Often used for an ingredient on sandwiches, the banana pepper belongs to the Capsicum annuum species.
Tiny and yellow, the banana pepper, sometimes known as the banana chili is so named because of its resemblance to the banana fruit. Unlike the soft, sweet-tasting banana, however, this pepper can pack a moderately heated punch. The spicy quality of the banana pepper depends on the maturity at which it is harvested, with riper peppers generally being sweeter than young ones. When pickling banana peppers, their are a few different techniques that yield great tasting results.
Crispy, Pickled Banana Peppers
For crispy banana peppers pickled to last, combine banana peppers, 1 tbsp. salt and 2 tbsp. olive oil into a jar. Bring 1 qt. white vinegar to a boil and add it to the jar, then pour in hot brine. Seal the jar tightly with a lid, then put the water bath in the oven for about five minutes. A water bath is the act of placing jars in a pan full of water designed to slide into the oven. Adding a garlic clove in the jar before sealing will strengthen taste.
Sweet, Pickled Banana Peppers
For sweetened banana peppers pickled to perfection, try the following: Take 1/2 lb. of banana peppers sliced into rings and seeded and set them to the side. Prepare a pickling juice by using 2 cups of white vinegar, 2/3 cup of white sugar, 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp. of celery seed and bring the combined ingredients to a rolling boil in a pot. Place the pepper rings in half pint jars, pour on the pickling juice, then pour on the brine to within 1/2 inch from the top. Seal the jars and then leave them to sit for about two weeks before opening.
Basic, Pickled Banana Pepper
For plain, pickled banana peppers, wash your banana peppers and then slit open the sides to remove the seeds. Pack the banana peppers into a sterilized, standard jar along with 1 garlic clove and 1 tsp. of dill seed for flavor. Heat up a pickling mixture by adding together 1 cup of of pickling salt, 1 cup vinegar and 1 gallon of water. Pour the boiling mixture into the jar until it covers the peppers near the top. Tightly seal the jar, then place in a water bath for 10 minutes.
Alternative, Basic, Pickled Banana Pepper Recipe
Another banana pepper pickling process takes a bundle of banana peppers and cuts them in half, releasing the seeds and then placing them in a large mouth jar. Cover the sliced peppers with a salt solution that is 1/2 cup of plain salt and 1/2 gallon of water. Let the banana peppers stay submerged in this solution for four to five days, then remove them and wash them off. Prepare them for the next step by packing them in sterilized jars. Pour in a boiling mixture of 1 qt. white vinegar, 1 qt. water, garlic and 1/2 cup of salt into the jars. Finish by letting the jars process for about 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Tags: banana peppers, banana peppers, water bath, banana pepper, white vinegar