Simple Canned Jalapenos

We have been going through jars of canned jalapenos in an alarmingly short amount of time.  As with anything that disappears quickly in this house, it's probably more economical to make it myself.  So I canned jalapenos in water - very simple, no frills, just hot peppers.  There are not pickled, either.

Start out with ripe, firm peppers.  I got mine from a farmers market nearby - they were selling them by the bucket and I bought two buckets.  It ended up being exactly a canner load of pints.  According to this site, you need about a pound per pint.

Wash the peppers.  Slice them - a mandoline is extremely helpful here.  Now is the time when you should start heating water on the stove - one pot of water to pack the peppers, and also water in the canner.

Even more helpful is a set of gloves.  With this quantity of peppers I wouldn't try anything else - my normal olive oil method doesn't stand a chance against this kind of heat.

Peppers sliced! 

Wash the canning jars in hot soapy water.  Feel the sealing surface and make sure there are no defects.

Simmer lids on the stove to soften the seal.

Pack the jars with jalapenos.  I added garlic to two jars as an experiment.

Around this time, the water should be close to boiling.

When the jars are packed with jalapenos, add a teaspoon of vinegar to each jar.  Then pour in hot water, leaving 1 inch of headspace.  Wipe each jar top with a paper towel dipped in hot water - this makes sure there is no debris on the sealing surface that will prevent the jars from sealing.

Pop the lids on top, then tighten rings on each jar.

Then place the jars in the canner (prepare the canner according to the manufacturers directions - I needed 3 quarts of boiling water in the canner for pressure canning).

Follow the manufacturers directions for pressure canning.  The following will be the directions for my weight-style pressure canner.  Turn up the heat until steam is venting from the outlet on top.

Wait ten minutes, then add ten pounds of weight to the lid.  When the weight starts gently rocking, put 35 minutes on the timer.  Soon the air in the kitchen will start to taste hot, and maybe your eyes will start to burn a little bit.

When the timer goes off, remove the canner from the burner.  Wait until the canner relieves pressure on its own, then remove the jars from the canner.  Be careful when opening the canner, because the air is jalapeno air and it burns.  I think I only started coughing once, and other than that it was a good sort of burning (if that's a thing).

Spend the rest of the night listening for the "pop" of jars sealing...

...and each time one does, clap your hands and say "yay!"

These jalapenos ended up being a little softer than store-bought canned jalapenos, and also hotter!  But they are great for adding to tacos or burgers or whatever else suits you.