Nothing beats pickled peppers – except, of course, home grown and pickled peppers! Let’s talk about how to turn your harvest into something you won’t forget.
Pickling peppers allows you to save your harvest in long-term storage without losing their vitamins or crunch. To pickle poblano peppers, start by washing the peppers and removing the cores and seeds. Quarter the peppers, then slice them into thin strips. Add the peppers to a vinegar mixture in a canning jar and process in a boiling water canner.
Keep reading to learn all about pickling poblano peppers.
How do you pickle poblano peppers for long-term storage?
If you want to pickle poblano peppers for long-term storage, you’re in luck!
Pickling poblano peppers for long-term storage isn’t as complicated as it sounds. You need to collect your ingredients, cut your peppers, boil a mixture of vinegar, water, and sugar, put your peppers into jars, and process them in a boiling water canner.
Fresh poblano peppers are a great source of fiber and vitamin C, but they only last a week or two in the refrigerator. Given how prolific poblano plants can be, pickling peppers is an ideal alternative to fresh as it allows you to preserve the nutrients, extends the peppers’ usability, and adds a great new flavor and texture to your cooking!
Here’s how to pickle poblano peppers for long-term storage:
- Collect ingredients
- Prep the peppers
- Wash your peppers
- Cut them into quarters
- Remove the cores and seeds
- Slice your poblanos into strips
- Boil your vinegar, water, and sugar mixture
- Add your peppers to the mixture
- Place garlic and salt into sterile jars
- Add your strips of peppers to the jars
- Cover your peppers with the hot vinegar
- Process the cans in a boiling water canner
Now let’s break down each step.
Collect ingredients
Ingredients include:
- 5 pounds of poblano peppers
- 3 cups of sugar
- 3 cups of 5% vinegar
- 3 cups of water
- 9 cloves of garlic
- 4 teaspoons of pickling or canning salt
Prep your peppers
Prepping your peppers involves several basic steps.
It’s important that your peppers be clean and uniform before adding them to the mixture.
Wash your peppers
Wash your poblano peppers under cold running water, scrubbing with a clean sponge for a minute or so.
You can also use vegetable-cleaning spray along with water.
Cut them into quarters
Carefully cut your poblano peppers into quarters. Follow knife safety protocols, curling your fingertips. Use a cutting board.
Remove the cores and seeds
Cut out the cores and seeds of your poblanos.
You may want to wear gloves for this step since most of the capsaicin (spicy compound) lives in the seeds. That spells bad news if you accidentally touch your eyes after handling the seeds!
Leaving the seeds in will make the final product spicier.
Slice your poblanos into strips
Now take the quarters and slice them into thin strips.
Think about the size of pickled peppers that you want to eat and cook with eventually, and cut them to that size!
Once pickled, they’ll be much more difficult to cut.
Boil your vinegar, water, and sugar mixture
Bring your vinegar, water, and sugar to a boil for one minute.
Add your peppers
Add the poblano peppers to the mixture and bring it to a boil again.
Place garlic and salt into sterile jars
Put ½ of a clove of garlic and ¼ of a teaspoon of salt in each sterile half-pint canning jar.
Add your strips of peppers
Add your pepper strips to the garlic and salt.
Cover your peppers with the hot vinegar
CAREFULLY pour the hot vinegar into the cans. Leave ½ inch of room at the top of the jars.
Process the cans in a boiling water canner
Process your canning jars in a boiling water canner. This should take 10 minutes.
Be sure to follow the directions including with your canning apparatus.
What is the ratio of vinegar to water for pickling poblano peppers?
Pickles of all varieties are so-named for the process used to preserve them. What we typically considered pickles are pickled cucumbers; no matter what we call them, all forms of pickles are subjected to a similar technique of being stored in a solution of salt and vinegar.
The ratio of vinegar to water for pickling poblano peppers is 1:1.
That means for each cup of water used, you should also use one cup of vinegar; in this case, you’ll want to use 5% distilled white vinegar.
How do you jar pickled poblano peppers?
Now that you’ve made your pickled poblano peppers, let’s talk about how to jar them properly.
To jar pickled poblano peppers, use a boiling water canner. Boiling water canners are usually made of aluminum or porcelain-covered steel. They have tightly fitting lids and racks which you can remove. Canners tend to be tall because you need to be able to cover your cans with at least one inch of boiling water.
The main way to jar pickled poblano peppers is with a boiling water canner.
What’s a boiling water canner? Good question!
Boiling water canners tend to be made of aluminum and sometimes porcelain-covered steel. Stainless steel is another option.
Boiling water canners come with tightly fitting lids and racks that are removable. The canner has to be tall enough that one inch of boiling water can cover the tops of your jars.
In addition, canners shouldn’t be any larger than 4 inches wider than your burner – aka extending no further than 2 inches from the burner on each side.
Now that you have a good grasp of what they are let’s go over how to use them.
Steps to jarring pickled poblano peppers
When jarring pickled poblano peppers, getting the peppers in the brine is easy!
The key to a good pickled pepper is preservation. Proper canning requires a careful sterilization technique and attention to detail. Any mistakes in the canning process could lead to bacterial contamination and spoilage.
To jar your pickled poblanos, you should:
- Put the racks at the bottom of the canner.
- Fill the canner so that 1-2 inches will cover the top of your jars.
- Preheat your water to 180°F since pickled poblanos are hot-packed.
- Use a jar lifter to load your jars into the canner.
- Keep an eye on the water levels and keep adding boiling water if necessary.
- When adding boiling water, pour around the jars instead of directly on top of them.
- Turn the heat all the way up and put the lid on.
- Set a timer.
- Continue to monitor water levels and add boiling water as needed.
- If your water stops boiling, start the timer over again. (That’s why it’s important to add BOILING water).
- When the timer goes off, turn the heat off and take off the lid.
- Wait five minutes before you remove the jars.
- Use a jar lifter to take the jars out. Don’t tilt them.
- Place the jars on a towel or onto a cake rack. Don’t put them somewhere cold or drafty.
- Leave them alone for half a day to a day.
- Label your jars and store them in a dry, cool spot away from direct sunlight.
How long will pickled poblano peppers last?
After all that work, it’s good to know that your pickled peppers will last longer than the fresh ones! How much are we talking?
When stored properly, pickled poblano peppers last anywhere ranging from 2 to 3 months.
That may surprise you because pickles at the grocery store seem good for years, but keep in mind that while preserving your peppers, you’re not using any preservatives.
Don’t worry – these will be so good, they won’t last longer than a couple of months!
