Annie We love to pickle stuff—cukes, eggs, beets … you name it. But one of the most exciting things to pickle is peppers. There are countless varieties of spicy and sweet peppers originating from all over the world, and the flavor of each one is so incredibly unique. Pep them up even more with a vinegary brine and spices, and they get even more delicious.
It’s been an awesome pepper year. SO MANY shishitos, cayenne, and bell peppers. Also plenty of Italian roasters and poblanos. But the most impressive producer? My biquinho peppers. We only planted two biquinho plants—one yellow and one red variety—but they are now practically large shrubs that are PACKED with perfect tiny peppers.
Biquinho peppers have a bright, sweet, fruity flavor that is a little reminiscent of habaneros, but with very little to no heat. When pickled, they’re the ones you see labeled “sweetie bells” in the antipasto bar that look like little pear-shape tomatoes.
This week, we used our basic pickled pepper recipe to make my own sweetie bells, and it worked splendidly! Go here to grow your own biquinho peppers (Pinetree seeds are the best!). But no matter what kind of peppers you’ve got growing like mad—or simply couldn’t resist at the farmer’s market—they are surely a prime candidate for pickling.
Our go-to pickled pepper recipe is simple, which makes it the perfect blank canvas for making it your own. (It also makes it a great beginning canner recipe!) Here are my favorite ways to play with it>>>
• Mix and match the vinegar. I usually combine white vinegar with another more flavorful vinegar, such as red wine vinegar or cider vinegar. But you could also splash in something more exciting like malt vinegar or sherry vinegar. Of course other times, I like to keep it simple by using all white vinegar and letting the flavor of the peppers shine through. Just make sure your combination always equals the same amount of vinegar in the recipe and that the vinegar you use has no less than 5% acidity, to ensure the acid level is on par for both flavor and canning safety.
• Combine pepper varieties. When you pickle different varieties of peppers together, they take on each other’s flavor notes. I like pickled various green chiles together for the ultimate nacho or taco topping. Or do a rainbow of bell pepper strips: red, orange, green, yellow…
• Sweeten Up. Some peppers benefit from a little added sugar to the brine. I added 1/2 cup sugar to my sweetie bells to enhance their sweetness and soften the vinegary bite. I also add it to bell pepper rings or to make sweet pickled jalapeños. But for the other pickled chiles, such as pepperoncini, I omit it entirely.
• Add herbs and/or spices. Here’s a list of spices that play well with peppers. You can add little to each jar with the garlic (chop fresh herbs just before adding). Try basil, cilantro, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, juniper berries, mustard seeds, oregano, rosemary, Szechwan peppercorns… and beyond!
Pickled Peppers
Ingredients
- 3 cups vinegar
- 3 cups water
- ¼ to 1 cup sugar (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 lb. sweet peppers or chile peppers, stemmed and cut as desired
- Calcium chloride granules (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan combine vinegar, water, sugar (if using),and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Add 1 clove garlic to each of 6 pint hot, clean pint jars.Add 1/8 tsp. calcium chloride to each jar, if using. Pack peppers into jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Pour brine over peppers in jars. Remove air bubbles from jars and adjust brine to maintain the ½-inch headspace. Add lids and screw bands. Process in a boiling water canner 10 minutes (or cool and transfer to the refrigerator and consume within 3 months).
