honeyed cayenne chiles

i grew these!

i don't know if i'll ever loose the wonder & excitement of growing my own food.

i hope not!

if i had my druthers every meal i eat would have some sort of heat in it or on it. which means that it's been a process for me to learn how best to save my chiles each year so that i can enjoy them throughout the winter months. travel worn chiles from whole foods in february just don't have the same kick.

and if a chile's not kicking than it's hardly a chile at all.

no?

honeyed cayenne chiles

adapted from the joy of pickling by linda ziedrich

1 & 1/4 pound cayenne (or other) chiles, stemmed & sliced into no larger than 1/4 inch rings
1/2 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
3/4 quart apple cider vinegar
1 & 1/4 tablespoon honey
1 & 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 small garlic cloves, sliced
4 whole bay leaves (make sure they still smell like bay!)
12 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pint mason jars

yield: 2 pints

1. prepare canning pot and jars. no need to sterilize, but make sure jars get warm.

2. place mustard seeds, coriander seeds, allspice and cloves in a spice bag, tea ball, or tie in a small snitch of cheese cloth.

3. combine vinegar, honey, & salt in a medium sauce pan, add spice bag. bring to the boil. when just boiling, add sliced chiles and bring back up to a simmer.

4. take all four 1/2 pint jars out of the canner and place right side up on a towel. divide the garlic and peppercorns evenly between jars. fill each jar 1/4 of the way full with chiles and add one bay leaf to each jar, placing it against the side and tucking the tip into the chiles to steady the leaf against the side. add the rest of the chiles evenly between jars. pour in the vinegar mixture, filling each jar to just under a 1/2 inch head space.

5. slide a plastic knife, chopstick, or small spatula around the inside rim of jar, and tap it gently on the counter to loosen any air bubbles. drizzle 1 & 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil into each of the jars. wipe the rims clean with a wet paper towel and place the two piece lids on.

6. hot water bath process for 10 minutes.

you must wait to eat these pickles for three weeks.

i know, i know.





tigress' can jam october: chile pepper: i can't taste them yet!

this is a new one for me. i usually ferment my chiles, dry, or indian pickle them. i wanted to try a traditional canned pickle utilizing chiles for this month's can jam. i trust linda ziedrich, and i like a little sweet with my hot so i went for an adaptation of her honey version. i will report back once i taste them.

learning: this is the first time i've used the technique of putting a bit of oil on the top before putting the lids on. it seemed like half of the oil came out in the water bath - the whole pot was oily afterwards. it doesn't look like much came out in the finished jars though, but i'm thinking this could have been avoided if i left a bit more head space.