Canned Banana Pepper Rings
JenniferM | On 17, Aug 2008
Since there were so many requests for this recipe, I decided to just add it here. I want to remind everyone to please do not forget to use gloves when cutting and handling the cut peppers. If you do not use gloves, you risk getting hot pepper juice in your eye and also on your skin.
I wanted to point out that some of these measurements are estimates. Since I didn’t expect to write up this recipe, and my mother-in-law just basically gave us her notes, I didn’t keep track of everything. These are my best estimates and you may need a little more or less of the vinegar and water mix.
We tried these last weekend and they were delicious! Since we left the seeds in, they’re a little spicy. You will want to experiment to see if you would rather have yours de-seeded or with the seeds left in.
***Added: It has been brought to my attention that some people do not feel comfortable with open kettle canning, which is what this method is, and feel it is unsafe. If you do not feel comfortable using this method and/or feel it’s unsafe, follow the recipe below but after putting on the lids and rings, process the jars of peppers in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. (Many thanks to the reader who pointed this out!)
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 8 pint jars, lids and seals
- 8 whole garlic cloves (optional)
- 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. of banana peppers (this is an estimate)
- 4 tsp. salt (you will use 1/2 tsp. per jar)
- 4 tsp. alum (optional – 1/2 tsp. per jar) *see my post about alum
- 7 cups white vinegar (estimate)
- 7 cups water (estimate)
Directions:
- Prepare jars. I chose to just wash my jars in hot soapy water. I turned my oven on to 175 to put the jars in to keep them warm after washing.
- Wash whole banana peppers to remove any dirt. Remove tops from peppers and cut peppers into rings. I cut my rings sort of thick, but you can cut them as thick or thin as you want. Also, de-seed if you choose to de-seed your banana peppers.
- In a large pot, combine 7 cups of water and 7 cups of white vinegar. Heat on high until boiling.
- At the same time, in a small pot of water, place jar lids and rings and bring to a boil.
- Once the rings and lids are boiling, turn on low heat.
- Add 1 clove of garlic to empty jar, then pack banana pepper rings tightly into the jar. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. alum to the peppers. Pour hot vinegar-water mixture over the peppers, leaving 1/4-inch headspace between the rim and the liquid. Remove any air bubbles. Immediately put on the lid and ring to seal.
- Repeat with remaining peppers and jars.
Once the jars start to cool, they will seal.
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September 15, 2011
i have a lot of red sweet banana peppers and would like to preserve them. i love to eat them str8 out of the garden when there red like this. can i can them this way. any advice is welcomed.
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September 28, 2011
this recipe is delicious. i add a small amount of basil also. water bath made them mushy, even when i added calcium chloride. i have been warned about open kettle canning..but this produce is so delicious i want to do it again and again. what do i look for in spoilage and safety?
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October 1, 2011
My grandmother used a grape leaf in the top of her pickle jars to keep them crisp. I tried this the best pickles I made yet! There have been many flops!
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October 19, 2011
I have been looking for an easy recipie for banans pepper rings and this sounds like it will fit the bill. Just as a note for some of you. Each year as I put new jars on the shelf I move last years to the front. If you don’t date, you won’t know which year is which. I always wash my jars with soap and water before putting them on the shelf as they will mold and get quite yucky on the shelves. For the burning from hot peppers when cutting them up, that is more from being in an enclosed area and using the hotter varieties. You will have the same problem with horseradish. I either set a small fan up next to me to circulate the air, or do them outside on a windy day and it has solved the problem for me. I doubt it was an allergy, it was probably the variety of pepper she was using or the area she was working in was too small. Horseradish is famous for this and is best done outside on a windy day. I have canned for 45 years and when the children were home did up to 700 jars each year, so have learned a few things just by trial and error. Happy canning to all of you! Susan
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October 19, 2011
Hi Susan,
Thanks so much for your VERY informative comment and tips! Definitely a good idea to write the date on the top of the jar. We do that and I totally forgot to mention it. I don’t think what happened to me was because of working in an enclosed area. Actually, what happened when we canned these first peppers that year was…I had worn gloves during the preparation of the peppers. However, I *thought* was done cleaning up, so I had taken my gloves off. After I took the gloves off, I had somehow picked up just ONE seed on the palm of my hand and within a couple of hours….OUCH!!! It was a deep, throbbing pain in the palm of my hand and it was pretty painful. I tried rinsing my hand with water, milk and then vinegar and NONE of that worked. So I just had to suffer for about 8 hours is all…LOL! I definitely learned my lesson about wearing gloves. Of course maybe I had an allergic reaction? I don’t know.
