Pickled Hot Peppers
recipe from the Putting Food By cookbook
4 quarts peppers
4 cups vinegar
4 cups water
4 teaspoons salt
Olive Oil (optional), I leave this out
Wash peppers thoroughly. Remove core, seeds, and stems of large peppers. (I leave them in the jalapenos, as you can see from the photos, we want the spice.) Cut as desired, or leave whole after coring. The small, hot peppers may be left whole with stems intact. Make 2 small slits in whole peppers.
Mix vinegar and water; heat to 150 - 160 F. / 66 - 71 C. about to the simmering point. Since it is rather volatile, vinegar should not boil a long time. Pack peppers rather tightly into jars. Pour hot vinegar and water over the peppers to 1/2 inch of jar rim. If oil is desired, add vinegar to only 3/4 inch of jar top. Add olive oil to come 1/2 inch from top. The peppers will be coated with oil when they pass through the oil layer as you use them. Add salt to taste, seal, and process 15 minutes in simmering (180 - 185 F./82 - 85 C.) hot water bath.
