot Sauce. I also grill them before I chop them up and freeze them so they are ready for immediate use when needed.

One key thing to remember when handling hot peppers, especially in large quantities, is to wear disposable gloves. The oils from the peppers seep into your skin and will stay there for some time. If you have any cuts, it will burn, and if you touch your eyes or any other sensitive areas, it won’t feel good!

Once charred on the grill, I cut off the stems and put them in the food processor to chop up. I could hand chop them, but that takes a lot of time and there is the risk of getting the pepper oils on me.

Remove the seeds and ribs before chopping them will result in a milder pepper.

When they are all chopped up, I then lay them out on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper to freeze.

Once frozen, I bag them up and label the bag to put in the freezer for use throughout the winter.

I use this in place of green chiles in a recipe if I want a spicier dish, or for making a quick salsa, or any other recipe that calls for jalapenos. I usually make Jalapeno Popper Bites in the winter and I already have jalapenos in my freezer.

I use some jalapenos to make a Jalapeno Hot Sauce which is good on anything you like hot sauce on.

Another favorite thing to do is to make Pickled Jalapenos. I don’t do much cannning so I only make a jar or 2 to keep in the refrigerator.

I would love to hear about your jalapenos!

Pickled Jalapenos

September 8, 2021 by Debbie Manhart

I don’t can much because it is a lot of work, it’s a very hot process, and requires a lot of space, both to process and store. So I’ve come up with several refrigerator pickling recipes for different items that I grow in my garden.

Making your own refrigerator pickled jalapenos is a very easy process. Plus you can control the heat level by removing seeds if you desire. Using apple cider vinegar gives them a little sweetness and tanginess.

It only takes minutes to slice and put this together. However, if you want to have a lot less heat, remove the seeds before slicing.

To easily remove the seeds and keep the jalapenos in rings, just cut off the stem end of the jalapeno and use the pointy end of a skewer to loosen the seeds and ribs. Just be careful not to poke all the way through the jalapeno and stab yourself. Trust me, the oils from the hot peppers poked into your skin don’t feel good!

Once you have everything loosened, tap the jalapeno on the cutting board to knock everything out of the pepper.

Now you should have a hollow jalapeno to slice into rings for pickling (or stuffing to make jalapeno poppers).

Add the seasonings into an 8 ounce jar and then the sliced jalapenos.

Heat up the water and vinegar to a boil and pour it into the jar with the jalapenos and seasonings.

Using a towel or hot pads, tighten the lid on the jar and shake it a few times to dissolve the salt and sugar.

Let it sit at room temperature for an hour or 2 and put in the refrigerator overnight to cool down completely.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Pickled Jalapenos

Refrigerator pickling is a quick and easy process and often can reap the rewards within a day or less.

Prep Time10

Cook Time3

Resting Time1

Total Time1 13

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex

Keyword: Hot Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Pickling, Refrigerator Pickling

Servings: servings

Calories: 3kcal

Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

One 8 ounce clean jar
Cutting board and knife

Ingredients

8 each jalapenos
¼ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp dill dry
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

Instructions

Slice the jalapenos into ¼ inch rings.
Add your seasonings to the jar and then the jalapenos.
Bring the water and vinegar to a boil (I use apple cider vinegar because I want that touch of added sweetness it brings to the palate).
Pour over the top of the jalapenos and secure the lid. Using a towel or hot pads, give the jar a few shakes to mix it up and dissolve the salt and sugar.
Let it cool down a couple hours and then refrigerate.
They are ready to eat the next day.
Enjoy!

Notes

I want the full heat effect of the seeds and ribs so I leave the seeds in when slicing the jalapenos. However, you could remove the seeds and ribs and then slice them.

Don't forget to wash your hands a few times and don't touch your eyes or other sensitive spots for several hours after and several washings later!

Nutrition

Mid Summer

August 4, 2021 by Debbie Manhart

I love summer, but especially mid summer because I get to start eating the produce from the plants I planted in the spring/early summer. For me, there is nothing like the taste of fresh produce from one’s own garden.

I like to plant all sorts of things and try to plant something new each year. This year I planted romaine lettuce, a little late, but I’m hopeful it will be ready by early fall.

Sometimes I get some giant veggies.

As summer goes on and my produce becomes ready to harvest, I do some processing to preserve my garden to be able to use throughout the winter.

With tomatoes and peppers, I like to roast them on my grill and freeze them for using in sauces and soups during the fall and winter. The fire roasting adds a great flavor to salsa, soups, marinara, and pizza sauce.

After I roast them I put them in a large, covered bowl and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Then the skin slides right off. and time to freeze.

As my summer goes on, I start filling up the freezer. Sometimes I have enough harvest to make a sauce right away and freeze, other times I just freeze the produce to thaw in the winter to use when I need it.

One thing to remember, when freezing a bag that contains a liquid, don’t place it directly on a slatted shelf. It will ooze through the shelf and when frozen, it is difficult to pry out of the holes between the slats. I lay a towel down on the shelf then put my bags on the towel.

Every year at the end of the harvest, I hope to have 2 to 3 shelves full of things I got out of my garden.