So Many Peppers!
It almost seems sacrilegious to say this… but I am somewhat happy to finally be at the end of my peppers this season! Our peppers got off to a very late start this year…but man did they ever finish big! So, one of my biggest jobs recently has been preserving the peppers!
Now, I always plant a lot of peppers and I fix up and preserve everything that I can but this year I was beginning to run out of things to do with them. I’ve canned and frozen and used them in recipes. I’ve traded and bartered to the point that no one else even wanted anymore! But with our first freeze, I harvested all of the rest of my peppers and I was finally going to be able to finish them off!
Adding Peppers to the Pantry Through Preserving
There are a few basic staples that I always make up and fill our pantry with, like Pickled Banana Pepper Slices, Pickled Jalapeño Slices, and of course, I dry and grind our Cayenne Peppers. However, one of the main “must-do’s” is Sweet Banana Pepper Sauce-otherwise known as ‘Old Fashioned Pepper Sauce’ (a personal favorite). It is perfect for drizzling over all sorts of cooked greens and of course, beans and cornbread, and it is super easy to make!
Such a great sauce to always have on hand for your cooked greens, beans and cornbread and so much more!
Ingredients
Sweet Banana Peppers-however many you have
White Vinegar
Directions
- Wash your peppers and cut off the top, exposing the center.
- Stuff your peppers into, clean jars or bottles.
- Bring enough white vinegar to cover your peppers just to a boil.
- Pour vinegar over the peppers, covering them.
- No need to can, just seal it with a lid.
Notes
- You can store these in the pantry until they are opened, then place them in the fridge. You can even add more boiling vinegar to them when you run out!
Trying Some New Recipes
This year, I added a few new items to the pantry. my husband and youngest son, various hot sauces had to be on the list. Therefore, I set out searching for the best recipes to fit that bill. …and I have found a couple winners! Those recipes will be forthcoming shortly.
The processing and preserving of the peppers, however, was a little overwhelming. Having sooooo many hot peppers to deal with, honestly, did a number on me! I knew, of course, to use gloves, but I did not think about using a respirator! I totally should have! Holy Cow….I was coughing and hacking. My eyes were watering. I could barely even see! My husband saw my desperation and wrapped a bandana around my face, bless his sweet heart!
The Season is Over and Recipes are on their Way
The last little bit of our hot pepper harvest was put into jars for fermenting. In a couple of weeks, they will be ready to make additional hot sauce… apparently, that was a HUGE hit! I’m thankful for the winter reprieve, but I’m already planning for next season’s garden.
I will have all of the hot sauce recipes listed online very soon and will update this post when I do. Be sure to subscribe and get all of the updates. According to my family, you don’t want to miss these recipes!!!
You may also want to head over to our Two Oaks Farm Talk blog and check out the gardening section. Two Oaks Farm Talk is the more ‘farm technical’ side of things. We discuss the knitty gritty side of the homestead; building, gardening and farming. And be sure to check back with our Farm Kitchen section of this blog regularly for more great info and recipes!
MORE WAYS TO CONNECT
We also, as a homesteading family, have three additional blogs that might interest you.Two Oaks Farm Talkconcerns the more technical side of homesteading. We discuss subjects like gardening, food prep, and farm building and construction with lots of tutorials!
Farm Raised Familyis basically a hub for everything under the Two Oaks Farmstead umbrella. You can learn a great deal about all parts of the farmstead there. TheFarm Raised Family blogfocuses on financial matters such as budgeting, saving, and more and on current events affecting families.
You can also have a more in depth look at all that we do by visiting ourTwo Oaks Farmstead YouTube Channeland be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss a thing!
Farm Life and Freedomis the new podcast we are in the process of launching! It is going to be so much fun!
Two Oaks Farmsteadis the farm store… the one that holds the umbrella! Check us all out and join us, not only on our blogs andFarm Life and Freedom podcastbut come join the fun on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… wherever you get social!
