What to do with peppers

This week’s questions concern pepper. What do I do with so many? And what is Pepper Sauce? Well you can make pepper relish, pepper sauce, pickled peppers, pepper jelly, use in cooking and prepare to use as a spice for seasoning. Pepper Sauce is simply a pickled pepper with vinegar, salt and sugar. Most Southerners use as a condiment on greens or other vegetables. The liquid is sometimes whisked with a little olive oil and used as a salad dressing or on a sandwich. It is delicious and is considered a staple in most old Southern kitchens. Take care, enjoy and I’ll be seeing you around…Agnes

Pickled Peppers:

4 quarts of long red, green, and/or yellow banana peppers. Cut 2 slits in each pepper. Mix 1-cup salt in 4 quarts of water and pour over peppers. Let stand for 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Drain and rinse and drain thoroughly. Pack peppers in 8-pint jars. Combine the following and bring in a saucepot and bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.

¼ cup sugar

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 cloves garlic

10 cups vinegar

Remove garlic cloves and pour liquid over peppers. Remove air bubbles. Seal and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Hot Pepper Sauce:

2 quarts hot pepper and 6 quarts sweet peppers cut in small pieces and cooked in a small amount to water for 3 minutes. Drain.

Mix the following and bring to a boil. Pour over the peppers and stir. Pack all in jars and process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes

2 cups salad oil

2 cups catsup

4 tablespoon salt

4 cups vinegar

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Table Ready Pepper Sauce for Vegetables:

8 quarts hot peppers, washed (If leaving whole, cut 2 small slits in the sides or pepper) (You can cut down on the heat by substituting some sweet pepper for some of the hot or by de-seeding the peppers.) Put the following in a stainless steel pot and bring to a boil.

3 quarts of vinegar

2 quarts water

1 cup non-ionized salt

½ cup sugar

Reduce heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add peppers, cover, turn off heat and let stand for 30 to 60 minutes. Put peppers in hot sterile jars, bring liquid to a boil, pour over peppers, and remove air bubbles, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes for pints and 10 minutes for quarts.

Green Pepper Jelly:

7 sweet green peppers and 1 jalapeno pepper. Wash, remove stems and seeds. Cut in ½ inch pieces. Put half the peppers and ¾ cup of vinegar in the blender and puree. Repeat with the remaining peppers. Mix pureed peppers and vinegar with 1-½ cups of apple juice. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight. Strain through several thickness of damp cheese cloth. Measure 4 cups of juice. If you don’t have enough add more apple juice to make the four cups. Combine, in a large stainless steel pot the juice, 1 package Sure-Jel, and ½ tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil using high heat. Stirring constantly. Add 5 cups of sugar and stir hard until sugar is dissolved. Stir, while bring to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim if necessary. Add a few drops of green coloring. Put in hot jelly jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Seal and process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath. NOTE: can use red pepper and red food coloring.

Red Hot Sauce:

2 cups hot chopped chili peppers, seeds removed

8 cups chopped ripe tomatoes

4 cups good vinegar

½ cup sugar

½ cup salt

2 tablespoons pickling spice, tied in a bag

Put peppers, tomatoes, and half the vinegar in a stainless steel pot and cook until vegetables are soft. Put through a sieve or food mill. Put vegetable mixture and spice bag in the pot and cook till thick. Remove spice bag and add sugar, salt and remaining vinegar. Cook until it is as thick as you want it. Put in jars and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Pepper Poppers:

De-seed large hot peppers. Pour boiling water over and let set for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Stuff with a mixture of 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup sharp cheddar, a pinch of garlic salt, and ½ teaspoon dry parsley. Dip in a thin pancake type batter and fry in one inch of hot oil. Drain and serve.

A Little Advice:

Stay well, “OLDFRIEND!” It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells the kind of life you have lived. Today is the oldest you’ve ever been; yet the youngest you’ll ever be, so enjoy this day while it lasts…thanks Pete

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