Easy Pickled Jalapeños

What do you do with a hefty yield of fresh jalapeños from your garden? Can them.  Can you? Of course you can.  OK I'll stop.

Even if you know nothing of canning don't fret, this isn't really "canning".  These are refrigerator pickled jalapeños, much easier than the traditional canning method where specialized equipment is sometimes needed.  All you need to make these happen is some jars, some jalapeños and about 30 minutes.

One question I know you're going to ask me is how long do they have to sit in the refrigerator until they are ready to eat.  Well, it's like this.  The longer they sit the more pickle-y they become.  Technically you can eat them immediately after canning but they will develop a stronger taste the longer you wait. The good news is, they last a really long time in the refrigerator, Jami from "An Oregon Cottage" said she's still using her's after about a year!  If I still have any in a year I'll let you know.

I made a much smaller batch than the original recipe.  I like jalapeños and all but I can't eat them everyday, so I needed to tone it down a bit.  Great way to use up some of those garden jalapeños!

Oh, one more thing.  I found two red jalapeños when I went to pick these.  I had to look it up and find out what that meant.  Are they hotter? Milder? Turns out they are just more ripe but the flavor is much the same.  Adds a pretty color to the jars in my opinion.  Also, don't be afraid to add in some sliced carrots...you get the nice pickled jalapeño flavor without all the heat.

Easy Pickled Jalapeños
Recipe from AnOregonCottage

Ingredients

• 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of fresh jalapeños
• 6 garlic cloves
• 3 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp pickling salt

Directions

1. Wash the jalapeños, cut off the tops and then slice into 1/4 inch pieces. 
2. Cut each garlic clove in half. 
3. Pack the sliced jalapeños into three pint sized jars and add 4 garlic clove halves to each jar. 
4. In a medium saucepan, add the vinegar, water and salt.  Bring to a boil. 
5. Pour the hot liquid over the jalapeños. 
6. Screw on the tops and rings and refrigerate.  The original poster of this recipe says she has used her's up to a year later. 
7. **If you want to "can" these jalapeños, make sure the liquid is to within 1/4 inch at the top of the jar before securing the lids.  Process in a water bath for about 10 minutes. The jalapeños will be softer than the refrigerated version but refrigeration will not be necessary until they have been opened.