Pickled peppers offer a peck of tasty options

Perhaps it’s the subliminal suggestion still rattling around in my brain, the vestiges of countless grade-school recitations: Peter Piper Packed A Peck Of Pickled Peppers.

But the fact is, when the pepper plants produce, thoughts of pickled peppers — and I mean pecks and pecks of ‘em — always follow.

It’s easy to track the seasonal harvest by the phone calls, e-mail and letters that ensue when a particular crop is in full production. And with chili peppers, one of the most popular requests is for pickled variations.

From the industrial-strength pequins, jalapenos, habaneros and cayennes to the more mild-mannered Anaheims, poblanos, Hungarian waxes and golden sweet bells, vinegar seems to be the chosen ingredient for preserving.

After all, the uses for such tangy treats abound. Beyond straight eating (something my brother and I turned into a torture sport of “Who Can Eat The Most Before Reaching Flame-Out?”), a flavorful pickled pepper can be just the delicious and striking accent required for any number of preparations:

alongside servings of fried clams and jalapeno fries.

added to your next batch of gazpacho.

coarsely chopped and folded into an omelette.

tucked into your next grilled cheese sandwich.

speared on the swizzle stick in a Bloody Mary.

accenting a crab and cream cheese sandwich filling, which would then be put on toasted sesame seed buns, topped with Jack cheese and run under the broiler.

offered on a condiment platter for hot dogs, hamburgers and even pocket bread sandwiches.

So go ahead and pickle those peppers now while the pickling’s good.

Pickled hot peppers

4pounds hot red, green or yellow peppers (or a combination)

3pounds sweet red and green peppers, mixed

5cups cider or distilled white vinegar (at least 5 percent acidity)

1cup water

4teaspoons canning or pickling salt

2tablespoons sugar (optional)

2cloves garlic

Wash nine pint or 18 half-pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs.

Wash peppers. If small peppers are left whole, slash 2 to 4 slits in each; alternatively, you can simply slice small peppers into 1/8-inch thick rounds.

Blanch large peppers in boiling water so you can peel them, then cool, peel off skin and cut each pepper into quarters, discarding veins and seeds if you want a less fiery pickled pepper mixture. Flatten small peppers.

Fill jars with the peppers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Combine the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and garlic in a nonaluminum pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Pour the hot pickling solution over 1 hot jar at a time, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Adjust lid. Fill and close remaining jars.

For very crisp peppers (and if you have refrigerator space), simply refrigerate the jars. The pickles will improve with flavor for several weeks and will keep for more than 12 months without losing quality.

To store at room temperature: Place the jars in a large canner, cover with hot water, making sure the jars are covered by at least 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and process half-pints or pints for 10 minutes (15 minutes at 1,000 to 6,000 feet; 20 minutes above 6,000 feet).

Remove, let cool on the counter, then store.

Tricolor pickled peppers and onions

1-3/4cups water

1-3/4cups distilled white vinegar

1/4cup canning or pickling salt

2tablespoons sugar

2tablespoons good-quality pickling spice (one that contains bits of dried chilies)

4medium yellow onions, peeled, bottom and tops trimmed and each one cut vertically through the tops to the bottoms into eighths

4large sweet bell peppers of varying colors, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips

1fresh jalapeno pepper, trimmed and quartered lengthwise, with seeds

Wash four pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs.

Combine the water, vinegar, salt, sugar and pickling spices in a non-aluminum saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep the liquid warm.

Divide the onions among the hot jars, packing them in the bottom. Then divide the pepper strips among the jars, standing them upright on the onions, making sure to mix the colors. Place one piece of jalapeno pepper in each jar (nesting it attractively between the other vegetables and the inside of the jar, with the seeds showing). Pour the hot vinegar mixture over one jar of vegetables at a time, making sure they are covered, but leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Be sure and release any air bubbles by running the slender blade of a knife or a chop stick down the sides of the jar. Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars.

For very crisp peppers (and if you have refrigerator space), simply refrigerate the jars. The pickles will improve with flavor for several weeks and will keep for more than 12 months without losing quality.

To store at room temperature: Place the jars in a large canner, cover with hot water, making sure the jars are covered by at least 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 10 minutes (15 minutes at 1,000 to 6,000 feet; 20 minutes above 6,000 feet). Remove, let cool on the counter, then store.

Adapted from “Farm House Cookbook,” by Susan Herman Loomis

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by ­­ e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.