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October 21, 2011
I have used this recipe to can jalapenos and banana peppers this year, I also made pickles using this recipe and I added some Ball Kosher Dill Pickle mix, to give it a little dill flavor, I added some habanero peppers to some of the jars of pickles to make them zesty. This is a very simple and delicious recipe with lots of possibilities. Thank you for sharing this.
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Jennifer one thing I did forget to mention and should have, is I keep a record on a clip board, in my canning room, of what I can and freeze each year. The next year I count what is left over so I know if I need to can or freeze more or less of what ever I have done. Even though I now know pretty much how much to do of everything I process. For those on your site that are new to canning, it will help them know how much to put up.
I made 10 qt of the banana pepper rings and did notice that some of my garlic turned blue….go figure. I did not use alum as I didn’t have any and live 10 miles from the grocery store. They look beautiful on the shelf. Can’t wait to try them, but will wait for a few weeks. Thanks for the information. -
Oh, great idea, Susan! And yes, I noticed some of our garlic turned a bit blue as well. I remember being concerned at the time and looking it up. I can’t remember now why it does that, but I do remember it wasn’t something to worry over. I found it interesting the garlic didn’t do that in every jar.
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January 12, 2012
I tried this receipe and some jars turned out to mushie, some were crisp. I don’t think I did anything different. Any suggestions
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Hi Bob,
Hmm…that is odd, isn’t it? Sorry to hear that. Just off the top of my head…did you water bath them? It could be they were processed too long. That’s the only thing I can think of right now, but I will definitely ask the canning experts in my life and get back to you.
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No, I did’t do the water bath. On second thought , the mushie ones may have been a different batch. I just don’t know. I only marked the month and year on the lid.
Thanks,
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Okay, that makes more sense. Sometimes when peppers are a bit overripe, they will become mushy. I will still ask around, though!
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May 2, 2012
Do you have to refrigerate once they are canned or in a dark cool place.
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Hi Marlene,
Right after canning, we let them sit overnight on our table or our island. Then we store them in a cupboard, so a cool, dark place. We only refrigerate ours after we’ve opened them/broken the seal.
HTH!
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June 6, 2012
Hello, I was wondering if you processed these peppers in a waterbath or pressure canner?? thanks, Lynn
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Hi Lynn,
I don’t do either, but if I were, I would choose just a water bath, not a pressure canner.
HTH!
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June 10, 2012
This was my first attempt at canning anything. Since it seemed like an easy, I’d
thought I’d give it a go. And it was easy !! The only thing I seemed to have mess up on was I didn’t quite pack them tightly enough. I’ll know better next go ’round. Thanks for the recipe !! -
Hi John Ruth,
I’m glad to hear you found the recipe easy; enjoy your peppers!
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June 20, 2012
when filling the jars with the water/vinegar, do you fill it completely up to the very top of the jar so no air is in the jar once you put the lid on?
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Hi Cindy L,
Oh, thanks for pointing that out! No, you leave about a 1/4-inch head space. I will update the recipe right now.
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July 11, 2012
This is my first time canning and im wondering how long i have to leave them in a dark place prior to eating?
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Hi Emily,
You’ll want to keep them stored in a cool dark place until opening, but if you’re asking how soon can you eat them, we’ve opened up and eaten out of a jar the very next day after canning. We probably should give them more time than that, but they’re so good, we just *have* to have them!
HTH!
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July 23, 2012
I just found your recipe and really enjoyed reading your rendition of how you can your peppers. I was wondering; can i put jalapeno peppers and/or green bell peppers in the same jars as the banana peppers when I can them? My husband is the only one that eats the peppers and he likes all three. any help or comments are appreciated.
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Hi Shawnda,
I know for sure that you can put jalapeno peppers in with the banana peppers because my husband has actually done some that way; however, we have never tried canning bell peppers this way. I will ask my mother and my mother-in-law to see what they think and get back to you.
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July 27, 2012
How long do peppers last since you are not putting them in a hot water bath? I am in the middle of making peppers now and it was a recipe handed down, calling for you to soak peppers 24 hrs in vinegar and then draining them and packing them in jar, adding oil filled 1/4 from top,basil and garlic. Nut I have been reading you shouldn’t can anymore with oil unless it is 1 tablespoon per quart jar because it could botulism??? have you heard anything about that? We always hot water bathed them. So now I have all these peppers that were soaked in vinegar and not sure what to do with them since reading this. If I use your recipe how will that effect all the vinegar that they have already been soaked in???? any ideas
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August 2, 2012
I am a little confused on the canning process. Instructions from #4-6 are confusing since this is my first time canning.
