When I was pregnant with my oldest child, I worked at a local bank part-time. One day a coworker brought in a bag of Jalapeno Cheetos, and even with my entire-pregnancy-long-morning-but-really-all-day-sickness, I instantly fell head-over-heels with the unhealthy snack. It was beyond good, and became a favorite in our house. Of course, because it’s not the healthiest of afternoon snacks, we opted to limit the Cheetos to road trips. Ya know, ‘Travel Cheetos.’
But, we were still craving that intense and delicious spicy- kick. So, I began buying the peppers to use in recipes, until a horrific day….
I got a jalapeno seed stuck up my nose. (I know this is way too much info, but it’s quite a humbling memory…and hilarious, after the fact!!) Who knows how something like this happens, especially since I’m ultra careful when chopping those spicy lil’ things. Needless to say, I stopped buying them for many years.
Then, about 2 years ago, while shopping for plants at a local nursery, I came across a jalapeno plant. Naturally, I forgot the incident and proceeded to buy the cute plant. Oh, how we had jalapenos! We used them in dip and salsa, soup and veggie scrambles. I froze them, whole and diced. I gave some away. But, I still had tons of peppers.
What’s a girl to do?
Pickle them, of course!
So, I found a super basic pickle brine (that can be used for more than just peppers) and got to work. If you stop by, there will always be a perky pint of pickled peppers in the refrigerator (sorry…)
Easy Pickled Jalapenos
First up, prepare the brine. Bring 1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil in a medium sized pot.
Next, wash and chop peppers to desired size. Avoid touching face…
For a quart-sized jar, I use 12-15 medium sized peppers.
Add herbs and garlic to mason jar. I typically use 2-3 garlic cloves and a sprig of oregano, fresh or dried.
Once the brine has come to a boil, add chopped peppers to the pot. Continue to boil for 3-5 minutes, or until the peppers become a darker green.
Turn heat off and allow the brine and peppers to cool enough that you are able to handle it.
Ladle peppers into jar and top with brine.
Allow the jar to cool on the counter until you can safely add a lid and move it to the refrigerator. These delicious pickled jalapenos will last for several weeks in your fridge. But, they are so good, they probably won’t last that long.
How do you jalapeno?!
P.S…. A friend recently shared a jalapeno chocolate chip cookie recipe with me, that her family enjoyed. My hubs is on board, and I’m at least willing to sample them. Once we have garden-fresh jalapenos, I plan on trying a batch of these spicy, sweet cookies! And of course, I will share them here!
