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Quick pickled red peppers

Love that fresh seasonal produce, but worried you won't eat it before it spoils? Give pickling a try.
Think you may have bought a few too many peppers at the farmers market? It may be time to pickle the surplus. (Photo: Jerry James Stone)

Quick pickles are a great way to take seasonal produce and extend it. You can add a variety of flavors through spices and herbs, and because it is a quick pickle recipe, there is a lot less stress. That is, you don’t have to worry about storing this for a year. Only a week.

These red pepper pickles are a sandwich favorite. Sure, cukes are great but when you are trying to add more veggies to your diet, the more you mix it up the better. While you might think that pickling is a great way to use up produce that is on its last leg, it isn’t. Good pickles are made with good food. I recommend red bells that are from the farmers market, that are fresh and fragrant.

The fresher the peppers, the better. (Photo: Jerry James Stone)

Pickled Red Peppers Recipe

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Prep10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Yield1 jar

Ingredients

  • 1 lb red peppers
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 2 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp mustard seed
  • 1/2 tsp allspice berries
  • 1/4 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cloves garlic (peeled)
  • 2 cups vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt

Instructions

  • Slice off the tops of the peppers, and then using a pairing knife, cut down the sides, leaving the pod of seeds behind. By the way, a pound of red peppers is about four large peppers.
  • Next you want to add the pepper slices to a 32-ounce mason jar, squeezing in as many as you can. You might be left with one or two slices to nibble on.
  • The following isn't required but it might help: You can quickly blanch the pepper slices, to give them a bit more give. That might make getting them in the jar easier for some.
  • Now we are going to add in our spices. Add in a sprig of rosemary to the jar. I recommend fresh rosemary. The only problem here is you really don't want to leave the rosemary in all week. So have Siri remind you to remove that fresh sprig the next day.
  • Now the other spices. While I have my recommendation here, feel free to adjust this for your own taste buds. Jalapeno slices, pearl onions and whatever else you like, can make a great addition. These are your pickles!
  • With all the spices added, warm the vinegar, sugar and salt over a medium-low heat. When the vinegar just begins to boil, remove it from the sauce pan from the stove.
  • Carefully pour the solution into the mason jar. If the liquid does not fill up the jar, that's OK. You just want to make sure the peppers are covered. Add a bit of hot water to do so. Place the lid on the jar and let the pickles sit out until the jar cools down a bit. Once it can be handled, place it in the fridge for storage.
  • Don't forget to remove that rosemary. These pickles will last you a week.

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