The nights were turning cold in late September and it would not be long before a killer frost might ruin my pepper crop in my hoop tunnel raised bed.
So I picked a peck of Peppers some ripe and many still green. I guess it was time to make a peck of pickled Peppers… I decided to make a spicy-sweet Pepper relish from a mix of Bell and Gypsy Peppers.
Many recipes recommend that you dice your peppers by hand for a better chunky texture but I decided after washing and seeding to use my food processor to chop my peppers. I did try to pulse my processor to avoid making pepper puree. I think I ended up with about 4 quarts of minced peppers. I added 4 medium yellow onions that I minced by hand.
I decided to use Ball brand pickling spice mix and Stevia In The Raw zero calorie sweetener mix with white vinegar.
Spicy-Sweet Pepper Relish
4 Qts. minced mixed sweet peppers
4 medium onions diced
4 T Ball brand pickling spice mix
1 tsp red pepper flakes - optional to taste
1/4 cup salt
8 cups white vinegar
8 cups zero calorie Stevia mix sweetener
(optional - 8 cups sugar)
Prepare and sterilize canning jars and lids in boiling water. Combine all ingredients in a large stainless steel pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes - stirring often. Fill jars and water-bath process - 20 minutes for pints and 10 minutes for half pint jars. Place on a rack to cool.
Since this is a pickle recipe using vinegar that typically contains from 5% to 8% acetic acid with a pH of 2-3. That is considered safe for Water-Bath processing.
*Always follow:
USDA SAFE HOME FOOD PROCESSING RULES.