Please clarify if I should just sterilize the jars and lids, then pack with ingredients and boil jars in water bath. Sorry, but I am not clear on the process you use. Help? -
Hi Mary,
Sorry about the confusion! It is tough when you’re first starting out and looking back, I do think my instructions could be written a bit better.
Yes, you will need to sterilize your jars. I do mine by washing in hot, soapy water, rinsing and then putting them in a warm oven; however, you can also just wash and dry them in the dishwasher.
As for instruction #4, I need to rewrite it, but in the meantime, yes, in a small pot of water, place your jar lids and rings and bring to a boil to sterilize. Once they’re boiling, you can then turn them down on a very low heat until you’re finished using them.
Follow instruction #6 after you’ve sterilized your jars and have your lids and rings ready. After you’ve packed and placed lids and rings on all the jars, then you water bath them for 10 minutes.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!
HTH
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Thank you so much. That clarifies it for me.
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August 8, 2012
I have a recipe for stuffed banana peppers with sauerkraut. The recipe calls for sugar in the brine. Can I use the method you use for your canned banana peppers to this recipe? You stuff the peppers with the sauerkraut that has garlic powder sprinkled on, place in jars (that have been cleaned and sterilized), and pour brine over and then you are supposed to pressure can them. I have trouble with mine getting mushy. So I saw this recipe and wonder if I can do this to avoid mushy peppers? Can I still use the sugar?
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Hi Cindy,
Oh, yum! Those are my favorite kind of canned banana peppers! My mom is actually canning some today and I am hoping to get some.
Having never canned stuffed peppers myself, I had to call on one of my experts (my mom). She does water bath hers, but only for 10 minutes. I didn’t ask for her specific recipe, but she did say the the recipe she uses does call for sugar. So I would say follow the recipe you have and water bath instead of pressure can. The pressure canning is probably what’s causing the mushiness, I would guess.
Also, for a method similar to what I use here but specifically for stuffed banana peppers with sauerkraut, here’s a recipe I found: http://www.food.com/recipe/Pickled-Sauerkraut-Stuffed-Banana-Peppers-31339 It looks like in this recipe, they don’t water bath or pressure can at all.
Good luck and I hope your stuffed peppers turn out wonderfully! They are the best homecanned food ever!
HTH!
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August 9, 2012
I have used the open kettle method for years and never had a problem with spoilage. Watermelon rind pickles, tomatoes, dill pickles have all been canned this way.
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Hi Mimi, thanks for leaving a comment!
Yup, my mom and my mother-in-law have both canned using the open kettle method for a variety of homecanned foods since they were little girls canning with their own mothers, so we’ll just say for at least 50 years, and never a problem, but, you know, the “new experts” say its dangerous to use this method. I guess it’s whatever folks feel comfortable with. I still use the open kettle method myself.
And oh, I’ve always wanted to try watermelon rind pickles! No one I know has ever canned any, so I’ve never gotten to taste any, but they sound really good! I do have a recipe for them, so I really should try them one of these days.
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August 11, 2012
I just canned my peppers with this recipe, and am anxious to taste them. I have used a different open kettle canning recipe last time with 1 cup salt, 1 quart white vinegar and 3 quarts water. They were nice and crispy, but I wanted to use less salt.
Does more salt help with preserving it better?
Oh, by the way, I was told never to use iodized salt, since it can darken the fruit, taste metallic or give a cloudy look to the canned goods.
I used Kosher salt.
What kind of salt do you use? Thanks Cynthia -
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I know what you mean…I always have to open a jar like right away.
I’m really not sure if more salt helps with preserving. I’ve never really looked into it. We use canning & pickling salt in our canning.Hope your peppers are awesome!
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September 3, 2012
My husband and I are trying to go more natural. We are raising a lot of our own meat. Today is a chicken butcher day even. I grew up in a small farming community so canning is second nature to me. I even have a real simple way to can tomatoes. I tried this recipe last night was a little concerned with some of the jars sealing. I have a question though how long does these pickled peppers need to set before you open them and eat them?
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Hi Erin,
Did some of your jars not seal? We’ve never had that happen with peppers, so not sure what to suggest now, but I think if it were me and this happened to us, I would’ve tried putting them in a water bath. Then again, I’m not an expert, so I may have actually just called my mother-in-law and asked what to do! LOL!
As far as how long before opening, I do know the first time my husband and I did these together (pictured above), I was so excited that I opened a jar the next day and they were awesome! I don’t know of a set time period technically, though. I know since then we usually let them set for two weeks or so, but it’s not a “must,” if that makes sense.
HTH!
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