Nothing spices up a meal like a jalapeno pepper. When you’re cooking a Mexican food meal or want to add a bit of heat to a chicken, fish, or vegetable dish, you won’t find a better choice than jalapenos. Jalapeno peppers, with their intense flavor and bite, give our food a zip that makes our families happy. They taste like nothing else.
Having the excellent taste and snap of jalapenos all year round spices up our life, which is why knowing how to can jalapenos is so essential. Canning jalapeno peppers means that we can reach for a jar of pickled jalapenos any time that we want to give a dish some extra depth.
This article was designed to help you develop a tested and reliable method of canning jalapenos. You’ll learn how to prepare your peppers for canning correctly, and we show you how to preserve them using our time-tested step-by-step process and a recipe for canning pickled jalapenos.
The article shows you the many health benefits you gain by routinely eating jalapenos and examines why jalapenos are such good candidates for canning. And, you’ll have the perfect use for your peppers with our favorite recipe with canned jalapenos. Before long, your meals will have heat and jalapeno flavor all year.
How to Can Jalapenos
It is not difficult to learn how to can peppers. Follow the simple steps below and you will have delicious pickled peppers for later consumption right from the jar or to add to your favorite recipe.
Prepare other kinds of peppers in the same way with the same delicious (but not spicy) results. The best way to store bell peppers is also by canning them.
Preparation and Preservation
It’s essential that you don’t waste time on an unreliable and faulty process that can result in spoiled food and disappointed family members. This is why it’s crucial to make sure that your preparation and canning techniques work well every time.
A good prep and preservation plan ensures that you don’t have spoiled peppers when you reach for a Mason jar and gives you confidence in your product. This section examines the best way to get your peppers ready for pickling and canning and shows you how to safely and dependably get your fresh jalapeno peppers into jars for long-term storage.
We show you a recipe for canning pickled jalapenos without a hot water bath or pressure canner, and we also share a recommended canning technique that gives you top results every time.
Of course, canning isn’t the only way to preserve peppers. You can also learn how to freeze bell peppers and jalapenos, too. Experiment with lots of storage methods to see what works best for you.
Preparing the Jalapenos
If you want a quality end product after canning, start with quality ingredients at the beginning. Always select the freshest and best-looking peppers or other fruits and vegetables. This is where it helps to know when are jalapenos in season.
Actually, this goes for canning cabbage, carrots, peaches, or any type of produce.
Whether canning sauerkraut, tomatoes, pears, or beets, choose premium specimens for preservation. There should be no soft spots, blemishes, mold, or other issues that could become problematic during the canning and storage process.
Different pepper crops yield different flavors and heat profiles, so give your fresh jalapenos a taste before you pickle them, so you know what to expect when you open a jar. Avoid using overripe or underripe peppers, as doing so impacts the final product’s taste and texture. Always wear gloves when you work with hot peppers.
Wash the peppers in cold water to remove any dirt. Slice off the stems with a paring knife, and slice the peppers into rings that are between ¼ and ½ inch thick.
Place the peppers in a bowl, and allow them to sit for a few minutes. If you are concerned about the peppers being too spicy, remove the seeds.
Canning Jalapenos without Hot Water Bath
It’s not difficult to learn how to pickle jalapenos. The procedure is similar to pickling other veggies like cucumbers and cabbage. We begin with a recipe for canning pickled jalapenos that doesn’t require a hot water canner to preserve your peppers; you can preserve banana peppers using the same process.
It’s easy to use this recipe when canning vegetables like jalapenos. When you do, you’ll be able to use your pickled jalapeno peppers the day after you can them, and they’ll stay delicious and flavorful for a couple of weeks – if they last that long.
Because the jars don’t go through a hot water bath, the peppers are at risk of contamination, however, so you should never allow these peppers to come to room temperature after you’ve canned them. Store them in the refrigerator and take some out when you want to eat them.
Gather your supplies for canning before you get started. Ensure that you have clean sterilized jars, lids, and rims to prevent contaminants from spoiling your jalapenos or other veggies that you preserve.
Combine all ingredients but the peppers in a saucepan, and put the pan over high heat. After the ingredients boil, add the peppers. Stir to mix, and remove the pot from the heat.
Let the peppers cool for about ten minutes, and pack them into the Mason jars. Add the vinegar mixture into the jars, leaving ½ inch headspace in each one.
