Holiday Gift Idea: Pickled Peppers

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?  I don't know, but I do know that this is a tasty and festive looking gift for any pepper lover.

The smell of white vinegar reminds me of Easter.  I know this sounds strange, but it does.  While I was growing up, my sisters and I dyed eggs almost every Easter.  The kits my parents bought for this usually had these colored tablets that you had to dissolve in white vinegar and then you would dip the eggs in. We would sit around the kitchen table and and spend hours dying our Easter eggs,  being silly, talking, and laughing. We did this for as long as I can remember until we grew up and moved away.  So that's the connection.  Sometimes it is funny what you will be reminded of by a smell.

Anyway, white vinegar is  used in this recipe, I'm not just reminiscing for no reason.   White vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and some spices are boiled and then in go the pepper slices.  I used red and green jalapenos to give it more of a Holiday feel, but you could use any you like.  I'm sure not many people think of pickled peppers as Christmas gifts, but my husband loves all things spicy and goes  through pickled jalapenos like crazy.  So I thought I would try this recipe, after all, we have a many football (bowl) games left and they will be great on nachos.

Ingredients:

I got this idea and recipe from the Food Wishes blog.

10 jalapenos (4 red, 6 green), sliced
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar (add more if you like them sweeter)
1 Tbsp sea  salt (coarse salt)
1/2 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic, peeled

Bring the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and oregano to a boil then add the pepper rings and garlic.  Turn off the heat and let sit, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.  Then pick out the peppers and place them in a jar (I reused an old store bought pickled jalapeno jar, I think it was about 10 or 12 oz, they all fit).  Cover with the brine and refrigerate. This is a quick pickle, and it isn't the type of canning process that will store for ever, but it should last for a few months in the refrigerator (although it won't get the chance in my house).

If there is someone you know who loves peppers, of if you want to bring something different to a holiday party, keep this idea in mind.  It is also a great gift/recipe to make anytime. 

Enjoy.



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