I’m not sure if it was the mention of pickled hot peppers on Ron Wilson’s gardening show recently when we were chatting that brought on a deluge of requests, or if it was the fact that I’ve been talking about pickled peppers in my classes.

So for those who asked, I’m sharing Ron’s mom, Nell’s pickled pepper recipe again. It’s a seasonal one for which requests come every year. 

You can’t get easier than this tasty pickled pepper recipe.

And I have a nice recipe for pickled green tomatoes for Lydia C., a Sharonville reader, as well. In the old days, it was a way to preserve those last green tomatoes. Now this pickle is a trendsetter! Who knew?!

Nell Wilson’s simple pickled hot peppers

It’s now recommended to process these peppers in a water bath for 15 minutes.

But I still just sterilize the jars in the dishwasher, pack the peppers into hot jars, pour boiling brine over, seal and store in the pantry, just like Nell has been doing for years.

I’ll leave it up to you to process the pickles in a canner or not. 

For a primer on water bath canning, check out Our Ohio site for a video I made for Our Ohio television.

Use gloves when handling hot peppers. Don’t touch lips, eyes, etc.

Ingredients

Clean hot peppers, enough to fill 10 pints or up to 6 quarts

Brine

6 cups clear vinegar, 5% acidity

2 cups water

1/4 to 2 cups sugar (optional but takes some of the “bite” out)

Bring brine to a boil and keep hot as you fill the jars.

To Prepare Peppers:

Wash jars in dishwasher and leave them hot. 

Peppers: Leave whole with a slit down the center, or cut into slices as desired. 

Remove seeds, or not. Seeds make the peppers hotter.

Place peppers in hot jars, packing tightly. 

Pour boiling brine over, covering peppers, leaving 1/4” headspace.

Wipe rims with clean wet cloth  and seal with lids and bands.

Cool and store in pantry up to 1 year. 

Gilding the lily: Add sweet peppers, bay leaves, garlic, or dill. 

Pickled green tomatoes

This recipe makes enough brine to fill about 4-6 pints of tomatoes.You can increase it if you want. Note the jars don’t have to be sterilized, just clean, as this is one recipe that does call for a short time in the canner.

Ingredients

Clean tomatoes, either small whole, larger cut into halves or quarters, enough to fill 6 pints

Brine

2 cups clear vinegar, 5% acidity

2 cups water

6 tablespoons Kosher salt

Divide among 6 pints

1 tablespoon dill seed

1-1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns

12 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed a bit

Instructions

Combine vinegar, water and salt in pan and bring to boil. 

Place 1/2 teaspoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns and 2 cloves garlic into each of 6 pint jars. Pack tomatoes tightly in jars. Pour hot brine over to cover, leaving 1/4” head space. Wipe rims with clean wet cloth and seal with lids and bands.  

Process in water bath 10 minutes.

Cool and store in pantry up to 1 year.

Gilding the lily: Add bay, hot peppers, etc.

Tip:

Use only jars suitable for canning. 

Don’t reuse mayonnaise or other jars.

If jars don’t seal, just store in refrigerator.