The last few days I have been in a tizzy. Webster's Dictionary is spot on when it says a tizzy is:
"a highly excited and distracted state of mind"
In a frenzy.
In a panic.
Riddled with guilt.
And why? Because with canning season here and the garden overflowing, I couldn't find my grandmother's recipe for pickled banana peppers...it wasn't in the spot it's "always" in. Anxiousness set in...this was her handwritten recipe, what could I have done with it? The last time I made it was for our County Fair, but I was sure I didn't take it with me to the fairgrounds.
I looked through my cookbooks...had I tucked it away? I looked through kitchen drawers...was it with other loose recipes? I called my mom...she tried to recall it from memory, but wasn't sure, and she didn't have a copy.
Feeling defeated, I decided I had to go through cookbooks again, this time not looking for the recipe card, but looking at cookbooks I had helped write. Once upon a time I was a Cookbook Editor, and surely somewhere in those dozens of books I had written, I had included her recipe.
I sat on the floor, and began all over again. Finally I pulled my very first cookbook off the shelf, and there it was: Maymie's Canned Peppers. I was thrilled...while I still need to find that heartfelt, original recipe, I at least HAD the recipe. And so today, the canning began!
I'll share it with you, but remember, this is an old recipe...probably 80 years-old if not older. I don't claim to be an expert at perfecting the pickling salt/water/vinegar ratios, I just know that this recipe has been enjoyed for generations and it has worked just fine.
You'll also see she listed just brine ingredients. Today I picked as many peppers as I could, doubled the brine, and had some left over. I can't give you an exact count or weight of peppers...for me, that's the beauty of this old-fashioned recipe.
Maymie's Canned Peppers
Banana Peppers; hot or sweet
1 cup pickling and canning salt
9 cups water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled, per jar
1 Tablespoon Wesson Oil, per jar
Prepare peppers...if leaving whole, cut two slits in each pepper, or you can slice peppers into rings discarding the stems.
Prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize jars, lids and rings. If you have never done this before, please read the step-by-step instructions shared by the National Center for Home Food Preservation by linking HERE.
To create the brine, combine salt, water, and vinegar in a stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir, and simmer until salt is dissolved. Set aside, but keep to a low simmer.
Add one garlic clove to the bottom of each sterilized jar; then pack peppers tightly into jars. Slowly pour hot brine over peppers leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add Wesson oil to each jar.
Use a small non-metallic spatula or plastic knife inside the jar between the peppers and the side of the jar to remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims, apply lids and rings.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
When I first went to look at Mae, my 1950 Hotpoint stove, the lady selling her asked if I canned...I'll be happy to tell her that today Mae and I canned for the first time and tomorrow we'll be canning tomatoes.
If you try them, I hope you enjoy these banana peppers...salty, with a hint of garlic and oil. I'm oh-so grateful to have jars lining my pantry again!