Use a butter knife or other blunt utensil to press gently on the peppers until all air bubbles are gone. Finally, seal the containers, let them cool completely and refrigerate the jars. The delicious jalapenos will be ready before you know it.
Use this recipe or a similar one as the best way to pickle banana peppers or other kinds of peppers, too. They will be delicious.
Canning Jalapenos with Water Bath or Pressure Canning
If you want to store jalapeno peppers at room temperature for a long time, you’ll need to give them a proper hot water bath to keep them shelf stable. Water bath canning sterilizes the containers and gets the peppers ready for hibernation.
We recommend using a water bath canner when home canning to make sure that your peppers stay healthy throughout the year. You’ll be blown away with how good your peppers taste when you use this jalapeno recipe, too!
Wash the jar lids in soapy water, rinse, and dry them. Place the empty jars without lids or seals in the hot water canner or a large pot, and fill the canner or pot with enough water to cover the jars. Bring the water to a boil.
Turn off the heat, and let the hot jars sit in the water for about ten minutes. Lift them out of the hot water and place them on a towel.
Pack the peppers into the hot jars. Combine vinegar with the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and let the hot brine simmer for about ten minutes or so. Strain out the garlic cloves.
Pour the pickling liquid into your jars, making sure to leave ½ inch headspace at the top for this pickled peppers recipe. If you want your peppers to stay crispy, add an approved preservative such as pickle crisp to your liquid before pouring it into the jars.
Use a butter knife or other utensil to press the peppers gently in the jars until all air bubbles are gone. Wipe the jar rims to remove lingering juice, and seal and hand tighten the jars.
Place the jars in the boiling water canner or pressure canner. Processing time will vary depending on jar size and elevation, so always check the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s chart to make sure that you give your peppers enough time in the canner (..).
After sufficient time has passed, remove the jars from the canner, and let them come to room temperature and sit for a day before storing them. Properly processed jars will have seals that are dimpled inward and do not flex when you press on them. Tighten the lids again if necessary.
This recipe is similar to the way to preserve beets by pickling, too. Pickled vegetables and fruits have a unique sweet and tangy flavor that is hard to beat and is an excellent accompaniment to any meal.
Why Preserve Jalapeno Peppers?
Canning food products isn’t a task that you can complete in an hour. At the very least, prep time and processing time eats into your afternoon. So, why make the effort? There are lots of vegetables out there, after all. Why are jalapenos worth taking the trouble to preserve for year-round use?
This section addresses why you should preserve peppers for later eating. You’ll get a close look at the fantastic ways that peppers can aid your health; you won’t believe the benefits that jalapenos bring.
We also examine the unique flavor and fire that these miraculous little peppers add to meals, and we take a peek at our favorite recipe with canned jalapenos. Your guests will rave about your jalapeno burgers!
Health Benefits
Jalapeno peppers are famous for the many ways in which they help you stay healthy. Jalapenos contain capsaicin, the foundation of heat in peppers, and capsaicin doesn’t just make your mouth feel like it’s on fire.
It also promotes weight loss, which is why it’s an ingredient in many diet pills and supplements. Jalapenos have anti-inflammatory properties, which makes them ideal for controlling arthritis symptoms, including pain and swelling.
If you’re experiencing nasal congestion, jalapenos can help you, as well. A few bites will clear your sinuses. High blood pressure sufferers will be happy to learn that jalapenos contain flavonoids and are great natural blood-pressure lowering agents.
Remarkable Flavor
There’s nothing quite like the taste of jalapeno pepper. The heat and unmistakable taste of the jalapeno makes it stand out, and any meal you can think of gains extra dimension when you pep it up with a few peppers.
You can use jalapenos as a primary ingredient in relishes or salsas, or you can opt to use it to jazz up an old favorite like our jalapeno burger recipe. Just a few peppers make you look at a traditional meal like plain old hamburgers in a new light. You’ll be amazed at the taste.
Chop the pickled peppers into small chunks and combine the beef and jalapenos until mixed. Pat the beef mixture into four patties, and season the patties with salt and pepper. Grill the patties over medium flame for about five minutes per side or until the centers reach 160°F.
Put a piece of cheese on each patty, and grill them for one more minute. Serve your burgers on buns with lettuce, and add sliced jalapenos on top of the cheese.
We hope you enjoyed our tips that showed you how to can jalapenos. Canning jalapeno peppers allows you to have the unique flavor and heat of jalapenos any time of year, and our guide helps you get there.
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