Pickled Peppers

Prepare your peppers by washing and patting them dry with a clean towel.

Next, slice them into inch-wide strips, removing the seeds and any fleshy matter.

Pickled peppers can develop a tough, leathery skin if you’re not careful. If your peppers are already quite soft, you can pickle them with the skin still on. Otherwise, remove the skin. The best way to do this is to lay the peppers skin-side down in a frying pan over medium heat and wait for the skins to blister. This only takes a few minutes. When the skin starts to blister, remove from the heat. Then, you can easily peel the skin away. You can also blister them in your oven under the broiler.

Turn on the broiler to 400° to 450°F. Turn the peppers with tongs until the skin blisters on top and all the skin is toasted and peeling slightly (around 6 to 8 minutes). Remove the peppers from the broiler with tongs and let them cool before handling.

Once the peppers are ready to be pickled, place them in one of the freshly sterilized jars. It is important to leave a 1/2 inch gap at the top of the jar to allow for expansion of the pickled peppers.

Get your pickling solution ready. There are literally thousands of different recipes you can use here, depending on your own personal taste. Combine the vinegar, water and pickling salt. If you like, you can adjust the recipe by throwing in other herbs and spices. For instance, adding 2 tablespoons sugar will give your peppers a sweeter taste.

After combining the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil.

Finally, place your jars on a tray and top the peppers off with your hot pickling solution. The tray will catch any spillage, making cleanup a breeze. After pouring the vinegar into the jars, gently place the lids on top. Wait for the jars to cool, and then screw the lids firmly into place. Place the pickled peppers in your fridge—they’ll keep for about four months.