Canning Peppers A Tutorial Recipes

CANNING PEPPERS: A TUTORIAL

Steps:

• FOR HOT PEPPERS:
• **WARNING** If you are handling hot or even mild chili peppers, wear rubber gloves! I've burned my hands even with the milder peppers like poblanos. It hurts and is easily preventable with gloves.
• Select only fresh, firm peppers for canning, as limp ones will yield less than desirable results. Wash the peppers, then place in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil for 5-10 minutes to blister the skins. Flip over once to ensure they char on both sides. (It's important to blister them as evenly as you can, otherwise it's very difficult to get the skins to come off.)
• Remove the charred peppers and place into a Ziploc bag and seal tightly. Allow them to sit for 10 minutes, then remove the peppers from the bag and rub off as much of the peel/skin as possible.
• Cut the tops off and scrape out the seeds. Cut the peeled peppers in half or quarters, or you may can smaller ones whole.
• Pack pepper pieces into clean pint or half pint jars. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pint jars or 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the half-pint jars. Fill with boiling water, leaving 1″ headspace.
• Affix lids and rings, then process in a pressure canner for 35 minutes. Use 10 pounds of pressure if you are at 0-1000 feet altitude, and 15 pounds of pressure if you are at 1000-10,000 feet altitude.
• FOR SWEET/BELL PEPPERS:
• The skins of bell peppers or sweet peppers are more tender, so they generally do not need to be blistered and peeled (thank goodness).
• Simple quarter or roughly chop bell peppers and cover them with water in a pot.
• Boil for 3 minutes, then transfer to pint or half-pint jars. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to each jar (if desired), then ladle more boiling water to fill the jar, leaving 1″ of headspace.
• Affix lids and rings, then process in a pressure canner for 35 minutes. Use 10 pounds of pressure if you are at 0-1000 feet altitude, and 15 pounds of pressure if you are at 1000-10,000 feet altitude.
• Use your canned peppers in soups, stews, and skillet meals. They will be good for a year in storage, and are still edible after that, although their quality will start to degrade over time.

CANNING PEPPERS (HOT OR SWEET)

Steps:

• Wash peppers before beginning.
• Roast peppers on all sides to blister the skin, using either a grill, stovetop burner or oven broiler for 8-10 minutes. A grill outdoors is my preferred method.
• After roasting, place peppers on a tray under a damp towel for about 15 minutes. This will help the skins slip.
• Remove the towel and slip the skins of the peppers. Be sure to use gloves for hot peppers. Working under running water in the sink helps the skins slip easier.
• Use a sharp paring knife to cut around the stem of each pepper and remove the stem, seed and core of each pepper. For hot peppers, simply cut off the top of each pepper and then remove the seeds. (Again, gloves are important here for hot peppers!)
• Pack the peppers into prepared canning jars, either as whole peppers, slices or dices. For whole peppers, smash the pepper flat before sliding it into the jar (3-4 whole peppers per pint). Be sure to leave 1 inch headspace.
• Prepare a pressure canner according to the manufacturers instructions. This usually means adding 2-3 inches of water to the bottom of the canner and bringing it up to a simmer with the bottom trivet in place.
• Bring a kettle of water to a boil on the stove and fill jars with boiling water, maintaining 1 inch headspace. De-bubble jars, adjust headspace, wipe rims and seal with 2 part canning lids to finger tight. Load into a preheated pressure canner.
• Place the lid on the pressure canner, but do not start bringing it up to pressure. Allow steam to vent for 10 minutes before adding the canning weight and bringing the canner up to pressure (see notes for pressure).
• Once at pressure, process jars for 35 minutes. Canning in pints or half pints is acceptable, but don't use quarts or larger jars. Be sure to maintain pressure for the entire process time, and if the canner drops below pressure, re-start the timer.
• Once the jars have processed at pressure for 35 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the canner to cool completely before removing the jars. (Don't ever attempt to rapid cool a pressure canner.)
• When cool, remove the jars and check seals. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use. Properly processed and sealed jars should maintain quality on the pantry shelf for 12-18 months.