Soft canned peppers

[Toolman]

Any secrets for getting crisper peppers canned
FIrst year of canning peppers Pepperoncini,banana peppers
Lot of the peppers were soft with the outside skin
wanting to seperate from the peppers.
Used 50 50 mix of vinegar water , some canning salt
and 10 minute water bath.

[lorax]

My best tip is overnight salt bath in saturated brine. Then when you pickle it forces vinegar into the tissues quickly, maintaining the crunch and preventing skin separation.

[Toolman]

What would be the mixture for the overnight
salt bath in saturated brine.

[lorax]

Water enough to cover the peppers generously, and then as much salt as you can dissolve in that water (keep going until you still see grains at the bottom of the bowl or crock after vigorous stirring), then add the peppers and leave them overnight.

I've never worked out the exact proportions or recipe. In my water, it takes about 1 C of pink rock salt for every 5 C (roughly) of filtered water at room temperature. The hardness of your water will be different from mine, and thus the amount of salt you need will also be different. I can also almost guarantee you're not using the same salt as I do - pink Loja salt isn't available outside of Ecauador.

[Kisal]

The salt you need would probably be the same as I used to use when I made pickled veggies. It's sold as pickling salt, and most grocery stores carry it during canning season. It might be available year-round for all I know, but I only went looking for it when I needed it for pickled veggies.

[Toolman]

I usually pickle the peppers sliced in rings.
Would it be best to leave the peppers whole
when soaking in the brine solution.
Afraid the sliced would absorb more salt into the taste.

[gumbo2176]

Any secrets for getting crisper peppers canned
FIrst year of canning peppers Pepperoncini,banana peppers
Lot of the peppers were soft with the outside skin
wanting to seperate from the peppers.
Used 50 50 mix of vinegar water , some canning salt
and 10 minute water bath.

I don't put my pickled peppers in a water bath after adding the brine. That is what is likely making them soft.

I've always packed the peppers in sterile jars, added the hot brine of approximately 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water, salt and a clove or so of sliced garlic.

I'll clean the tops of the jars, put on the seals and tighten the rings. They will form a vacuum seal when they cool. If, for some reason a jar doesn't seal, allow it to cool and place it in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and to be used first.

I do the same thing with pickles, okra, green beans, beets etc. I've never had an issue with spoilage. The previous vegetables were all pickled in a vinegar brine, by the way. If just preserving them by blanching and storing in a non-acid solution, I'll put them in a bath in a pressure cooker to kill any bacteria that may be lingering.

[Ruffsta]

[url]https://www.youtube.com/user/Praxxus55712?ob=0#p/u/83/17QT1BdfIgA[/url]

[Toolman]

I will give that a try next year.
Do you need a certain ratio of vinegar to water mix
in the brine. I used a 50 % mix with the water bath.

[gumbo2176]

I will give that a try next year.
Do you need a certain ratio of vinegar to water mix
in the brine. I used a 50 % mix with the water bath.

I generally use slightly less than a 50% mix with the larger portion being water. Naturally, the more vinegar you use, the more bitter the brine.

Also, if you plan to use a water bath after adding the brine, depending on how much minerals your tap water has, you may need to add a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the water bath. Here in New Orleans, we have hard water and if I don't add some vinegar to the water, all the canning jars will have a dull film on them when they finally cool off. This doesn't hurt anything, but sure looks like you used dirty jars to can your product and can be pretty unsightly.

[Toolman]

Is it safe to preserve the peppers without a hot water bath.
A few recipes do it without but most recommend a 10 min. water bath.
I beleive t the peppers softened up from the cooking in the bath.
OPinions wanted

[gumbo2176]

Is it safe to preserve the peppers without a hot water bath.
A few recipes do it without but most recommend a 10 min. water bath.
I beleive t the peppers softened up from the cooking in the bath.
OPinions wanted

I never use a water bath when pickling okra, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, my hot veggie mix of carrots, onions, cauliflower and celery. I simply put the vegetables in the jars, add the hot brine, wipe off the tops of the jars and put on the lids. Every once in a while a jar will not form a seal. When this happens, I allow the jar to cool to room temperature and put it in the fridge for later use. I'll use these first after a couple weeks of being in the brine.

At one time I would put them in a hot water bath but that does soften the vegetables too much for my liking. I've got some pickled okra that is over a year old and it is still crunchy when bitten into.

[Gnome]

Toolman,

I don't put my pickled peppers in a water bath after adding the brine. That is what is likely making them soft.

I've always packed the peppers in sterile jars, added the hot brine of approximately 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water, salt and a clove or so of sliced garlic.

Is it safe to preserve the peppers without a hot water bath

The method that Gumbo cites is the same way my mother taught me, she in turn learned from her Aunt, so my family has been using this technique for decades. I believe that the key here is that the peppers are essentially pickled.

Norm

P.S. Oh, I forgot, remove the stems to allow the brine access to the interior of the pepper and make a vertical slice in the bottom for the same reason. And I do boil the lids briefly before closing the jars.